The aim? To connect TU Delft’s groundbreaking scientific knowledge and technology with policy and work together towards a sustainable and safe society that is people centered. By working more closely with Campus The Hague, the institute is exploring new opportunities for connecting with politics and policy in The Hague.
Becoming a member at The Hague Humanity Hub seemed like a logical next step. We spoke with Eveline Vreede, Managing Director of Safety & Security Institute, and Jennifer Kockx, Program Manager Climate Safety & Security Centre.
What specific safety and security challenges in The Hague were key motivators for establishing TU Delft’s presence here?
The Hague’s position as a city of Peace, Justice and Security is closely connected to TU Delft’s motto: impact for a better society. Looking at the official presence in The Hague, since 2018 TU Delft’s master programme Engineering and Policy Analysis has been part of the educational ecosystem here.
TU Delft’s research, education, and impact are literally at the doorstep of policy makers and politicians. We are keeping leading (international) organisations safe, helping policy makers with their challenges around climate resilience, and contributing to knowledge development from our technical expertise.
Specifically, around safety & security in digital and physical infrastructures, and around human security, security of supply in the context of climate change, TU Delft has new knowledge to bring to the table.
How does TU Delft’s engineering and technology focus uniquely contribute to the discourse around peace and justice in a way that policymakers and traditional organisations in The Hague can’t?
TU Delft brings something quite complementary to the peace and justice ecosystem in The Hague. The value isn’t that others can’t do what we do, but TU Delft adds a strong technological and engineering perspective to challenges, that are often approached from legal, social, or policy angles.
Multi-, inter-, and transdisciplinary collaboration has already proven powerful in addressing complex global issues. Whether it’s disciplines, working together side by side (multi-), integrating their methods and insights (inter-), or co-creating knowledge with society beyond academia (trans-). Having TU Delft in that mix strengthens it even further; adding deep technical expertise, system thinking and innovation capacity.
It’s something we can be proud of regionally: a diverse knowledge ecosystem, where science, technology, law, and governance come together. That combination can serve the changemakers and organisations at places like The Hague Humanity Hub really well. It helps to translate ideas for peace and justice into practical, scalable solutions.
How does TU Delft Safety & Security Institute seek to or already collaborate with these stakeholders in The Hague? Can you provide a specific example or a joint project?
Our ties with the Municipality of The Hague have been strong for almost a decade now, amongst others on digital security. The yearly Cybersecurity Week in The Hague is an excellent example. TU Delft researchers contribute to the ONE conference with talks and participate in match making and consortium building. We also host international delegations to discuss the cybersecurity research at TU Delft.
Furthermore, we conducted research on digital security of critical infrastructure in this region. TU Delft researchers work as advisors and in research programmes with ministries and governmental agencies. For example, we work with the Netherlands Forensics Institute (e.g. on simulation and reconstruction software around shaken baby syndrome) and the Dutch Police in a lab on model driven decision making.
Also, through the Safe by Design methodology, we bring safety to the starting phase of engineering and design processes. A nice example of technology and policy is the recent publication around the safety of biotechnology.
The Hague is home to a rich ecosystem of NGOs and other international organisations. How does the campus ensure its research agenda is responsive to the needs of these groups, particularly regarding climate-related security risks?
Our Climate Safety and Security focuses on climate-related security risks, particularly how we can ensure human security and access to essential needs, like clean drinking water, food and energy. Our aim is to offer certainty in an uncertain climate.
Our projects always begin with conversations with (inter)national partners who have the feet and eyes on the ground. Through close cooperation, co-creation and mutual appreciation of each other’s knowledge and perspectives, we develop holistic and systemic solutions – beneficial for our non-governmental partners and contributing to new scientific insights.
A good example is the collaboration with FAO/IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) who sought to improve their models for food security monitoring. Our PhD researcher, Marijn Roelvink, developed a human centered, data-driven model to support humanitarian decision-making. Her approach combined theoretical AI frameworks, integration of relevant local data, and interviews with IPC analysts to refine their processes and decision-making strategies.
Eveline, in your experience, what are the primary challenges in bridging the gap between technical security solutions developed at TU Delft and the policy frameworks of organisations like Europol or NATO, which are based here in The Hague?
There are definitely challenges in bridging gaps. One of the biggest is finding a shared language, the same terms can mean very different things in a technical, policy, or operational setting. That can make collaboration complex. On top of that, international organisations like Europol and NATO have strict conditions for cooperation. TU Delft doesn’t get special treatment just because we’re close by; the same requirements apply to all.
The real challenge, though, is getting something off the ground that aligns with everyone’s strategic goals, KPIs, and timelines. Fortunately, universities are growing in their roles as in that we do more than only long term fundamental research, and that we can be flexible. Beyond long-term PhD research, we can also work in shorter, iterative cycles, as long as we take the time to align objectives and intermediate outcomes together.
When you look at security solutions finding their way to the market, TU Delft has several programs and entities working on just that. YES!delft helps to take research ideas to concrete solutions. They also have a presence in The Hague. The municipality of The Hague and Innovation Quarter for example invest in their programme on cybersecurity yesdelft.com/events/cybersecurity.
Jennifer, how do you manage the differing timelines and priorities between academic research – which can be long-term – and the urgent needs of policymakers and practitioners dealing with climate and security issues?
Good question. One of the key aspects is managing mutual expectations and clarifying each other’s roles early on in conversations with public partners. Scientists follow a systematic method of inquiry—through observation, hypothesis, testing, and analysis—and their work must be objective, reproducible, and open to verification. This process takes time.
At the same time, as engineers, we excel at designing technical strategies and developing innovative solutions using a systems approach, which can be highly valuable to policymakers and other public partners.
Depending on the urgency, available resources and complexity, we support our public partners on different levels: For short-term, urgent questions, researchers can provide advice based on existing state-of-the-art scientific knowledge or offer a masterclass tailored to an entire department.
For more complex challenges – often involving diverse perspectives within and accross departments and between industry, society and policy – we typically organize an expert roundtable. In these sessions, policymakers, academics, and sometimes also industry and societal partners come together. The discussions begins with the needs and practical insights of the public partners, followed by multidisciplinary contributions from researchers. This exchange helps frame the issue from multiple angles and can lead to first-order answers or directions for policy advice and decision-making.
If there is sufficient interest and urgency to explore the issue in greater depth and develop a long-term strategy, a joint project or programme is initiated.
Looking forward, what is the ultimate collective action or systemic change you hope to inspire within The Hague’s ecosystem by connecting technology, security, and climate policy?
Inspiration is really something you can’t do on your own, it’s a bit like a tango, it only works when both sides move together. That’s also what I see in research and innovation: when people from different backgrounds start to really collaborate, the inspiration goes both ways.
What I find most inspiring here at the Hub are the people, with their ideals, their goals, and their deep understanding of conflict situations, human rights, and poverty solutions. Those conversations remind me that technology alone is never the full answer.
What I hope we can achieve together is a way of working where technology, policy, and human insight reinforce each other, creating solutions that are meaningful, not just efficient.
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