TNO
- Type
- Research, Education & Health Organisation
- Location
- The Hague, Netherlands
- Industries
- Food safety & quality, New food processing techniques, Consumer health & consumer effects, Alternative proteins, Waste efficiency, Farm management & precision farming, Crop / plant science, Food ingredients & products, Bio-energy & biomaterials
- Domains
- Ingredients, Enzymes, Fat alternatives, Functional ingredients, Mycoprotein, Protein concentrates, Protein isolates, Proteins
- Technologies
- 3D printing, Artificial intelligence, Decision support software, Analytical measurement, Advanced Manufacturing, Smart & digital, Measurement & sensing, Platform technology
About TNO
TNO is the Netherlands’ independent, not-for-profit applied research and technology organization, established by law in 1932. It works across a broad range of domains, including sustainability, health, safety, and digitalization, and positions itself as a bridge between scientific insight and practical application.
The organization serves government, industry, universities, and other knowledge partners. Its mission is to create impactful innovations for sustainable well-being and prosperity, support public tasks in the general interest, and strengthen the earning power and competitiveness of the Dutch economy.
TNO emphasizes large-scale application of innovation, combining research, testing, facilities, and ecosystem-building to help move technologies from concept to real-world deployment.
Core Values
- Impact: TNO focuses on innovations that create measurable value for society, public policy, and the economy.
- Independence: As an independent research organization, TNO presents itself as objective and evidence-driven in its work.
- Collaboration: TNO consistently stresses working with governments, companies, universities, and other partners to solve complex problems.
- Practical application: The organization values research that can be scaled, tested, and implemented in real-world settings.
- Sustainability: TNO frames its work around a sustainable future, including circularity, climate adaptation, and cleaner industry.
Unique Aspects
- Largest independent research and technology organization in the Netherlands: KNOWN NEWS identifies TNO as the largest independent research and technology organization in the Netherlands and one of the largest in the EU.
- Established by law: TNO is a statutory public entity, founded in 1932 under Dutch law.
- Broad six-unit structure: The organization operates through six units, supported by a board, supervisory board, defense research council, and services organization.
- Strong public-sector role: TNO explicitly supports government with evidence-based policy input and the execution of public tasks in the general interest.
- Deep-tech ecosystem builder: TNO uses consortia, partnerships, and ventures to move technologies from research into broader application, including spin-offs and startup support.
- Named strategic collaboration in quantum: KNOWN NEWS reports a 2026 MoU with French deep-tech scale-up Quobly for technical collaboration on silicon-spin-qubit technology to support European quantum computer scaling.