Case Study

Living rooms, meeting rooms, and industrial environments are filled with them: individual remote controls, each with its own logic and limitations. ICP Systems saw that there was a better way. With the ICARUS Blue system, they aimed to develop a single smart solution that combines ease of use and control, applicable to both consumer and professional environments.

However, such an ambition requires more than a one-off development.

The system needed to be secure, reliable, and scalable, with software and hardware working seamlessly together. At the same time, the question arose of how this continuous innovation could be financially supported without losing pace or technical depth. From the outset, the focus was therefore not just on technology, but on the long term.

By structurally linking innovation and subsidies, space was created to progressively develop the ICARUS Blue system. Thus, subsidies became not a standalone tool, but an adaptive factor in a journey of continuous improvement and growth.

SKF faced a complex challenge: future-proofing its Dutch facility. Growth, innovation, and sustainability needed to converge in new housing without energy performance, technical choices, and investment budgets working against each other.

It wasn't just about new construction or renovation, but about a cohesive set of installations, measures, and choices that had to be right for the long term.

At the same time, this complexity also presented opportunities: tax incentives could make investments in energy and environmental measures feasible, provided they were carefully applied. By taking an integrated approach to the project, a clear overview emerged.

Not disparate components, but a coherent whole where technology, sustainability, and finance reinforced each other. Thus, sustainability became not an additional burden, but a logical and financially viable part of SKF's future plans.

A photo of a receipt. That was the starting point for a fintech company that wanted to make expense reporting as smooth as payment: you scan a receipt in a mobile app, the receipt is automatically recognized via OCR, and the expense claim is forwarded in real-time to the relevant systems.

However, it soon became clear that the challenge wasn't just about "building something," but about making the entire chain reliable: from recognition to processing, and intelligently connecting it with existing HRM, ERP, and CRM environments.

At the same time, the question arose: how do we ensure that these innovative development hours truly count within the WBSO scheme, creating room to continue building with less financial pressure?

Plastic Whale approached us with a specific request: to brainstorm a floating clubhouse built from recycled plastic. A visible project, tangible and symbolic of their mission to transform plastic waste into valuable applications. But it quickly became clear that there was more at play than just one initiative. Behind the floating clubhouse was an organization with a strong vision, many ideas, and a clear ambition to increase their impact. The real question, therefore, was not whether subsidies were possible, but how they could structurally contribute to growth, experimentation, and implementation.

By jointly reflecting on their direction and future plans, space was created to look further. Not project by project, but from a long-term collaboration where ideas could become reality faster. Thus, subsidies became not an endpoint, but a means to gradually transform their circular dream into growing impact.

Innovations with international potential require more than just a good idea. They demand collaboration, shared ambitions, and a path that connects technology, strategy, and funding. Precisely this challenge arose during the development of 3D metal printing technology. The technology offered great opportunities but stalled at a crucial link in the production process: the post-processing of printed metal parts. This step was still costly and time-consuming, keeping large-scale application, for example in the maritime and industrial sectors, out of reach. The question, therefore, was not only how this could be technically improved, but how to make it faster, smarter, and economically viable together with international partners.

By thinking collaboratively from the outset, space was created to look beyond national borders. Thus, a technological challenge evolved into a European innovation project, where partners strengthened each other and shared ambitions were translated into a concrete and scalable project. European subsidies thus became not an end in themselves, but a foundation for further international innovation and growth.

D/Dock had been working with us for years when a new idea emerged: developing innovative office-homes. On paper, the question seemed simple: how do we secure funding for this concept? But it quickly became clear that the real challenge lay elsewhere. Because this wasn't about one plan, or one party. This was about bringing together organizations from different sectors with different interests, different terminologies, and different ways of working around one common solution for the housing crisis. And most importantly: how do you create space, time, and trust to innovate together, especially when reality proves challenging?

Therefore, this project wasn't just about subsidies. It was about enabling collaboration. With structure, process guidance, and clear agreements, we brought calm and clarity to a complex consortium, ensuring the idea didn't remain just good intentions but could develop into a concrete project that gained visibility in media and politics. Subsidies thus became not an end in themselves, but oxygen for an idea and an accelerator for a new ecosystem around innovative housing concepts.