Royal Schiphol Group and Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands have signed an ‘accelerating innovation’ agreement to signal their intent to work together to shape the passenger experience and the operational process at the airport.
The two organizations have announced plans to work together creatively to problem solve and to develop new, innovative products and services more rapidly. Over the next five years, 40 students in the final year of their studies at Delft University of Technology and PhD candidates from the same university will become part of operations at Royal Schiphol Group.
The new agreement sets out their collaboration in developing new products and services in living labs at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Rotterdam The Hague Airport, Eindhoven Airport and Lelystad Airport. The new products and services that result from the collaboration are expected to enhance the experience of passengers and airport processes. Mobility-related scientific knowledge will also be developed.
Schiphol and Delft University of Technology have been working together for some time to create a future-proof airport. One example is the ‘Smart and Sustainable’ plan, in which they collaborated with transportation organizations and knowledge institutions at the end of last year to accelerate existing developments aimed at making aviation more sustainable.
The airport is also cooperating with TU Delft on the requirements for innovative signage in the new pier and terminal, based on research carried out by the university at Schiphol.
“Constant innovation of our products and services for passengers and the operational process at the airport is at the heart of our strategy. We are proud of this collaboration. I look forward to sharing Schiphol as a place of discovery and research with the students from Delft University of Technology,” said Dick Benschop, president and CEO of Royal Schiphol Group.