When the objectives of the Lisbon Convention were formulated in 2000, the Dutch Government decided that the Netherlands should give priority to achieving these objectives. In 2010 the Netherlands should be one of the most successful economies in Europe, which should itself be the most competitive knowledge-based economic region in the world.

With these objectives in mind, a consortium consisting of the Dutch industry and universities (VNO-NCW and VSNU), the Royal Academy of Science, the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) and the Organisation for Applied Research (TNO) encouraged the Government to install an Innovation Platform under the presidency of the Prime Minister. Although the Innovation Platform has had an impressive start, the approach aims mainly at long-term policy issues. In order to promote knowledge transfer between science and industry in the short term, more specific measures must be taken.

The Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers (VNO-NCW) and the Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU) are working together to formulate guidelines for collaborative projects. The aim of these guidelines is to promote understanding of the differences and similarities in the objectives of science and industry. Similarity in objectives is the starting point for clear principles on such issues as publication, scholarly integrity and financing. These guidelines are not meant as model contracts, but rather to point out important topics and considerations that should be taken into account in individual contracts.