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

> State Secretary Boswijk presented the National Institute for Defence Technology in Stroe, where companies and start-ups can already sign up for a first assignment on protecting the North Sea.

Politics · published 2026-11-05 10:24 · https://nlnow.nl/a/new-defence-institute-gets-350m-a-year-to-speed-up-innovation/

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 The institute is not looking for a new type of drone, he said: "That can be outdated tomorrow.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; source: CBS)

- 2015: 6368
- 2016: 6759
- 2017: 7274
- 2018: 7678
- 2019: 9394
- 2020: 10012
- 2021: 10328
- 2022: 11337
- 2023: 11810
- 2024: 13981

## Background

- **NIDT (Nationaal Instituut Defensietechnologie)**: The National Institute for Defence Technology is a Dutch government institute that works on technology for the Ministry of Defence. It focuses on developing and testing new defence technologies so that the armed forces can adopt innovations more quickly. It matters because it is the central national body for defence technology innovation, linking research, industry and the Dutch armed forces.

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