The people behind your application
EdwinSlaghekke
Senior Consultant
Funding for chemicals and materials
In the Dutch chemicals and materials sector, the funding opportunity lies mainly in development work. New processes, new materials, circular routes and the substitution of critical substances call for research whose outcome is not established in advance. That is exactly the kind of work the Dutch schemes are designed for. Investments in plant also play a role, but they are rarely the starting point here. We therefore look first at the development part and only then at what remains possible around implementation. On this page you will learn which projects typically qualify and what matters in the application.
The developments shaping your investments
Four developments set the agenda in this sector, across Europe alike.
Decarbonising energy-intensive processes. Emissions targets and carbon pricing make converting high-temperature processes, steam generation and reaction control a necessity, with electrification and hydrogen the obvious routes.
Circularity instead of linear chains. Raw material prices, supply chain risk and regulation shift attention to recovering substances from residual streams and end-of-life products.
New materials with defined properties. Coatings, catalysts and battery materials are increasingly designed rather than discovered, and most projects stall between lab and plant.
Substituting critical substances. Regulation and raw material dependencies force the replacement of proven substances without losing product properties.
Energy efficiency & decarbonisation
From equipment replacement to process heat: programmes for lower energy use and CO₂ are currently especially well funded.
Automation & robotics
Investment in robotics, sensor technology and connected equipment that secures productivity without replacing people.
Digitalisation & Industry 4.0
From the digital twin to connected manufacturing: funding for modernising production IT.
The programmes behind it
What to watch in this sector
In chemicals and materials, risk often arises where development work, scale-up and investment flow into one another. Three points are particularly critical.
01
Process development and plant construction get mixed
A new material or process can contain R&D elements, piloting and investment in plant. These parts follow different logics. If the costs belonging to development, demonstration or construction are not separated cleanly, reductions or exclusion loom.
02
Scale-up risk underestimated
Many projects work in the lab but fail at pilot or demonstration scale on process stability, quality, energy demand, raw material variation or permitting. Applications therefore have to show which technical risks exist at scale and how the project reduces them.
03
Time recording in long-running development work
Because the centre of gravity here lies with development, hours are the largest cost item. Without traceable time recording and documentation of technical decisions, it later becomes difficult to prove who worked when on which part of the development. That matters more the longer a project runs.
What this means for your funding
How we work
We do not start with the application but with the question of which parts of your work qualify and which logic they follow. Our specialists know the Dutch schemes and the evaluation practice in this sector.
STEP 1
Review the roadmap.
We go through your plans and separate what qualifies from what does not.
STEP 2
Match the schemes.
We map the qualifying work to instruments at regional, national and European level.
STEP 3
Build the applications.
We write against the actual evaluation criteria, not against the project description.
STEP 4
Protect what is awarded.
We keep the documentation audit-ready throughout the funded period.
The people behind your application
FlorisSiekerman
Medior Consultant
The people behind your application
Frank AndréBecker
Senior Consultant
The people behind your application
FrederiekNederveen
Medior Consultant
The people behind your application
HarmRouwendaal
Senior Consultant
Numbers you can hold us to
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By goal rather than by industry
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- Build Strategic Resilience Become less dependent on individual funding sources and absorb volatility with confidence. With non-dilutive capital that strengthens your balance sheet and secures your strategy.
- Accelerate R&D and Innovation Develop faster without carrying the budget alone. We connect innovation funding to your roadmap, so your teams keep building instead of managing applications.
- Optimise Your Funding Mix Build funding into your financing as a plannable component, not an occasional windfall. A funding mix your CFO can count on.
- Stay Audit-Ready and Compliant Keep the capital you have been awarded. Typically, 30–40 percent of funding value is lost after the award. We secure documentation and audit trail from day one.
Ready to secure your funding?
Find out what your business has been entitled to all along.