The University of Twente (UT) has done exceptionally well in the fourth round of the "Research along Routes by Consortia (NWA-ORC)" funding programme, which is part of the Dutch Research Agenda (Nationale Wetenschapsagenda). The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has provided funding to a total of nineteen consortia working on scientific breakthroughs, in eleven of which UT is represented. Dr ir Jebbe van der Werf (Faculty of Engineering Technology) and Prof. Dr Maaike Endedijk (Faculty of Behavioural, Management, and Social Sciences) will be playing important roles.
Active collaboration between different research disciplines, academic institutions, the public sector, and business communities are at the core of these projects. A total sum of more than 131 million Euros is available for the consortia, of which more than 113 million Euros come from the Dutch Research Agenda and almost 18 million Euros are co-financed by international consortium partners.
The projects that have received grants focus on societal questions that shape the content agenda of the Dutch Research Agenda. UT is represented in one project in the group of small projects, five projects in the medium range, and also five (out of six) projects in the group of large projects .
SAND NOURISHMENT FOR A CLIMATE-RESILIENT COASTLINE (JEBBE VAN DER WERF)
In one of the medium-sized projects, UT is the scientific secretary. It concerns the project SOURCE: Sand Nourishment Strategies for Sustainable Coastal Ecosystems, led by Dr ir Jebbe van der Werf from the Marine & Fluvial Systems group (in the Faculty of Engineering Technology).
Van der Werf and the consortium will focus on accelerated sea-level rise (ASLR), which poses a threat to coastal areas worldwide. Sand nourishment, i.e. adding sand to elevate the beach, may prove to be an important way to allow the coast to keep pace with ASLR in a sustainable and adaptive manner and to protect the hinterland against flooding. SOURCE will provide the scientific knowledge, models, and design tools to develop and evaluate sand nourishment strategies. Carefully planned sand nourishment efforts will lead to the resilient and dynamic coastal landscapes that are necessary for the future.
DEVELOPMENT OF SMART SKILLS FOR THE SMART INDUSTRY SECTOR (MAAIKE ENDEDIJK)
In the category of large projects, with a budget range of 5 to 10 million Euros, Prof. Dr Maaike Endedijk (Faculty of Behavioural, Management, and Social Sciences) will play a major role in the project Smart Skills@Scale (S@S): toward a future-proof skilled Smart Industry. Dr Stephan Corporaal of Saxion University of Applied Sciences will be the scientific secretary; in practice, he will co-ordinate the project together with Endedijk. The project has a budget of nearly 8 million Euros, marking a significant milestone in the long-standing collaboration between Saxion and UT in the field of human-centred technology and lifelong learning.
The Smart Skills@Scale project connects Smart Industry communities, 450 SMEs, social partners, educational partners, and research groups in an eight-year programme that is aimed at achieving a major breakthrough towards a sustainable and employable workforce. The project will focus on scalable skills for production workers, encouraging organisations to develop and contribute continuously to the innovation and utilisation of smart technology. The comprehensive approach of the project will empower production workers and organisations to create a human-centred, resilient, and sustainable Smart Industry sector.
NWA: A BRIDGE BETWEEN SCIENCE AND SOCIETY
NWO executes the research programme of the Dutch Research Agenda (NWA) on behalf of the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science (OCW). The aim of the NWA is to make a positive and structural contribution to the society of tomorrow through knowledge, by building bridges today and ensuring scientific breakthroughs and societal impact together. This is achieved, among other things, through an annual funding round for Research along Routes by Consortia (ORC). In the NWA-ORC, interdisciplinary consortia work on the portfolio of the 25 NWA routes, which are aimed at enabling societal impact and scientific breakthroughs. The NWA encourages productive interactions and team science, across the board of the knowledge chain and relevant societal partners that are represented in the research projects.
