Deltares is an independent Dutch institute for applied research and consultancy. It has been established in 2008 by merging existing institutes: GeoDelft, WL | Delft Hydraulics, TNO Built Environment and Geosciences and parts of the Department of Transport Public Works and Water Management). The institute employs more than 800 people.
The Deltares' strategic principle is 'Enabling Delta Life' focusing on knowledge and technology development to provide innovative solutions to make living and working in deltas, coastal areas and river basins safe, clean and sustainable. Deltares offers for this purpose a unique combination of knowledge, experience and facilities in the field of water, soil and infrastructure. Deltares works for and cooperates with Dutch government, provinces and water boards, international governments, universities, research institutes and private parties. The institute is located in two cities in the Netherlands: Delft and Utrecht.
Deltares has a host of experimental facilities available for fundamental and applied research, as well as for consultancy projects. In FP7-Enviroment Deltares coordinates FLOODPROBE: Flood protection for the build environment and participates among many other projects in REFRESH: Adaptive strategies to mitigate the impacts of climate change on European freshwater and THESEUS: Innovative technologies for safer European coasts in a changing climate. Deltares is also involved in FP7-Security as work package leader in CIPRNet: Critical infrastructure preparedness and resilience research network (under negotiation).