The Invest in Holland network, which is commissioned by the Dutch government to attract foreign companies to the Netherlands, was involved in 327 investment projects in 2022. The focus was on attracting and retaining foreign companies in the Netherlands that contribute to sustainable economic growth and strengthening ecosystems.

Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy Micky Adriaansens: ‘Foreign companies are important to the Dutch economy. More than a quarter of the money in the Netherlands is earned there. Also, 20% of employees in the business sector works for a foreign company. That is why I wholeheartedly welcome foreign companies, especially if they can make our economy stronger, more innovative and more sustainable.’

Producing impactful solutions

Hilde van der Meer, Commissioner of the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) and chair of the Invest in Holland collective: ‘Companies all over the world are focusing on developing and producing impactful solutions for the challenges we face. By bringing these types of companies to the Netherlands, we make smart use of innovations that already exist elsewhere and we strengthen our own economy. Based on this vision, we as Invest in Holland partners focus even more strongly on finding, approaching and guiding those foreign companies that can contribute the most in the field of sustainability, innovation and digitalization.’

Companies that opted for the Netherlands in 2022 and strengthen existing ecosystems include the US-based Viz.ai and the Finnish Neste. Viz.ai is a highly innovative company in the life sciences and health sector that develops innovative digital tools that can help improve Dutch healthcare. Neste, the world’s leading producer of sustainable diesel and aircraft fuel, helps accelerate the transition to a circular economy and thereby contributes to mitigating climate change.

Increased investments in R&D and the Energy sector

The 327 investment projects in 2022 concerned both new branches of foreign companies and expansion investments in the Netherlands. The top 5 sectors in which projects were supported in 2022 were:

1. ICT (67)
2. High Tech Systems & Materials (56)
3. Life Sciences & Health (32)
4. Agrifood (29)
5. Energy (23)
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Noteworthy is the increase in the number of investment projects within the Energy sector (23 compared to 14 in 2021). There has also been a positive trend, which has been visible for several years, in the number of projects involving R&D activities (50 projects in 2022 compared to 39 in 2021). Of the foreign companies that invested in the Netherlands in 2022, one third comes from Europe (32%), followed by almost a third from North and South America (30%) and Asia (29%), and 9% from other parts of the world.