100 years NLR! Knowledge powers the future

2 minutes read

Today is the 100th anniversary of NLR. A unique milestone. On 5 April 1919 the ‘Rijks-Studiedienst voor de Luchtvaart (RSL) – the Aviation Engineering Research Department - was established. Innovations in aviation and then space travel have advanced by leaps and bounds since then. The Netherlands and NLR have had a pioneering role.

NLR has been an ambitious, knowledge-based organization for a hundred years now, with a deep-seated desire to keep innovating. Our knowledge and expertise have made us one of the driving forces in the aerospace sector, both in our own country and elsewhere. Our staff search tirelessly for new technology and have the courage to think outside the box, translating trends and developments into actual solutions for the market. That drive is helping us make the world of transport safer, greener, more efficient and more effective.

Also in the next 100 years, we will keep looking ahead because we have to keep setting ourselves tougher challenges for aerospace to become more sustainable in the long term. The future looks highly demanding yet fascinating and it will require even faster innovation and closer cooperation, with the right driving forces behind it. We are devoting our knowledge and expertise to that future, with an eye on the interests of the commercial sector, the general public and the environment at all times. Together with our partners, we can help shape the fascinating world of tomorrow. We are on the threshold of innovations that will really break the mould. But plans and ideas only really get moving if they are nourished with the right kind of energy – and the amazing thing is that the source of that energy is still exactly the same as it was when we started a hundred years ago. That driving force is knowledge by NLR.

100 years NLR website live: 8 April

The jubilee website provides a unique overview of our milestones in the past 100 years, the history of NLR, a video with 100 years of NLR in the picture, and a series of interviews with, among others: Lieutenant General Dennis Luyt, Commander of the Royal Netherlands Air Force; Mike Stekelenburg, Chief Engineer of Pal-V and André Kuipers. Michel Peters, CEO of NLR, will kick off the interview series “Future outlook”.

Latest news

28 July 2025

Knowledge institutions join forces for integrated research  

Ten leading knowledge institutions, including Deltares, KNMI, Marin, NLR, RIVM, TNO, Wageningen Research, Naturalis, NFI and RCE, are joining forces and realising DigiLab Applied Knowledge in close cooperation. This programme, supported by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, focuses on setting up a innovative, digital research facility . DigiLab Applied Knowledge facilitates the exchange of advanced data, models, computing power and algorithms, helping knowledge institutions develop integrated solutions to complex, societal issues.  

Safety and Human performance

09 July 2025

Effectiveness of flight time limitations for aircrew members

The Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR) and its partners have completed a comprehensive research study on the effectiveness of current EU flight duty time limitations and rest requirements for aircrew members. The study, known as FTL2.0, aimed to assess whether current regulations provide sufficient protection against fatigue among aircrew members. The results of this research study have deepened the understanding of fatigue risks in commercial aviation and validated the current regulatory approach.

Defence and Security

02 July 2025

A new chapter for the Royal Netherlands Air Force: 112 years of history and a leap into the future

Yesterday, the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) celebrated its 112th anniversary. In addition, the name of the Air Command (CLSK) is changing to Air and Space Command (CLRS). The name change means that space exploration is becoming more prominent within the Dutch defence. For NLR, this strong commitment by the Air Force to space power means that we can further accelerate, broaden and deepen our cooperation.