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Financial ambitions
5
In the last five years, Deltares has made major investments in innovations in our experi-
mental facilities, in keeping our software and ICT facilities up to date, and in the development
of the campus in Delft. In the first seven years of the existence of Deltares, our turnover has
remained approximately the same, while the number of FTEs has fallen by more than 10%.
We use clear management reporting and a ‘balanced scorecard’ to monitor on a monthly and
quarterly basis whether we are still on operational and strategic course.
We have made analyses of our vulnerability to
possible fluctuations in our turnover using
long-term scenarios. They show that it will be
difficult to compensate for any decline in
turnover by improving efficiency. Our current
size means that it is no longer possible to
maintain our exceptional level of overheads as a
research institute, for example for our scientific
contributions, PhDs, experimental and ICT
facilities, and certainly not to make further
investments in keeping those facilities in
state-of-the-art condition in order to maintain
our leading position as a research institute. It
will therefore be necessary to expand slightly in
the time to come by 10% and to aim to book a
modest positive result amounting to 2% of our
turnover.
Our subsidy for the knowledge base has been
reduced in recent times from € 17 million to
€ 10 million. This subsidy is particularly effec-
tive because we can combine it (in a process
known as ‘matching’) with other sources of
financing, for example for European research
programmes. As a rule, one euro of subsidy for
our knowledge base generates two or more euros
in extra financing from outside the Netherlands.
Our largest clients/principals are the Ministry of
Infrastructure & the Environment and Rijkswater-
staat. Knowledge development for the purposes
of the National Tasks and Policy-Support Consul-
tancy are part of our core activities. This area
has been regulated and set out in the ‘Knowledge
for the Primary Process’ programme. This
programme has been cut back by 26% in the last
five years. We will be talking to Rijkswaterstaat
(Water, Traffic and Environment) about how to
implement this programme so that the knowl-
edge requirements for the medium and long
terms can be met.
Our goal is:
•
10% growth in the coming period with a
target of 825 FTEs and a turnover of 120
million euros.
•
To increase our turnover outside the
Netherlands (public and private) to
€ 40 million a year.
•
To increase our turnover from business
(national and international) to € 40 million a
year.
Deltares Strategic Plan
49