Bridging the Funding Gap

Although financial support for combating climate change is increasing at both European and national levels, there are still limited funding opportunities for scaling initiatives in green chemistry. Part of this is due to the innovation ecosystem in chemistry being less developed than in other sectors. For deep-tech companies in green chemistry especially, there is a gap in scaling funding options. Venture capital funds currently focus little on the chemical manufacturing industry, and public instruments often do not target scaling.

The Groene Chemie, Nieuwe Economie platform is committed to supporting and facilitating funding for promising scaling initiatives. Guidance and finding suitable public and private funding sources are crucial. The approach is two-fold: "bottom-up" from individual initiatives and "top-down" from available funding options in the Netherlands and Europe.

Activities

• Organizing the Green Chemistry Accelerator, an acceleration program that helps startups find funding for pilots and demonstration plants.
• Conducting masterclasses for startups.
• Uniting financiers to function jointly as a "financial powerhouse" for startups.
• Through participation in various proposals for the National Growth Fund, Groene Chemie, Nieuwe Economie works toward new funding options.