Strategische Agenda 2022-2025

26 Flexible range of instruments In order to continue reaping the benefits of internal and external developments such as AI, new forms of visualisation, cloud computing, the rapid growth of data and co-creation in software, we must be in a position to respond flexibly with our instruments. Thismeans that technological developments also require ongoing collaboration between domain experts, data scientists, and ICT and software experts. It should be pointed out that we are not alone here. Other technological organisations in the Netherlands and throughout the world are facing similar challenges and making plans to respond effectively to the opportunities offered by new technologies and co-creation. We and they need to work together in far-reaching ways. In the areas of both creativity and the coupling of instruments. Investing in digital transformation To achieve the necessary acceleration, we are investing in a digital transformation during this strategy period. The aim is to make our software products robust and flexible for the purposes of co-creation and rapid developments, to make optimal use of the available computing and data facilities for mission-driven work and to broaden the knowledge that the people working for Deltares have in the areas of data-driven techniques, cloud computing and data management. In the years to come, we will be earmarking capacity and resources to achieve this goal. Dare to share is and remains our motto here, and that also applies to software and data. This digital transformation will be a major assignment requiring a lot of time and resources. Deltares draws on its own resources but they cover only some of the investment required. We are looking for external financing to achieve our ambitions. We are therefore advocating, together with our partners in the knowledge coalition, more investment in knowledge development. The fund recommended by the evaluation committee for investments in the research infrastructure, for example, would be a welcome contribution in this respect. ‘The scope and speed of developments [AI and ML] also generate challenges […], in particular regarding the necessary know- how that needs to be established, the software and hardware infrastructure that needs to be developed, and the integration of machine learning and conventional tools within the prediction workflow’ (ECMWF, Technical Memo, 2021). Chapter 3 Strategic directions: our priorities 3.3 | Area 3: strengthening national alliances Solving complex issues requires intensive collaboration. We cannot deliver those solutions on our own. This is an area where we work with policymakers, administrators, research institutes and the business community, often in co-creation alliances. We have a central position in this field, and strong relation­ ships with all parties. We will continue to be fully committed to these activities. In the coming strategy period, we will be placing emphases on alliances that we intend to strengthen. Alliances. Deltares works with the market and government, with fundamental science and applied fields. Our position can take different shapes: a single position in the field is increasingly rare. That position depends on our role in a consortium, in a specific assignment and often on the complexity of the specific problem. Our contribution some­ times targets the development and introduction of the long- term perspective. We sometimes work in close collaboration with the field, in order to work and learn with consultancy firms and therefore to inspire our own knowledge develop­ ment. The consultancy firms sometimes work closely with us on the joint development of knowledge that they can then apply directly themselves. We sometimes team up with universities and work on the societal valuation of fundamental research. Above all, we plan to strengthen our relationship with the Dutch government. As a research institute for water and the subsurface, we operate in crucial policy areas, particularly those of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. Our knowledge also plays a role in policy areas covered by the Ministries of Economic Affairs and Climate, Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, Internal Affairs and Foreign Affairs. The four-yearly evaluation committee noted recently that the impact of Deltares can be greatly increased by involving Deltares more at a strategic level. The committee therefore advised the government to revive the strategic dialogue between Infrastructure and Water Management/Rijkswaterstaat and Deltares about its strategic course, strategic research and the activities. However, the same applies to the other ministries. We are happy to respond to that call. For our part, we will ensure that we use our knowledge to address the strategic issues of the day after tomorrow, such as climate adaptation and land subsidence. In that process, we also establish links with the operational level. We want to provide an understanding of the consequences of changes in the long term, as well as an understanding of the consequences for the management of water and subsurface in the years to come. In this way, we provide the government with the knowledge it needs to develop good policy.