Research and Innovation as Foundation for Dutch Prosperity

The article, titled "The best investment for the Netherlands: research and innovation," presents compelling evidence that investing in knowledge pays off. According to the European Commission's interim evaluation of the Horizon Europe research program, every euro invested in research yields eleven euros in the long term – making cuts to research funding a costly mistake for the Dutch economy.

Solving Amsterdam's Infrastructure Challenges

AMS Institute is highlighted as an example of how university-industry-government collaboration creates tangible impact. As Kenneth Heijns, Director of TU Delft's Innovation & Impact Centre and former Director of AMS Institute, explains in the article, our partnership with the City of Amsterdam addresses some of the city's most pressing urban challenges.

One striking example is our work on Amsterdam's quay walls. The city faced the prospect of investing billions of euros to prevent its historic infrastructure from literally sinking. Through AMS Institute's research-driven approach, combining expertise from TU Delft, Wageningen University & Research, and MIT, we've helped develop efficient and effective solutions that have reduced costs by hundreds of millions of euros.

"Amsterdam realized that it needs to invest billions in quay walls to keep its head above water literally," Heijns notes in the article. "At AMS Institute, we are using TU Delft knowledge to explore how to tackle this problem efficiently and effectively. This has helped reduce costs by hundreds of millions of euros. The solutions for the quay walls alone make AMS Institute worth the investment, and it does much more as well."

Innovation Doesn’t Stop at Developing Ideas or Knowledge

While the quay wall solutions demonstrate remarkable return on investment, AMS Institute's work extends across multiple urban domains. We develop smart solutions for grid congestion, mobility, food systems, roads, and bridges – all critical challenges facing modern cities.

The article underscores a key principle that drives our work: innovation doesn't stop at developing ideas or knowledge. As Heijns emphasizes, "Our mission is to create impact for a better society. This doesn't stop at developing an idea or knowledge – it has to work in practice too."

This practical focus, combined with collaboration across organizational and disciplinary boundaries, is what makes our partnership with the Municipality of Amsterdam and our academic partners effective.

Part of a Larger Innovation Ecosystem

The Pioneering Tech article showcases inspiring examples of Dutch innovation – from pointing robots addressing skilled worker shortages to exoskeletons helping people with spinal cord injuries walk again, and from quantum computing to drone technology.

These diverse examples illustrate how modern universities serve as partners with a positive impact on governments, knowledge institutes, and the business community. By working together, innovative ideas and solutions reach the market, helping to address the challenges the Netherlands faces.

Read the full article on TU Delft's website: The best investment for the Netherlands: research and innovation