New defence institute to get €350m a year from 2028

Defence State Secretary Boswijk has presented the National Institute for Defence Technology (NIDT) at the barracks in Stroe. From 2028 the institute will receive €350m a year to help Defence innovate faster and on a larger scale.

Defence spending has risen every year since 2015, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) figures show, from €6.37bn to €13.98bn in 2024, the latest year counted.

The institute's first challenge goes to companies, start-ups, universities and knowledge institutions: develop a system to protect the North Sea and its infrastructure, such as cables, wind farms and pipelines. Boswijk said the threat is already being felt there, from Russian spy ships and the shadow fleet.

Boswijk said new innovation is badly needed because the war in Ukraine shows how fast the battlefield is changing. "Drones, artificial intelligence, electronic warfare and autonomous systems are changing how wars are fought," he said. The institute is not looking for a new type of drone, he said: "That can be outdated tomorrow. We are mainly looking for new ways of working together, experimenting and scaling up."

The NIDT is modelled on the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa). For now the NIDT falls under the research organisation TNO, but it is meant to become an independent institute. A motion by the CDA and Volt for such an institute won the support of a large majority in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of parliament, earlier this year.

Government defence spending has more than doubled since 2015

€m · 2015–2024

Government defence spending has more than doubled since 2015 (€m). From 6,368 in 2015 to 13,981 in 2024; highest 13,981 in 2024, lowest 6,368 in 2015. Source: CBS.

View data

Data: Government defence spending has more than doubled since 2015

Period	€m
2015	6,368
2016	6,759
2017	7,274
2018	7,678
2019	9,394
2020	10,012
2021	10,328
2022	11,337
2023	11,810
2024	13,981