Climate Centre launches knowledge-in-action project because of drought in Twente

Monday 1 September 2025

Drought and water scarcity are a growing problem in the Twente region. Already, the growing water shortage is a challenge for citizens, businesses, farmers, and the government; one that will only become more urgent in the future. Structural, long-term action is needed to make Twente drought-resilient. At the University of Twente (UT), a wealth of new knowledge that can contribute to this is being developed. However, it has not yet been possible to initiate a targeted transition. With the support of the Dutch Climate Initiative (KIN), UT’s Climate Centre now launches a knowledge-in-action project to connect partners from science and practice. This will enable them to strengthen each other. “This project should lay the foundation for long-term collaboration.”

Broad approach

On this project, the Climate Centre wants to collaborate with the Province of Overijssel, Vechtstromen Water Authority, De Twentse Golf, and the Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute (KNMI). Initiator Joanne Vinke-de Kruijf, expert in climate-proof infrastructure systems at UT, says, "Due to climate change, the Netherlands will have to deal with periods of drought more and more often. In Twente this is an especially urgent problem, because water can hardly be retained on our high sandy soils. We are seeing an increase in research and implementation projects to improve this, but we also note that a shared vision is lacking."

With this new project, Vinke-de Kruijf aims to develop this shared vision on the desired transition, so that research and practice can reinforce each other. "The goal is to achieve more transition-oriented collaboration between researchers and regional partners. This also requires new skills from young researchers. They need to understand the transition context in which they work, determine their share and role in the transition, and then fulfil their role effectively. In this way, scientific knowledge can contribute in a more targeted way to an effective long-term approach to drought in Twente."

Joanne Vinke-de Kruijff

Growing shortage

Increasing drought is not only harmful to agriculture and nature, it also contributes to a growing shortage of drinking water: a problem that water company Vitens is seriously concerned about (link in Dutch). Stefan Kuks, chair of Vechtstromen Water Authority, stated during a symposium on drought and water scarcity at University of Twente in June that 25 companies in Twente have already been denied access to drinking water due to a lack of production capacity. Vinke-de Kruijf: “Drought and water shortages are already impacting the economy and living environment in Twente; it is not something that will only happen in the distant future. Limiting these negative effects is a long-term process that we will have to work on for a long time to come. With this project, we want to contribute to this, so that we as a region can better cope with this new reality.”

Learn and reflect together

In the coming months, Vinke-de Kruijf will look at existing initiatives through a ‘transition lens’ and reflect on them. In addition, the Climate Centre will organize a number of joint events with partners with the same goal. A symposium on drought and water scarcity was already organized in June, and this theme will also be addressed during the Climate Event on 5 November. The aim is to build networks and stimulate the exchange of knowledge and expertise. “After each activity, we distribute a questionnaire in which we ask participants to reflect on the activity and the desired transition. These reflections, together with our own reflections and analysis, will result in a joint position paper on the transition in Twente and how it can be accelerated.”

The project also focuses on training young researchers working on aspects of climate resilience to better translate their knowledge into practice. Vinke-de Kruijf: "It is incredibly interesting to zoom out from your own research and ask: how do we, as individual researchers, contribute to this major societal challenge? How can we make a difference? After all, that is ultimately why we do what we do."

Crossing borders

Although the project has an initial duration of seven months, the aim is to establish a long-term follow-up. "We are already thinking about the next step, such as organising a Crutzen workshop. But we will discuss this with our partners. In any case, we want to shape the collaboration for the long term. And although Twente is our hinterland, we also look beyond our borders: we are documenting our reflective approach so that our approach and lessons learned can also be applied in other regions. Conversely, we also learn from the experiences of others, for example from the East Brabant region."

More recent news

News summary