Innovation Fund North Holland opened the stock exchange in Amsterdam on Wednesday 22 August

A delegation from the Innovation Fund North Holland opened the stock exchange in Amsterdam on Wednesday 22 August.
They did so within the framework of the Week of Regional Entrepreneurship.

The North Holland Innovation Fund was founded by the province of Noord-Holland, the holding companies of the University of Amsterdam, the Amsterdam UMC and the Hogeschool van Amsterdam and Sanquin.

North-Holland entrepreneurs in small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups that originate from the knowledge institutions can receive a loan for the development of a sustainable and innovative product or process. The Innovation Fund provides loans during the so-called Proof-of-Concept phase of the development of a new product or process. In this phase there is a detailed idea on paper that has to be put into practice, for example by building a prototype. Practice shows that traditional financiers are hesitant to invest in the early phase. That is why the province of North Holland, together with a number of important knowledge institutions, has set up this Innovation Fund. Special attention is given to initiatives in the areas of circular economy, sustainable mobility and energy transition and in the area of health care. In the first phase, 12.5 million is available, of which the European Union contributes 5 million. In total, 21 million is available in the long term. The province of North Holland contributes a total of 8 million euros.