Two research projects that strengthen Dutch civil infrastructure

Wednesday 20 August 2025

Within the KIC partnership with Next Generation Infrastructures “Responsible Transformations”, three grants have been awarded. These research consortia, comprising scientists and public-private partners, are developing new solutions to address the challenges facing Dutch infrastructure. They are developing control rooms to enhance the planning and execution of works, integrating knowledge from various disciplines, including engineering, planning, innovation, and transition studies, and creating innovative tools and strategies. Prof. dr. Leentje Volker of the University of Twente is a co-applicant of the proposal VIA PRUDENTI, which focuses on smart collaboration and central coordination for sustainable infrastructure maintenance and effective solutions. Andreas Hartmann of the University of Twente is a co-applicant of the proposal SPINES, which focuses on the dynamics between infrastructure management, policymaking, and end-user behaviour.

Infrastructures connect our country and society within and beyond our borders. Infrastructure managers, therefore, bear a great responsibility for the economic and social well-being of the Netherlands. In light of the major transitions we face, such as climate, energy, and circularity, this research programme aims to guide these transitions through the scientific development and testing of new approaches for infrastructure managers. The project's focus is on developing an integrated vision for the future and on what this requires from infrastructures and their managers.

VIA PRUDENTI: Partnering for Responsible, Unified Delivery and Efficient Networks of Infrastructure

Our public infrastructure managers face major challenges due to ageing, climate change, and scarcity. The shortage of people and resources calls for collaboration to deploy them efficiently. This requires a new approach, in which managers no longer look only at separate parts but treat everything as a whole. We propose joint control rooms, inspired by the high-tech industry, in which strategy, planning, and execution are combined. In this way, multiple parties can work together to improve the maintenance and management of systems. The VIA PRUDENTI proposal focuses on smart collaboration and central coordination for sustainable infrastructure maintenance and effective solutions.

Applicant and co-applicants

Applicant: Prof. dr. H.A. Akkermans – Tilburg University. Co-applicants: Prof. dr. L. (Leentje) Volker (UT), Prof. dr. C. (Carol) Ou, Prof. G. (Giorgio) Monti, Prof. W. (Wendy) van der Valk, Dr. Y. (Yingqian) Zhang, Dr. Z. (Zaharah) Bukhsh, Dr. R. (Ruth) Sloot, Dr. F. (Florian) Pethig, Dr. M. (Max) Baumgart.

Collaboration partners
Port of Rotterdam, Vitens, ProRail, Rijkswaterstaat, Schiphol.

SPINES: Cross-Sectoral Strategies for Shaping Infrastructure Demand

SPINES supports infrastructure managers in developing cross-sectoral strategies to proactively steer infrastructure demand, as an alternative to the traditional, no longer sustainable “predict-and-provide” paradigm. Societal challenges such as climate change, the energy transition, and resource scarcity call for a new approach to infrastructure management and governance. By combining insights from engineering, planning, innovation, and transition studies, we investigate the dynamics between infrastructure management, policymaking, and end-user behaviour. The knowledge we generate helps infrastructure managers promote fairer and more efficient use and management of infrastructure capacity.

Applicant and co-applicants

Applicant: Dr. ir. V. de Gooyert – Radboud University. Co-applicants: Dr. A. (Andreas) Hartmann (UT), Dr. S. (Sander) Lenferink, Dr. F.A. (Femke) Bekius, Dr. ir. H.J. (Henk-Jan) Kooij, Dr. T. (Tim) Busscher, Dr. S. (Stefan) Verweij, Dr. Q. (Quan) Zhu.

Collaboration partners

Biggelaar Groep (co-financier), Port of Rotterdam, Vitens, ProRail, Rijkswaterstaat, Alliander, Groene Metropoolregio Arnhem-Nijmegen, Vialis, and ConnectR.

NWO–NGinfra Partnership

Since 2004, NWO and Next Generation Infrastructures (NGinfra) have been working together to stimulate cross-sectoral knowledge development for the infrastructure sector. NGinfra is the knowledge network of infrastructure managers, formed by Alliander, Port of Rotterdam, ProRail, Rijkswaterstaat, Schiphol Group, and Vitens. Within this research programme, scientists work closely with NGinfra partners and shape their research questions based on practical experiences. The NWO–NGinfra call “Responsible Transformations” follows the earlier calls “Responsive Innovations” and “Responsive Futures”.

Source: NWO