Changing the national innovation system in The Netherlands: an expert based view

Abstract

A sound innovation policy to improve national competitiveness is key for today's policy makers. The Netherlands wants to be in the top 5 of most competitive economies worldwide by being more innovative. However, its innovativeness is not increasing according to several international studies. 15 acclaimed Dutch innovation-experts identify 7 reasons that explain the lack of innovativeness, e.g. low absorption of academic knowledge, limited adoption of ICT, and a preference for cost cutting instead of innovation. To break out of this situation, actions on various societal levels are proposed, e.g. establishing a separate Ministry of Innovation, taking the Dutch `Polder-model' to the next level by no longer focusing on how to divide economical and societal burdens, but on how to collectively develop solutions for them, and supporting innovation processes in organizations head to tail and accepting that the outcomes are not known upfront.