All about the NOM

As a regional investment and development company, we want to strengthen the economy in the Northern Netherlands. We do this by investing in companies and supporting entrepreneurs with their growth plans.

We offer various programs for entrepreneurs such as the Market and Investor Readiness program and sector specific programs. We have a broad network, linking entrepreneurs with other entrepreneurs. This also happens in larger contexts on specific topics. Think of the Smart Industry Hub or Chemport Europe. In addition, we put the Northern Netherlands on the map as a business location for domestic and foreign companies. We do this through the TopDutch label.

Nearly 50 years of knowledge and experience

NOM is 1 of the 9 regional development companies in the Netherlands. We were founded in 1974 to eliminate the lag in economic development in the Northern Netherlands. We have long since succeeded in this aim, so today we focus on the further economic growth of the region. We do this with funding, advice and by making our large network available to entrepreneurs.

We are here for innovative entrepreneurs at all stages of entrepreneurship. From idea phase to relaunch.Alle fasen van ondernemerschap

Organizational Structure and Governance

We as Nommers are busy investing and developing. We do this together with our shareholders: The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate and the provinces of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe.

Mission, vision and strategic objectives

NOM wants to help companies grow. The philosophy behind this is that if you really want to strengthen the economy in a region you can only achieve this by strengthening companies.

Our focus

We are working towards a more sustainable (and circular), healthier and smarter economy in the Northern Netherlands.

  • More sustainable: how do we ensure that we leave a viable planet for future generations?
  • Healthier: how do we keep a steadily aging population healthy?
  • Smarter: how to become more productive using digital technology.

Our focus is on the following sectors:

  • Chemicals (green feedstocks, H2, biomass, recycling, smart maintenance).
  • Energy (alternatives to natural gas, H2, power, efficiency smart grids).
  • AgriFood (green raw materials, residue streams, circular agriculture, plant proteins, smart farming).
  • LS&H (healthy food and lifestyle, medtech, biomedical, personal health environment).
  • HTSM (smart maintenance, green economy, smart manufacturing, artificial intelligence).
  • ICT (personal health environment, smart farming, artificial intelligence).
  • Watertech (raw materials from wastewater, mild drying and separation techniques, clean water, monitoring).

Innovation power of the Northern Netherlands

Innovation map Northern Netherlands

Impact for the Northern Netherlands

Based on our mission, vision and strategy, we create social and economic value for our region. Important forms of capital we need for this are of course money, but also knowledge, expertise and our network. Our employees are in constant dialogue with companies, knowledge institutions, governments and other stakeholders in our ecosystem.

By investing in startups and scale-ups, developing ecosystems and attracting (foreign) companies, we contribute to a more sustainable (and circular), healthier and smarter Northern Netherlands.

The direct value is in the number of companies we have funded, the number of successful innovation projects and the investment volume of newly established companies invested in.

These outputs lead to outcomes in terms of economic growth, innovation, circularity and diversity in our organization and investment landscape.

We express our impact in four impact areas. These are linked to a number of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is reflected in our value creation model.