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In The Netherlands, Marjan Oudeman, Paulien Herder and Paul de Krom will take up their positions as programme directors for the GroenvermogenNL growth fund programme as of 14 February 2022. With an initial reservation from the National Growth Fund of € 338 million, GroenvermogenNL supports the transition to a green hydrogen economy and green chemistry.
Editorial office / The Hague

“We opt for managerial experience and strong connectors who are prepared to take the lead”, says Manon Janssen (former figurehead of the Dutch Top Sector Energy), who put together the programme board with fellow figureheads from High Tech Systems and Materials (HTSM) and Chemistry (ChemistryNL).

Mr Marjan Oudeman, MBA will be chairman of GroenvermogenNL. She is a supervisory director of various companies in the Netherlands and abroad, including UPM-Kymmene Corporation and Solvay SA. She previously worked for Tata Steel and AkzoNobel and was chairman of the board of Utrecht University.

Professor Paulien Herder is the Dean of Applied Sciences and Professor of Energy Systems at TU Delft. She is also Captain of Science of the Topteam of the Topsector Energy. Her specialism is energy system integration and making energy and industry fossil-free through electrochemical conversion.

Paul de Krom is chairman of the board and CEO of TNO. As of 1 February, De Krom will also be the new chairman of the Royal Dutch Chemical Industry Association (VNCI). Previously, he was State Secretary for Social Affairs and Employment and a member of the Dutch Parliament. Before that, he worked for Shell.

First tender

Last spring, the National Growth Fund Committee reserved M€ 338 for the GroenvermogenNL programme in the field of hydrogen production and the application of hydrogen and green electrons in energy-intensive industry. GroenvermogenNL aims to create a strong nationally and regionally anchored innovation ecosystem for hydrogen production and applications.

The R&D and human capital programme will be rolled out at the end of the first quarter of this year. In parallel, a first tender for small demonstration projects will be opened in mid-March.

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