Nederlands Agentschap voor Disruptieve Innovatie - Bert Hubert's writings
2 days ago
- Traditional science and innovation funding (like NWO, Horizon Europe) is ill-suited for disruptive innovation because of heavy bureaucracy, predefined milestones, and poor commercialization pathways.
- Germany established SPRIND, a dedicated agency for disruptive innovation that provides fast, flexible funding and active support to turn radical ideas into successful ventures.
- SPRIND's success required a 'Freedom Law' to exempt it from normal state rules, highlighting the need for strong political backing and independence from existing structures.
- The Netherlands plans to create a similar agency (NADI), but there is a risk it will be absorbed by existing institutions (TNO, RVO, NWO) and fail if not set up properly from the start.
- The author argues that NADI must be led by people with technical and entrepreneurial backgrounds and operate free from traditional bureaucratic constraints to succeed.