HomeResearch

Our research

Since 1961, we have been committed to combining our entrepreneurial mindset and personal approach with technological innovation across disciplines.

In our research, we strive to put society's needs central, especially in our focus on using technology for a healthy, safe, and climate-positive future. In the upcoming years, we aim to foster excellent research as the pivotal route towards making a substantial difference within four impact domains.

Our impact domains:

How we realise our ambitions

We focus our work on scientific and engineering problems on societal, mission-driven challenges

We closely collaborate with our partners, both public and private, in knowledge technologies and infrastructure. We facilitate the introduction and embedding of knowledge and technologies in society. We aim to integrate our expertise in technical and social sciences into a systemic proposition to contribute to societal challenges in the three domains mentioned. Our investment in strategic research infrastructure and strategic programs will link UT’s strength in research and innovation to societal challenges. We further develop our research quality management system to align the university, research units and individual strategies to support this focus. 

We expand our entrepreneurial ambitions in our work towards the generation of impact, by acting as an engaged institution that connects with all parties involved and generating academic, economic and societal impact

Our focus on Open Science and our DesignLab support these ambitions. We strengthen our research groups to realise these ambitions by stimulating diversity in individual backgrounds and orientations. We foster teamwork and talent management and make room for various career paths. We cultivate an attitude of excellence, accountability, and integrity toward our peers and society. 

We move from acting as a supplier of knowledge that engineers solutions towards an entrepreneurial university engaging in dialogues and partnerships with society

To achieve this, we invest in engaging in dialogues with all parties concerned to demonstrate the relevance of our research, expand our physical proximity to citizens, strengthen collaboration with partners, and invest in the presence of UT at key venues and round table meetings where research programs and initiatives with public and private partners are designed.

Organisation of research

Our 2,400 scientists are part of one of the five faculties within the University of Twente. In addition, many of them work in one of our three research institutes, where top multidisciplinary research is carried out. Every day, they work together with each other and with many partners outside the university: governments, knowledge institutes, universities, social organisations, and industry. We would happily tell you more about how our research is organised.

Engage with us!

Whether you're a student, researcher, entrepreneur or simply passionate about innovation and learning, we would love you to contribute to groundbreaking discoveries that shape our future. Collaboration fosters an exchange of ideas, inspiring creativity and encouraging innovative thinking. Different viewpoints can reveal new possibilities, leading to breakthroughs that might not emerge within a single discipline. 

Learn more about engaging with our researchers.
Get connected

Stay updated