What does NLWorks do?
Global challenges cannot be tackled by a single company or public organisation alone. They require strong international collaboration and expert guidance. At NLWorks, we specialise in bringing diverse parties together with a structured approach to ensure private-public partnerships are sustainable and achieve their ultimate goal: building profitable businesses that create positive impact.
Our approach
We build and support private-public partnerships, helping to strike the right balance between business and impact, private and public interests, and short-term steps and long-term ambitions.
We identify economic, social, and environmental challenges where Dutch solutions can make a difference.
We connect private and public partners to form effective, goal-driven collaborations that address these challenges.
We develop structured programmes designed to deliver profitable (bilateral) business with lasting positive impact.
We help enrich, scale, or replicate the programme’s success. Once developed, the private-public partnership takes full ownership and leads the next steps.
The 5 phases of our programmes
We follow a five-phase programme approach. After each phase, we assess whether the initiative is ready to move forward.
Ideas are developed into business with impact concepts when they attract strong interest from Dutch companies with a competitive edge and a clear, positive business case with impact.
Concepts advance to the programme development phase when there is clear business and impact potential, along with commitment to build a strong private-public partnership.
To move into the Implementation phase, programmes must present quantified business and impact cases, backed by formal and financial commitments from all partners.
Progressing to the enrichment, scaling, replication or retry phase requires first short-term business results and proven interest in growth from the partnership.
Programmes that are enriched or successfully replicated can evolve into new, standalone initiatives.
Dutch expertise strengthens global partnerships
NLWorks is uniquely positioned and mandated by the Dutch government and the Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers. While the Netherlands is a small country, the Dutch are globally recognised for their expertise in specific fields. By connecting this competitive Dutch technology with the knowledge and capabilities of international partners, we create businesses that deliver impact across sectors and countries. Our motto: use local solutions where possible, Dutch expertise where needed.