On behalf of the consortium behind the Holomicrobiome Initiative, the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) has submitted an updated application to the Dutch National Growth Fund (NGF) for an investment in a Holomicrobiome Institute.
The updated proposal adds various details to the original application, which proposed public co-financing of a national, cross-domain Institute dedicated to booming microbiome research and its many promising applications.
The additions elaborate on, amongst other things, how the research programme will be governed and how valorisation of knowledge through new companies, products, and services will be promoted.
In July 2023, the government set aside €200 million for the Holomicrobiome Institute based on an application filed a few months before. In the updated proposal, the consortium provides the additional information that was requested by the Growth Fund Advisory Committee at that time.
Like the proposal submitted last year, the updated application contains extensive commitments for co-financing worth roughly €150 million from consortium members and dozens of partners, which include public and private knowledge organisations, companies, and societal organisations.
More information: see this website and the National Growth Fund website.
About the the National Growth Fund
Through the National Growth Fund, the Dutch cabinet allocates substantial funds 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 cabinet. An independent advisory committee assesses the proposals, the cabinet decides which projects receive funding. See also: NGF website.