RSM faculty member joins major defence logistics innovation project

TKI Dinalog has awarded a grant of € 541k for the three-year project, VORTEX: Voorbereid op het extreme: Militair en Maatschappij (Prepared for the extreme: Military and Society), of which € 76,517 is allocated to Dr Pieter van den Berg, associate professor in the Department of Technology and Operations Management at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) for his work on the project. The VORTEX project also funds a PhD extension, co-supervised by Dr van den Berg, at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU). In three key themes, VORTEX aims to explore logistical innovation to strengthen flexibility and resilience across military and societal supply chains.

“TKI Dinalog is proud of the successful collaboration and the new innovation programme with the Ministry of Defence. We look forward to the launch of the first research projects arising from public-private partnerships with broad participation from Defence units.” – Robert van der Waal, Chair, TKI Dinalog Board

The proposal for the VORTEX project was submitted to TKI Dinalog and the Dutch Ministry of Defence under the call Innovation for Resilient Military Supply Chains and Society and is coordinated by Dr Caroline Jagtenberg, associate professor at the School of Business and Economics at VU.

RSM’s role

Reinforcing the importance of cross-institutional expertise, Dr van den Berg’s contribution to VORTEX is the part of the project that focuses on the optimal design of a network of emergency support hubs: physical locations where citizens can turn to for water, warmth, information and basic care in times of crisis. This part of the research takes place at four academic institutions: RSM, VU, Eindhoven Technical University (TU/e), and Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI). Additional support is given by industry partners such as VRR (Veiligheidsregio Rotterdam-Rijnmond) and NIPV (National Instituut Publieke Veiligheid).

About the project

VORTEX addresses logistical innovation to improve flexibility and resilience in military and societal supply chains. Its three key themes include enhancing military readiness, strengthening civil-military cooperation, and advancing supply chain network orchestration across the sector.

This multi-year project intends to deliver scalable, adaptive supply chain solutions that benefit the Dutch defence operations and the broader society. The outcomes researchers and partners endeavour to solidify are faster response capabilities, stronger cooperation across networks, and improved preparedness in times of crisis.

VORTEX was selected by the TKI Dinalog board following evaluation by an independent committee of academic and industry experts. This activity is co-funded by the Dutch Ministry of Defence under the PPS innovation scheme for Top Consortia for Knowledge and Innovation (TKIs).

More information

Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) is one of Europe’s top-ranked business schools. RSM provides ground-breaking research and education furthering excellence in all aspects of management and is based in the international port city of Rotterdam – a vital nexus of business, logistics and trade. RSM’s primary focus is on developing business leaders with international careers who can become a force for positive change by carrying their innovative mindset into a sustainable future. Our first-class range of bachelor, master, MBA, PhD and executive programmes encourage them to become critical, creative, caring and collaborative thinkers and doers. www.rsm.nl

For more information about RSM or this release, please contact Pavlina Novakova, RSM corporate communications and PR manager, or Danielle Baan, science communications lead and PR, by email at press@rsm.nl.