Grants and Incentives for the Life Sciences & Healthcare industry

National and European grants and incentives

Research, development and innovation for Life Sciences is stimulated by the national and European governments through two different forms of subsidies. This is stimulated on a national level by the provision of tax incentives that result in a rebate. Cash grants are also provided at national and European level. These subsidy schemes are briefly explained in the paragraphs below. The figure below illustrates a set of relevant grants at different stages of innovation for the Life Science and Health Sector, at national and European level (non-exhaustive list). 

The WBSO (Tax credit for research and development) is (one of) a well-known tax incentive in the Netherlands. If your company develops a new product, (part of a) production process or software in the Netherlands, you can make use of this incentive. The threshold for qualification is low since the R&D activities only need to be technically new to the company. The benefit to be achieved is a reduction in wage costs and other research-related costs and expenses. In addition to the tax incentives, there are also numerous cash grants to promote Research & Development work at both national and European level. Each of these grants focuses on a specific phase in the development of a project or product. While one type of grant may be relevant for activities that are still in the research phase, other grants may be relevant for activities that are closer to the market.

Grants and tax incentives can provide different advantages, not only limited to financial benefits, but can also  increase the visibility of your organization and lead to new collaborations. This can result in faster development and a higher degree of innovation , needed to stay ahead of the competition. However, due to the many different type of grants that are available and the complex process of acquiring grants, it can be difficult to identify and successfully apply for the most relevant grants. We, at Deloitte Gi3, have a good overview of the grants and incentives landscape and thus can identify the most relevant grants and incentives (at regional, national and European level) that will accelerate the development of your innovation. Subsequently, we can support you through every step of the grant process (e.g. from conceptualization, finding the right consortium partners to development and writing of the application) for a successful outcome.