01 December 2025
Digifonds Noord invests eighty thousand euros in digital opportunities for young people in the northern Netherlands
Digifonds Noord is investing eighty thousand euros in digital opportunities for young people in the northern Netherlands. The fund, which is managed by the Ubbo Emmius Fund, is supporting the development of digital skills in education in Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe. The contribution will go to the educational organisations JINC and AdoptIDee, each of which will receive forty thousand euros to expand their programmes in the region.
In parts of the northern Netherlands, the level of basic digital skills is below the national average. Schools report that many pupils are not sufficiently prepared for further education, work and participation in an increasingly digital society. This investment will give more young people access to education that will help them reduce this gap and strengthen their future opportunities.
Digital skills in practice
In the spring of 2026, JINC will organise a Digital Skills Special in which around 100 pupils will be introduced to programming, data, AI, privacy and online safety. The workshops will be given in collaboration with companies from the region. This will enable children to discover how technology works and how they can use it themselves.
AdoptIDee supports schools in creative and entrepreneurial thinking in the classroom. Pupils work on real issues faced by companies and organisations and learn to research, collaborate and present. Thanks to the contribution, AdoptIDee can expand to Delfzijl, Leeuwarden, Assen and Emmen, among other places. In two years' time, 250 pupils, ten companies and seven schools will join the programme.
The role of the Ubbo Emmius Fund
Digifonds Noord is a regional incentive fund that supports initiatives that strengthen digital skills, digital inclusion and innovation in the three northern provinces. The fund is managed by the Ubbo Emmius Fund, which connects regional partners and oversees the spending and accountability of the funds. In this way, the Ubbo Emmius Fund contributes to equal opportunities for future generations of students and professionals in the northern Netherlands.
This investment is in line with the Ubbo Emmius Fund's ambition to work with alumni, businesses and social organisations to build a strong and accessible knowledge region.
More information
More information about Digifonds Noord and the projects of JINC and AdoptIDee can be found at www.digifondsnoord.nl