Collaboration between the Netherlands and France

Intensification of collaboration between the Netherlands and France

France and the Netherlands wish to intensify the collaboration in the area on innovation
and digitalisation, both bilaterally as on a European level. The Netherlands and France
collaborate increasingly more often in this respect. Both countries, for instance,
complement each other in the area of AI in relation to mobility, health, agro & food, but
also regarding technology itself, as well as in knowledge-intensive sectors.

State secretary Mona Keijzer and her French peer State secretary Cedric O have been
discussing this collaboration in the area of digitisation and innovation for some time.
Last October, for instance, in a joint interview in the Financial Times, they indicated
that they want to collaborate when it comes to digitalisation and AI: France is one of the
Netherlands’ priority countries, as included in the Strategic Action Plan AI of the Dutch
Cabinet, for both bilateral and European collaboration.

France and the Netherlands wish to intensify the collaboration bilaterally, around EU
research programmes like Horizon Europe. After all, the figures show that collaboration
with the Netherlands takes place for a third of the H2020-projecten, which proves a fruitful
relationship!
ICT is one of the main topics concerning these projects. By means of this online innovation
mission, we wish to further expand this collaboration between the Netherlands and
France, in the area of digitisation and innovation.

The Dutch-French AI-innovation mission 2021 is a unique moment for French key players
because France and the Netherlands are complementary when it comes to AI and have
things to offer, both ways. Both countries are ambitious. In 2018 already, France presented
its impressive national AI-strategy, which the Netherlands did in 2019.

For both countries, the level of research is quite high. In France, research is conducted by
organisations like the INRIA and VEDECOM where mobility is concerned, INSERM and the
Health Data Hub are involved in health and INRAe concern themselves with agro-food,
but also universities and ‘Grandes Ecoles’, like in the Plateau de Saclay, perform excellent
research. The mission aims for more cross-fertilisation to take place between these (and
other French) organisations and Dutch detailed expert knowledge institutes, in the area
of AI like, for instance, TNO, the CWI, TU Eindhoven, Erasmus Medical Centre (health),
Wageningen University Research (WUR) or the ICAI in Amsterdam. Collaboration will
improve the knowledge in Europe. In a bilateral or European context.

But the mission’s objective is also the collaboration with and by private key players.
Just like France, the Netherlands have major players in the area of AI, like NXP, TomTom,
Unilever, Heineken and Philips healthcare. But also a huge number of SMEs and start-ups
concern themselves more and more actively with AI.

France Hub IA on the French side and the Dutch AI Coalition plan to actively support the
mission.