Strategische Agenda 2022-2025

30 Green Deal and in international strategic alliances with organisations like the World Bank. We will work with the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA). What are we working on? We believe that Deltares has two roles that are mutually reinforcing: the role of strategic knowledge partner and the role of project consultant. As a strategic knowledge partner, our ambition is to be a logical partner for discussions with international organisations. We want to continue building up our relationships with those organisations. Our ambition is to advise them about strategic developments and scientific insights relevant to them. By developing knowledge and setting the agenda, we can further strengthen the leading role that the Netherlands plays in the field of water and the subsurface. We work internationally on issues where we can offer added value with our expertise in the field of water and the subsurface. These are the same issues we address in the Netherlands: flood risk management, land subsidence, coastal development and protection, resilient infrastructure and the management of rivers and groundwater. We are also active internationally on the Water, Peace and Security dossier, collaborating closely with, among others, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For the coming period, we also expect to see demand for our knowledge in the field of clean and healthy water. What will we strengthen? You achieve impact by developing the right knowledge, setting the agenda and applying knowledge in practice. The ambition of Deltares is to play a leading international role in the area of water and the subsurface. In order to use our knowledge to make a difference for the challenges of today, tomorrow and the distant future, both in the Nether­ lands and internationally, our knowledge must be in the global top flight. That ambition implies working with and for organisations in that top flight. Because we can only do that with others, and we must be willing to engage with them. We collaborate with national and international partners who lead their fields, such as the USGS (United States Geological Survey), the WRI (World Resources Institute), the NWS (National Weather Service) and the NUS (National University of Singapore). Furthermore, we often team up internationally with Dutch business, internationally oriented research institutes such as the IHE, and NGOs. We are also committed to strengthening our position in Europe. In addition, we aim to provide major financial institutions such as theWorld Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Investment Bank and regional development banks with strategic advice. That is because we want our knowledge to have an impact, and these institutions play an important role in policy and implementation internationally. Our International Advisory Board provides us with support to achieve this ambition. Our objectives mirror the Dutch water ambition and we team up internationally with the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Economic Affairs and Climate, and Infrastructure and Water Management. Where do we work? Deltares works worldwide. Outside the Netherlands, the regions where we have the most projects and turnover have traditionally been Asia and Europe. We also believe these two regions will be important in the future. Themap here provides an overall picture of where we work and what we do there. On the basis of the nature of the projects, the alliance partners and clients, we choose the countries where we want to work and which projects we take on. In the years to come, we will devote extra attention to Europe and Africa. We aim to invest extra energy in helping to make Europe more sustainable and adaptive. We want to contribute to the priorities of the European Commission while focusing on the ambitions set out in the European Green Deal. Deltares is also emphatically committed to working with and applying key enabling technologies. This is in line with the digital ambitions of the European Commission. The Green Deal and the COVID-19 recovery funds are opening up opportunities to make this contribution in the coming years. We want to do this for European organisations but also for financiers such as investment banks. In addition, research alliances and setting the agenda will continue to be important in ‘Horizon 2020’ and its successor ‘Horizon Europe’ (2021-2027). This is not solely about executing projects and winning project proposals: we are also eager to contribute to the direction of strategic agendas and work programmes. The Green Deal has a knock-on effect not only in Horizon Europe also in a large number, if not all, European instruments, including the Resilience and Recovery Fund. Deltares believes it has an important role as a specialist consultant for the programming and spending of these funds. Where possible, we are strengthening the EU-Africa partnership at the same time. Chapter 3 Strategic directions: our priorities