Province of Groningen

Government in the Netherlands comprises three tiers: the central government (the State), provinces, and municipal councils. The province performs the work for which the State is too big and the municipal councils too small. As such, the province is the link between the State and the municipal councils.

The provincial authorities must ensure that everything runs smoothly within the province of Groningen. The province formulates and implements policy in all policy areas: from healthcare to the economy, from art and culture to spatial planning. In doing so, the province works together with other agencies, municipal councils, organisations and companies. The province has three key tasks:

• Issuing licences
• Providing subsidies
• Establishing policy

The province and IFG
In recent years, entrepreneurs have been experiencing more and more difficulty finding funding for their plans. At the same time, the provincial authorities are receiving less money from the State and from Europe to subsidise small and medium-sized businesses. The province expects that the €40 million establishment of Investeringsfonds Groningen will help support part of the Groningen business community in funding innovations and business expansions. It is a revolving fund. This means that the returns on investment are used for new applications. This allows continued investment in the preservation and growth of employment and in the sustainable economic development of Groningen.