Final 12 months, the Dutch Ministry of Defence, in collaboration with the Ministry of Financial Affairs and the Regional Growth Firms, introduced a brand new funding fund — the SecFund (Safety Fund) with a fund capital of €100M.
The SecFund is now reside and goals to supply Dutch startups, scale-ups, and SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) which can be growing applied sciences for civil and defence purposes with a brand new funding alternative.
“To provide our folks the perfect stuff, we’d like probably the most modern folks and corporations within the Netherlands. The SecFund offers an enormous push to startups and scale-ups to shortly convey their improvements into manufacturing and thus get them to our warfighters. Important for our safety,” says State Secretary of Defence, Gijs Tuinman.
Investing in dual-use applied sciences
The SecFund follows the present European Funding Financial institution (EIB) guideline for investing in dual-use know-how:
“Investing in a protected and safe Europe by supporting dual-use merchandise, companies, and applied sciences that profit each civilian functions and legislation enforcement or army purposes, with a transparent market alternative.”
The fund is applied by the 9 Regional Growth Firms (ROMs) and managed by the Brabant Growth Firm (BOM).
The necessity for SecFund
Firms that offer the defence sector usually encounter important challenges in securing financing, as buyers stay hesitant regardless of a excessive demand for capital.
SecFund goals to bridge this funding hole, thereby enhancing nationwide safety, boosting modern capabilities, and selling financial development.
SecFund particularly targets modern Dutch firms, which embrace corporations targeted on superior communication applied sciences, resembling LiFi—an modern and safe knowledge transmission methodology—and new generations of radio know-how.
Firms can apply for funding of as much as €5M, with alternatives for added investments relying on progress and curiosity from Defence as a possible purchaser.
Along with funding, SecFund additionally affords entry to a broad community of consultants and companions.
Since SecFund was introduced in October 2024, greater than seventy firms have proven curiosity.
Tective Robotics receives first funding
The fund has made its first funding in a defence sector firm, Tective Robotics, a Delft-based drone producer.
For defence, their software maps border areas or important infrastructure. For the civil sector, resembling agriculture, the corporate can detect weeds and viral illnesses.
Eligibility standards
To be eligible for funding, the next standards apply:
Your organization is a startup, scale-up or (modern) SME
Your organization is growing an modern dual-use know-how
Your organization’s headquarters are each legally and bodily positioned within the Netherlands
The funding requirement from the SecFund is a most of 5 million euros
Your organization has no relationship with so-called ‘danger international locations’. Co-investors, subsidiaries, founders, shareholders, administrators or workers, interns, self-employed individuals or seconded individuals should not concerned in legal actions and should not a part of a terrorist organisation or and don’t seem on the high of the sanctions lists.
After registration, the appliance might be assessed by the fund administration in collaboration with Defence and the ROMs concerned.
You possibly can click on right here to take a look at extra data.
