Groningen and Drenthe Secure €60 Million Fund to Drive Post-Gas Innovation
Groningen, Wednesday 11 February 2026
The Investment and Development Agency for the Northern Netherlands (NOM) has officially launched a €60 million venture capital fund to revitalise the economies of Groningen and Drenthe following the gas extraction crisis. Born from the ‘Nij Begun’ government initiative, this vehicle offers a distinct strategic advantage: it finances based on future potential rather than historical collateral. This approach aims to unlock essential risk capital for innovative scale-ups and deep-tech transition projects that traditional banks typically deem too hazardous, effectively turning regional challenges into economic opportunities.
Investing in Potential Over Past Performance
As of today, Wednesday, 11 February 2026, the ‘Fonds Economische Agenda Startkapitaal’ is officially open to applications, marking a pivotal shift in how regional development is financed in the Northern Netherlands [1][2]. Managed by the Investment and Development Agency for the Northern Netherlands (NOM), the fund addresses a critical market failure: the reluctance of traditional banks to finance high-risk, capital-intensive transitions without historical collateral [1][5]. Jakob Klompien, the quartermaster for the Nij Begun Economic Agenda, explicitly stated that the fund finances ‘based on potential for the future’ rather than securities from the past [2][4]. This risk-bearing capital is structured to act as a flywheel, de-risking projects sufficiently to attract co-investment from private market players who would otherwise retreat from such early-stage uncertainties [2][4].
Catalysing the Digital Economy and Deep Tech
While the fund targets five specific sectors—sustainable energy, health, agriculture, industry, and the leisure economy—it plays a crucial role in the broader digitalisation of the region’s legacy industries [1]. The Economic Agenda specifically highlights digitalisation as a core theme for strengthening the regional structure [1]. This follows the significant commitment made in 2025, where over €60 million was allocated to bring an AI factory to Groningen, laying the infrastructure for a robust digital ecosystem [3]. By providing ticket sizes ranging from €2.5 million to €25 million, the new fund is well-positioned to support deep-tech scale-ups and industrial software solutions that require substantial runway to validate their scalability [1][2]. This injection of capital is vital for transforming traditional industrial processes through Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced software-as-a-service (SaaS) models, ensuring the region’s earning capacity remains competitive in a digital-first global economy [3].
Strategic Capital Deployment
The fund operates with a total budget of €60 million, offering financial instruments such as subordinated loans and equity participations designed to bridge the ‘valley of death’ for innovative scale-ups [1][4]. This initiative is merely the vanguard of a much larger fiscal commitment; the Dutch cabinet has allocated €100 million annually from 2026 to 2056, alongside a one-off starting capital of €250 million, to restore broad prosperity to the region [1]. The current fund acts as an advance investment vehicle to ensure capital reaches entrepreneurs immediately, even before the permanent organisation behind the Economic Agenda is fully operational [2][4]. Projects must demonstrate a direct contribution to employment and earning capacity within the province of Groningen or the North Drenthe municipalities of Noordenveld, Aa en Hunze, or Tynaarlo [1].
Strict Timelines for Execution
To ensure capital is deployed efficiently and impacts the real economy without delay, the NOM has instituted rigorous timelines. Entrepreneurs can request an intake interview via the fund’s portal starting today, 11 February 2026 [2][6]. However, the fund demands agility; applicants must achieve ‘financial close’ and fulfil all preconditions within ten months of submitting their application [2][4]. This constraint ensures that the fund supports ‘shovel-ready’ plans capable of starting immediately, rather than speculative concepts that may languish in development [4][5]. An independent commission will test all applications against the strategic goals of the Economic Agenda to ensure alignment with the region’s long-term restoration and innovation objectives [5].