One of the largest laboratories for nanotechnology research in Europe lies right here in Delft; TNO’s and TU’s Van Leeuwenhoek Laboratory. It became fully operational last summer.

The climate is changing, the end of fossil fuel stocks is in sight and more and more people live in cities. All this creates the need for different uses of resources like water. Rutger de Graaf studied options for sustainable water management in urban areas.

Delta and Delft Integraal/Outlook often write about innovative ideas that offer great promises for the future. But what has happened to them a couple of years on? What for instance has happened to the idea of the pocket negotiator, a computer-based advisor that helps you to reach the optimal result in negotiations.

Reducing floods or droughts could prevent major economic and humanitarian catastrophes. Improved weather forecasting offers new ways of dealing with such hydrological events. But how to deal with the uncertainties of forecasts? Schalk Jan van Andel lets the computer analyze what actions to take.

Commuters on busy roads could in future join a ‘road train’ consisting of a series of cars and trucks. An EU project is looking for inexpensive ways to get this technology on the road.

Two new weather radars offer unprecedented sharp and dynamic views of the rain formation processes in clouds. They should help in clarifying the connections between air pollution, rain and climate change.