WBSO for Manufacturing: Does Your Production Innovation Qualify?
Manna Team
Manufacturing is one of the largest users of the WBSO. Developing new products, machines and production processes is often about exactly what the WBSO rewards: technical novelty and technical uncertainty. This article explains when production innovation qualifies, with concrete examples. Want to apply right away? Start with the complete guide to applying for WBSO.
When does production innovation qualify?
The WBSO reimburses developing a technically new product, a production process or new software. For manufacturers this means you develop something yourself that is technically new for your company and where you have to solve technical problems.
Usually qualifies:
- Developing a new product or product variant with technical challenges
- Designing a new or substantially improved production process
- Building a machine or mould for which no standard solution exists
- Solving technical problems around material behaviour, tolerance or cycle time
Usually does not qualify:
- Serial production of an existing product (routine production)
- Purchasing and installing a standard machine without your own development
- Aesthetic or purely organisational changes without a technical problem
Examples from manufacturing
- Process innovation: developing an automated assembly step where it is uncertain whether the required precision and speed are achievable.
- Product development: a new component that must be both lighter and stronger, for which you test new material combinations.
- Machine building: a custom-developed machine that replaces an existing manual process, with uncertain technical feasibility.
In all these cases the core is the technical uncertainty: it is not certain in advance that you will solve the problem.
Wage costs plus costs and expenditure
An advantage for manufacturers: alongside R&D wage costs, companies with staff can also include costs and expenditure (for example materials for prototypes), or opt for the flat rate. That makes the WBSO especially attractive for capital-intensive development. Calculate your benefit with the WBSO calculator 2026.
How do you describe a production project?
Answer RVO's four questions technically and concretely: what are you developing, why is it technically new, which technical problems do you expect and how will you solve them? A worked WBSO application example helps you get started.
Get started
See RVO.nl/wbso for the official conditions.
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