TNO’s goals for 2030

To improve quality of life, prolong lives, and reduce healthcare costs, medicines need to be available faster and cheaper. This decade, we’ll help speed up the drug development process by 2 years. TNO and its partners are moving this goal closer to reality with microtracer technology and ongoing process innovations. Together we contribute to the life of tomorrow.

To live longer in good health, a healthy lifestyle is often the most potent medicine. In 10 years time, we’ll help halve the number of people with lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes and obesity. TNO and its partners are making this possible with personalised interventions, help with behavioural change and advice on policy. Together we are working to improve the life of tomorrow.

Privacy and cyber security are the cornerstones of our digital society. In 10 years, we’ll ensure that everyone can exchange data online with complete peace of mind. TNO and its partners are making this possible with smart innovations in data encryption, quantum-safe data sharing and a secure digital infrastructure. We share the same ambitions and are working together to secure the future of the Netherlands.

To combat resource depletion and climate change, it's essential to reduce plastic waste. Our ambition: by 2030 half of all plastics will be circular. TNO develops scenario models to guide the circular transition. Together with our partners, we work on new designs, production and recycling technologies.

Climate change means we must switch to fossil-free industry. In this decade, TNO and its partners will produce plastic made from air and industrial waste gases at a Dutch factory. Together we have a positive impact on the future of the Netherlands.

For a sustainable climate and clean air, we need to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Using our satellite instruments, we aim to give the world access to reliable, exact and independent monitoring of emissions by 2030. This will help reduce global emissions using a targeted approach.

Quantum technology will revolutionize computing power and information security. By 2030 we will be able to solve problems for which there is currently insufficient computing power, as well as ensure internet security. Together with partners TNO will lay the foundation for an entirely new industry.

Obtaining accurate and up-to-date information is of vital importance to any military action. TNO is making sure the Netherlands continues to be the global leader in the race to see without being seen. Together with the Dutch Ministry of Defence and the business community, we’re developing the world’s most advanced camouflage and sensor solutions. In this way, we’re making sure our country and military are and remain safe.

Effectively combating drug criminality is essential for a safe and secure society. Within 10 years, we’ll make sure it’s no longer profitable to set up a synthetic drug lab in the Netherlands. Together with its partners, TNO is working on advanced sensor technology and predictive methods that will make detection so effective that drug labs will become unprofitable. This is how we ensure a safer and more secure Netherlands.

To generate green energy on a large scale, we’ll have to be smart in using the scarce space available in the Netherlands. We’ll therefore ensure that within 10 years, any suitable surface can be used to generate renewable electricity. With due regard for the landscape and the natural world. With our partners, we are developing innovations such as floating solar farms and power-generating buildings and infrastructure. This is how we help to boost sustainability in the Netherlands.

Hydrogen is essential for a more sustainable energy supply. Within a decade, TNO innovations will enable offshore energy hubs to produce 500 MW of green hydrogen, generated by offshore wind energy. Thanks to this scaling-up, we’ll accelerate the creation of sustainable industry, together with the Dutch government and the business community.

One in 20 people in the Netherlands do not have enough to live on. Many of them struggle with an accumilation of debts but because data from different government agencies cannot be shared securely, these are precisely the people who are overlooked. With technologies from TNO, public authorities can change that. Securely combining information from mutiple data sources will finally enable us to see many different debts as one single problem. This wil make tackling poverty more targeted and effective.

Inhaling particulate matter leads to 9,000 premature deaths in the Netherlands every year. The associated burden on society and healthcare costs run into billions. To take effective action, it’s important to target the most harmful particles where they cause the greatest health risk. Using our models and measurements, TNO can determine the origin and harmfulness for each particle type. Based on these data, targeted measures can be taken that will enable 50 percent health gains by 2030.

The older we become, the higher the risk of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cataracts, and diabetes. An earlier diagnosis makes treatment easier, cheaper, and more promising. Thanks to technology developed by TNO, by 2030 doctors will be able to detect common age-related ailments early, reliably, and in a patient-friendly way with a simple but very smart eye scan. This is how we’re enabling healthy ageing and helping keep healthcare affordable.

The first 1,000 days of life are crucial for children’s safe and healthy development. TNO develops measurement tools and interventions to optimise care and give child welfare professionals insight into the development of the very young. Our insights and innovations are of benefit not only for newborns, but also for unborn children and their mothers. With this broad view, we contribute to a promising start for all children, a healthier society, and lower healthcare costs.

Technological and societal developments are creating a growing mismatch in the labour market. Old jobs are disappearing, but who has a qualification for a profession that has only just come into existence? TNO is therefore developing a national skills standard that will make it easier to find suitable work. Knowledge and skills say more than a piece of paper. By 2030, we want 80% of working people in the Netherlands to have a job that matches their skills. This is how we’re building a future-proof labour market together.