"The two organizations already work very closely together, the AiNed program, for example, was developed from the Dutch AI Coalition. Interweaving the organizations even further will further increase the clout and speed of action," explained Cees Oudshoorn. "Moreover, we will need other programs besides AiNed to take advantage of global AI developments," Cees continued.
By bringing the knowledge and insights developed and initiated by the nearly 500 participants in the NL AIC closer to innovation programs, concrete results can be achieved faster. This will benefit all public and private organizations in the Netherlands and Dutch citizens.
Rich harvest, a solid foundation
The Dutch AI Coalition has achieved much since its founding in 2019. For example, the development of seven regional AI hubs, which are strongly connected to local business ecosystems. In addition, the National Growth Fund program AiNed was launched, where a total of €350 million of public and private funding has been raised to support SMEs in particular with implementing AI innovations and removing key bottlenecks to accelerate the development and adoption of AI. From the ecosystem, 25 (and increasing in number) ELSA Labs have been launched where boundary conditions for the human-centered application of AI are the driving force and fundamental research on AI within different application areas is being conducted from nearly 70 ICAI Labs.
These results provide a solid foundation to further accelerate AI developments in the Netherlands. "The networks are strong and lively, people know each other. And the current activities complement each other incredibly well, from fundamental research to implementation in a people-oriented way. In this way we can achieve acceleration and maintain a relevant position for the Netherlands on the world stage," indicates Cees.
European cooperation
"As NL AIC and AiNed, we also work structurally with European partners, for example with the European AI Forum that brings together nine AI coalitions of European countries and with Adra, a public-private partnership that focuses on research programming and also advises the European Commission. We as the Netherlands have an influential role in both networks so that we can properly bring our interests and values into the development of AI policies, decisions and activities.
Also, we collaborate with the European AI Startup Landscape. Since January 2022, the NL AIC proposes a selection of the most promising Dutch AI startups to the European AI Startup Landscape initiative. This database is essential for mapping the AI startup ecosystem in Europe and for boosting confidence in the quality of these startups. In addition, the overview will also be used for matchmaking.
Another initiative is to attract European subsidies to set up a supercomputer in the Netherlands, which will make Dutch companies less dependent on foreign companies for hosting their foundation models. With this important infrastructure, we can strengthen the business climate in the Netherlands and increase our strategic autonomy."
Further acceleration in 2025
In the coming months, the ambition and the corresponding new organizational structure will be worked out in more detail. Support will be provided from a single back office where all experience and manpower will be pooled. With respect for the applicable and separate conditions of government co-financing. The new organization must be ready by January 1, 2025. "Meanwhile, hard work continues on the existing initiatives and the implementation of the AiNed program. Since not much is changing, that's fine. It is primarily about linking programs together better," says Cees.
To achieve the intended acceleration, the board of the new organization will support the new ideas being developed in the coalition so that they can be brought to fruition. This includes seeking funding and subsidy opportunities from both private and public funds and on a national and European scale. Connecting organizations, encouraging cooperation and initiatives also remains an important part of our approach. "With this interweaving, I expect that we as the Netherlands can take excellent advantage of the benefits AI offers," concludes Cees Oudshoorn.
