Doing business
Are you looking for the right place to locate your innovative company? Whether you’re in need of specific R&D activities, or ready to springboard into the European market, TopDutch is the green, talented and digital region for your next business development. Find out more about our economy, key industries and what we can do for you.
Your guide to doing business in TopDutch:
Work in TopDutch
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Start-up ecosystem
1. A nation of start-ups The Netherlands is a top-five start-up hotspot in Europe, with a government committed to supporting the innovation-leaders…
1. A nation of start-ups The Netherlands is a top-five start-up hotspot…
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Network and connect in TopDutch
Understanding the Dutch polder model Love it or hate it: Dutch culture is all about consensus. Whether we’re making a decision about…
Understanding the Dutch polder model Love it or hate it: Dutch culture…
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Hire employees in TopDutch
Finding talent in the TopDutch region Make it in the North is a joint initiative of various governmental agencies, universities and industry in…
Finding talent in the TopDutch region Make it in the North is a…
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Our investment services
About NV NOM NV NOM is the investment and development agency for the Northern Netherlands. The NOM FDI team offers foreign organizations support…
About NV NOM NV NOM is the investment and development agency for the…
Read moreHelp with doing business in TopDutch:
Some frequently asked questions:
To save you precious time and effort, NOM is here to provide initial advice on everything that’s relevant to setting up your business in the TopDutch region.
Including:
- Financial
- Taxation
- Subsidies
- Funding opportunities
- Regulatory
- Customs regulations
- National and regional laws
- Regulations and permits
- Market
- Workforce
- Finding talent
- Visa requirements
From pre-seed to scale-up, our services and programs support entrepreneurial talent to take the first step, inviting promising internationals to join us, and facilitating their development via incubators and training. We offer:
- Start-up Readiness Program (TRL 1-3)
- Venture Lab North (TRL 1-3)
- Start-up in Residence (TRL 4-6)
- Market Readiness Program (TRL 6-9)
- Investor Readiness Program (start-ups)
- Bestart (start-ups)
- Boost-up (scale-ups)
Yes! The Start-Up Visa NL program is a unique accelerator program that allows the brightest entrepreneurial talent from non-EU/EEA countries to start-up in the TopDutch region.
- Founders can live and work on their start-up in the Netherlands for one year, with support of expert facilitators from their industry.
- After one year, they may then apply for a further self-employment residence permit, which is gained through a points-based system
If you speak English, you probably won’t have difficulties talking with TopDutch people; we have the highest population of non-native English speakers in Europe.
In the Northern Netherlands, we’ve set up a platform especially for companies and international talent to connect, post/apply for jobs and network: no Dutch, no problem! Find out more at www.makeitinthenorth.nl.
Here in the TopDutch region we like to work hard and play hard. Time is money in our culture, so we like to get straight to business in meetings. But once the work is done, many Dutch companies like to socialize together in a borrel, meaning after-work drinks, where we relax together with our colleagues.
Being a country with one of the lowest power-distances in the world, the hierarchy here may seem a little funny when you first arrive here. Bosses and interns alike are all part of the team, and everyone is expected to work independently.