NADI is currently being established.
NADI will be an independent organisation designed to catalyse breakthrough innovation in areas of significant societal and economic importance, by absorbing the financial risk that the market is unwilling to bear.
ABOUT NADI
What is NADI?
NADI stands for the National Agency for Disruptive Innovation. An independent agency designed to catalyse breakthrough innovation in areas of significant societal and economic importance, by absorbing the financial risk that the market is unwilling to bear.
Why NADI?
The Netherlands is a leading country scientifically, but there is a gap between research and the market: research funding is not aimed at multi-year research carrying high technological risk, and for investors that stage is still too uncertain.
Promising knowledge is left unused while major challenges remain unsolved, for example in security, energy, health and the economy. NADI is being established to bridge that gap and set innovative breakthroughs in motion.
How does NADI work?
NADI's model will be based on DARPA (United States), SPRIND (Germany) and ARIA (United Kingdom). NADI formulates programmes around major societal or strategic questions and challenges researchers and companies to develop groundbreaking solutions.
Read more about the intended approach in the design proposal by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy (January 2026).
FEATURED
Read the announcement from Prinsjesdag
With the announcement made around Prinsjesdag, an important step has been taken towards establishing NADI. The Dutch House of Representatives has now outlined the next phase, marking a significant milestone in the development of the initiative and its future role.
PRIORITIES
Time to build.
Our first programme has our full attention. In the background, we are building the organisation.
Founding team established — done
The Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy has asked Jelle Prins to lead NADI. He will do so together with Beau-Anne Chilla, another member of the NADI expert panel that the ministry appointed in 2025.
Funding announced — done
On Prinsjesdag 2026 it was announced that the government is setting aside 500 million euros for NADI in the budget. Read the press release.
Announcing first programme — in progress
NADI will soon launch its first programme, around an industry of major strategic importance to the Netherlands.
Hiring team — in progress
Over the coming months NADI will be looking for Program Directors who can shape and lead the first programmes. People with scientific depth and the drive to deliver breakthroughs on important themes: researchers who are entrepreneurs themselves, or entrepreneurs with a strong scientific background.
Defining future programmes — in progress
Over the coming months NADI will work out its first programmes. That means looking at areas where the Netherlands has both a strong scientific base and a strategic interest, and where a technological breakthrough would have a demonstrable positive impact on the Netherlands and Europe. The exact themes are set by the Program Directors, with broad thematic direction from politics.