Innovating for the future? An external assessment of the future‐oriented governance of the Dutch innovation system

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the future‐orientation of the Dutch innovation system and formulate recommendations to improve it. Design/methodology/approach – The approach takes the form of in‐depth interviews with Dutch experts who are sufficiently independent to formulate relevant, interesting, and deviating opinions. Findings – Dutch managers are quite reluctant to look at the future. They seem to favor the short term above the long term. Research limitations/implications – Consulting additional experts might yield more and more validated results. Practical implications – Dutch companies should do more about turning a future vision into concrete decisions and actions. Social implications – It is necessary to appoint a specific Minister for Innovation and the Dutch government should support the entire innovation process and not just the beginning. Originality/value – This is the first analysis of the future‐orientation of the Dutch innovation system.