Regional cooperation

TU Delft is embedded in a broad and dynamic region that is both academically and entrepreneurially leading with partners like the City of Delft, the province of Zuid-Holland, the Port of Rotterdam, the Metropool-region, Zuidvleugel and the Innovation quarter, as well as our academic colleagues at The Hague University of Applied Sciences and our LDE partners in Leiden and Rotterdam. Guiding our activities is our global ambition, while we are at the same time very much aware of our national and local roots and value a strong connection with our surroundings.

There exist numerous cooperative projects with partners in the region. A selection:

Leiden-Delft-Erasmus (LDE)
In cooperation projects in the region, we make good use of the complementarity of the universities in the region through the LDE alliance: a partnership with which Leiden University, the Technical University Delft and Erasmus University collaborate in the field of research, education and valorisation. There are eight LDE Centres, multidisciplinary and inter-university theme-based research centres under the flag of the strategic alliance between the three universities.

Living Labs in the region
There are numerous testing grounds for scientific research in the region. These Living Labs, or field labs, are places where education and research are integral elements of working to address societal challenges. The Green Village is a Living Lab on the TU Delft campus for accelerating innovation for a sustainable future. Innovations for different sustainability challenges can be developed, tested and demonstrated here. Medical Delta is the medical-technological consortium of Leiden University, TU Delft and Erasmus University Rotterdam, Erasmus Medical Centre and the Leiden University Medical Centre, as well as public-sector bodies, science parks and about 150 businesses. Part of this consortium are the various Medical Delta Living Labs. TU Delft also cooperates with Leiden University Medical Centre and Erasmus Medical Centre in HollandPTC, an independent clinic and research centre for proton therapy on the TU Delft Campus. Moreover, together with the Delft municipality, the Metropolitan Region Rotterdam-The Hague and the province of South Holland, the Researchlab Automated Driving Delft (RADDelft) is founded. Also on the TU Delft campus, this lab provides room for experimenting with automated transportation in real-life conditions. In the field of water and delta technology, TU Delft cooperates with different partners within VPDelta, a programme in which partners test and develop new solutions for modern delta management in experimental environments, both in the Netherlands and abroad.

Regional Innovation Clusters
In addition to those Living Labs, TU Delft takes part in various regional innovation clusters. In RoboValley, more than 170 robotics researchers from a multitude of fields, collaborate with other experts, entrepreneurs and decision-makers in both public and private sectors; a unique network with TU Delft Robotics Institute at its heart. The Bioprocess Pilot Facility B.V. (BPF), situated at the Biotech Campus Delft, is an open access facility where companies and knowledge institutions develop new sustainable production processes. Within SmartPort, a joint venture between TU Delft with the Port of Rotterdam Authority, Deltalinqs, the Muncipality of Rotterdam, TNO, Deltares and Erasmus University, scientific research is stimulated for and by the companies in the port of Rotterdam. Within Clean Tech Delta, TU Delft, other universities and knowledge institutes, cities and companies join forces to select and initiate repeatable and scalable cleantech initiatives. In Greenport West-Holland, TU Delft, entrepreneurs, governments and education and knowledge institutions work together on a healthy, vital and sustainable future for the regional horticulture cluster. The The Hague Security Delta is a network of knowledge institutions, goverments and businesses, that work together on knowledge development and innovation in security.

Cooperation with businesses in the region
TU Delft shares various research facilities with partners on the TU Delft Science Park, such as wind tunnels, a chip facility, and a high-voltage laboratory. Delft Technology Partners, a cooperation between TU Delft and Delft municipality, offers support to knowledge-intensive technology companies that want to settle in Delft. Yes!Delft offers startup programs for tech startups in the areas of Blockchain, MedTech, Artificial Intelligence, Aviation, CleanTech, Robotics and Complex Technology. TU Delft is also partner in Innovation Quarter, a network that, besides providing support for innovative companies in setting up their office in West-Holland, organizes collaboration between entrepreneurs, knowledge institutions and governments on complex societal issues.

In these and other areas, teams within the university are developing new strategic partnerships with other universities and with civic and private sector partners.