On behalf of the public-private consortium behind the Holomicrobiome Initiative, the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) today submitted a formal application for a significant investment in the Holomicrobiome Institute from the National Growth Fund of the Dutch government .
In the application, the consortium asks the government to earmark €240 million from the Growth Fund for the establishment of the institute and for activities during its first ten years. The funding would add to €167 million in contributions and investments from participating partners, including knowledge institutions, companies, and societal organisations.
In a letter to the consortium, the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) has also expressed support for the proposal.
Through the National Growth Fund, the Dutch government will allocate €20 billion for targeted investments in projects in two areas important for long-term economic growth: Knowledge development, and Research, development and innovation. The Growth Fund is an initiative of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy (EZK) and the Ministry of Finance. They jointly manage the fund on behalf of the Dutch government. An independent advisory committee will assess the submitted project proposals in the coming months, after which the government will decide which projects will receive funding.