The first National Icons election took place in 2014. In the Ridderzaal in the presence of His Majesty the King, Minister Henk Kamp of Economic Affairs announced the four innovative projects which would be the first to receive the title of National Icon.
View the pages dedicated to each Icon to learn about their current status, from the letter of Minister Kamp to the Dutch House of Representatives dated 15 April 2016.
Ambassadors
The cabinet supports the National Icons in realising their ambitions and furnishes an international stage. Each Icon is provided with a tailor-made support programme. In addition, each of them has a minister or state secretary acting as its ambassador.
The ambassadors of the 2014 National Icons were:
- Minister Edith Schippers of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) for the cultured stem cells
- Minister Henk Kamp of Economic Affairs for QuTech
- Minister Lilianne Ploumen of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation for the Bioneedle
- Minister Sharon Dijksma for the Environment for the hybrid potatoes from seed