What happens when power, drinking water or communication networks fail for days on end? In the coming years, the Netherlands will set up thousands of emergency support hubs: physical locations where citizens can turn for water, warmth, information and basic care. Yet how such a network should be designed has barely been studied.
The new research project VORTEX, led by Caroline Jagtenberg from VU Amsterdam, is set to change that. VORTEX (Prepared for the Extreme: Military and Society) has been awarded a grant by TKI Dinalog, in collaboration with the Dutch Ministry of Defence. The three-year project starts in August 2026 and is led by Caroline Jagtenberg, Assistant Professor of Operations Analytics.
A scientific foundation for a major investment
The Dutch government is working on a nationwide network of emergency support hubs. This is bound to be a major investment, which we aim to back with solid scientific research. How many hubs are needed, and where? How do you ensure supply levels are maintained if replenishment stalls? And who is responsible for what when it really matters?
VORTEX tackles these questions through a combination of empirical research, simulations and field tests. Among other things, the researchers will analyse Ukraine's 'Points of Invincibility': emergency hubs that operate there under extreme conditions. These lessons will be translated to the Dutch context. The team will also develop mathematical models for a nationwide network, based on the principle that every citizen should be able to reach a hub within fifteen minutes on foot or by bike. Emergency drinking water supply receives particular attention.
Society and armed forces reinforcing each other
A defining feature of VORTEX is the reciprocity between civilian and military parties. Society supports the armed forces with logistical capacity, while the armed forces contribute to the protection and continuity of society. Citizens themselves also play a central role: emergency support hubs are places where communities come together, help one another and actively contribute to crisis response.
Caroline Jagtenberg: "Investment decisions are being made right now, while the knowledge base is still missing. With VORTEX we are building that knowledge, together with the people who will have to work with it: safety regions, municipalities and the Ministry of Defence."
A broad consortium
In VORTEX, VU Amsterdam collaborates with Rotterdam School of Management (Erasmus University), the Netherlands Defence Academy, Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica, Eindhoven University of Technology, the Rotterdam-Rijnmond and Utrecht safety regions, the Netherlands Institute for Public Safety, Axira and the Dutch Ministry of Defence.