The NOTaS foundation represents research institutions and application developers in the Language and Speech Technology sector in the Netherlands.
Given the number of speakers of the Dutch language (around 20 million), Dutch can be considered a medium-sized language at risk of falling between the tablecloth and the napkin. Too small to justify the industry's often hefty investments but large enough to create a serious market. Partly because of this, it is important for the various players in the field (research institutes, industry and government) to join forces to ensure that the Dutch and Dutch-speaking TST industry does not end up in oblivion but instead is at the forefront of technological developments.

According to various European surveys, the latter is still succeeding well: for years, the Netherlands has been a relatively strong player in both fundamental and more applied TST research. NOTaS plays a clear role here: it brings together researchers and developers from all parts of the TST industry, making it much easier to work together.