4TU.NIRICT Track @ ICT.OPEN 2026

📅 When & where
April 16, 2026
🕒 15:15–16:15 hrs
📍 De Doelen, Rotterdam, 3.12 Van Beuningen Zaal

Track chairs 

• Geoffrey Nelissen (TU/e) 
• Suzan Bayhan (UT) 

In this session organized by 4TU.NIRICT, we will have a closer look to the role of ICT in the National Technology Strategy (NTS) of the Netherlands.
The goal of the session is twofold:

• Highlight emerging research and innovation directions in line with or supporting the NTS
• Identify what we, as the ICT community, need to realize the NTS ambitions.

We aim to identify current ICT research initiatives that can be built upon and generate new collaborations & teams to pursue the NTS goals. 

Program 

• Opening and welcome by Geoffrey Nelissen (TU/e) and Suzan Bayhan (UT)
• Keynote on National Technology Strategy of the Netherlands: Action Agendas  by Frits Grotenhuis (Digital Holland)
  Dr. Frits Grotenhuis is director of Digital Holland (https://digital-holland.nl/) since 2021. Digital Holland (previously known also as Topsector ICT) initiates, supports and coordinates research and innovation in and with digital and information technologies, based on her knowledge and innovation agenda the KIA Digitalization (https://kia-digitalisering.nl/). Priorities for Digital Holland are embedded within the national technology strategy (NTS), a policy framework for the Ministry of Economic Affairs with regard to innovation policy. In his talk, Frits will further elaborate on the digital action agendas AI / Data and Cybersecurity Technologies, including cross-overs to other NTS agendas. 
• Quantum4EnergyNL project 
• Preparing Dutch Logistics SMEs for Machine Learning: From Intuition to Data-Driven Decision by Job Vogels (Fontys Applied University)
• Discussion and Q&A

🤝 About ICT.OPEN
NWO ICT.OPEN is the leading annual conference bringing together scientists, researchers, and industry professionals from all ICT research disciplines in the Netherlands. It is the place to learn, share ideas, and build new collaborations across academia and industry. NWO ICT.OPEN is organised by the Dutch Research Council (NWO), the ICT Research Platform for the Netherlands (IPN ICT Research Platform Nederland), Platform Praktijkgericht ICT-onderzoek (PRIO), and Digital Holland.