Companies received €1.5 billion in WBSO subsidies for R&D projects in 2025.
According to the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), nearly 19,000 companies made use of the WBSO scheme in 2025. A total of €1.5 billion in subsidies was obtained. Approximately 97% of the applicants are SMEs. They received 65.4% of the total subsidy.
Budget 2026
On Budget Day, the Cabinet decided to further increase the WBSO budget to €1.8 billion in 2026. This totaled €1.6 billion in 2025.
Statistics 2025
Total subsidy granted in 2025: €1.9 billion .
In total, €5.2 billion in R&D wage costs and €3.5 billion in R&D investments/expenditures qualified for the WBSO. This resulted in a total subsidy award of €1.9 billion. Of this total, €1.5 billion in subsidies was ultimately actually offset/received (realized) by companies. 
In total, there were 18,932 applicants, of which over 2,300 were first-time buyers (maximum 5 years old). 
Strong growth in AI projects
