Governments can play an important role as purchasers of innovations. The total procurement budget of the Dutch Government is about 11 billion euros a year. This makes the government a major player as a purchaser. Actively asking for innovative solutions is a good strategy. Governments and other authorities can bring about and enforce desired breakthroughs. PIANOo: the Dutch Public Procurement Expertise Centre, promotes SBIR and innovationdriven procurement by the government.