Deltares
LSRI for Water, Subsurface & Delta Systems Research
Deltares provides a unique, integrated research infrastructure for advancing knowledge and innovation in water, subsurface and delta systems. The infrastructure supports science and innovation for major societal challenges, including flood resilience, healthy water and subsurface systems, climate adaptation, the energy transition and resilient infrastructure. It combines world-class experimental facilities, field research infrastructure, data platforms, numerical models, open-source software and digital technologies. Key facilities include the Delta Flume, one of the world's largest wave flumes, the GeoCentrifuge, advanced environmental and geotechnical laboratories, living labs and field monitoring sites. By integrating physical experiments, field observations, data, modelling, visualisation and AI-enabled analytics, Deltares enables cutting-edge research on delta safety, infrastructure resilience and long-term water and subsurface system behaviour. This unique ecosystem supports science-based solutions for challenges in delta regions worldwide.
Infrastructure and User Services
Equipment, Facilities, Data, and Collections
The Deltares research infrastructure comprises a broad portfolio of experimental, field-based and digital facilities supporting research on water, subsurface and delta systems. Large-scale experimental facilities include the Delta Flume and a range of hydraulic, geotechnical and environmental laboratories. The GeoCentrifuge enables accelerated geotechnical testing under controlled conditions, while Delta-Lab supports physical, chemical and biological analysis of water and soil systems.
Field-scale infrastructure includes living labs, pilot sites, monitoring networks and in-situ measurement systems that enable validation under real-world conditions. Digital infrastructure consists of extensive datasets, open-source software, numerical models, digital twins and advanced data platforms. Together, these facilities support interdisciplinary research spanning hydraulic engineering, geotechnics, groundwater, sediment dynamics, water quality, ecology, infrastructure performance and climate resilience.
Services to Users
Deltares provides researchers, public authorities, industry and knowledge institutes with access to a comprehensive research infrastructure and associated scientific support services. Users can access experimental facilities, laboratories, field sites, data platforms and software environments through collaborative research programmes, shared projects and contract-based research activities.
Support services include experimental design, measurement campaigns, monitoring, data stewardship, numerical modelling and advanced data analysis. Deltares also develops and maintains open-source software and contributes to open science through transparent methods, FAIR data principles and collaborative knowledge development. Training, workshops and interactive decision-support environments further support users in translating scientific knowledge into practical applications.
The infrastructure is designed to facilitate co-creation, accelerate innovation and strengthen the connection between fundamental understanding and societal impact.
Examples/description of the type of research
The Deltares research infrastructure enables interdisciplinary research on the sustainable management of water, subsurface and delta systems under changing climatic, environmental and societal conditions.
Research includes hydraulic engineering, flood risk management and climate adaptation, addressing the effects of extreme waves, storm surges, sea-level rise and changing river systems. Large-scale hydraulic facilities support research on dikes, dunes, flood defences, nature-based solutions and infrastructure exposed to hydraulic loading.
In the geotechnical and subsurface domain, research focuses on ground stability, foundations, embankments, subsurface processes, groundwater systems and geotechnical aspects of infrastructure and energy systems. Facilities such as the GeoCentrifuge and advanced laboratories support high-precision experimentation and model validation.
Environmental and ecological research addresses water quality, contaminant transport, soil-water interactions and ecosystem functioning. Field laboratories and monitoring infrastructure support research under real-world conditions and enable long-term observations.
Digital research is supported through data platforms, open-source software, numerical models, digital twins and AI-enabled analytical tools. These capabilities support forecasting, risk assessment, scenario analysis and decision-making.
The infrastructure also contributes to research supporting climate adaptation, flood resilience, resilient infrastructure, the energy transition and the sustainable management of water and subsurface systems. By combining physical facilities, field observations, data and modelling, Deltares enables system-level understanding and actionable solutions for societal challenges from local to global scale.
How to access the infrastructure?
Access to Deltares' research infrastructure is primarily provided through collaborative research projects, public-private partnerships, national and international research programmes, and contract-based research activities. Users work together with Deltares experts to design and execute experiments, monitoring campaigns and modelling studies using facilities such as the Delta Flume, GeoCentrifuge, laboratories, field sites and digital research platforms.
The infrastructure serves a broad user community including universities, research institutes, government organisations and private-sector partners from the Netherlands and abroad. In addition to research use, part of the infrastructure is available for education, training and demonstration activities. Most external access takes place within collaborative research settings, ensuring effective integration of facilities, data, models and scientific expertise.