The Institute for Sustainable Process Technology (ISPT) is the leading institute for open innovation in the process industry. At the heart of our efforts is the transition towards a CO2-neutral, circular economy in 2050. We connect stakeholders across sectors and disciplines in a trust-based environment, to accelerate innovation and provide a driver for the sustainability transition.
At ISPT, we are fully aware of the central role of the process industry when it comes to the responsible use of resources and energy. Because of the industry’s scale, even small changes in the applied technology already will have a huge impact to society. And it will be radical changes in process industry that will fuel the transition towards circularity and sustainability in our society.
Mission-driven cooperation
The core business of ISPT is not in R&D or engineering, but in connecting sectors, organizations and people. In the ISPT network, SMEs, industry partners, research institutes, academia, NGOs and governmental bodies join forces to collaborate in mission driven programs where costs and risks are shared. At ISPT, they find an inspirational and trusted environment nurturing the cooperation needed to establish breakthrough innovations.

As an independent party, ISPT takes the lead in multi-partner, multi-year projects, based on strategic assessments of the needs of industry and society. In these projects, ISPT connects the dynamics of developing new technology with the dynamics of the industry and markets. Furthermore, we connect players involved with developing technology at different TRL levels (from fundamental through breakthrough to demonstration) in the same, joint programme. This will considerably accelerate innovation.
Topics relevant to the transition
The themes that underly ISPT projects reflect the topics of relevance to the transition in industry and society. These include the large-scale production of green hydrogen and the capture and use of carbon dioxide as future resources. Achieving circularity in the use of plastics, amongst others by developing methods for mechanical and chemical recycling, is another important topic. More focused to the needs of the process industry itself are projects in the field of heat recovery and reuse, and projects in advanced process control and digitization. For a full overview please explore all ISPT themes. On an organisational level, ISPT activities are carried out in clusters managed by the ISPT team members.
Dissemination and education
An important part of the ISPT efforts is the effective and broad dissemination of knowledge. We participate in the public discourse to enhance societal awareness. We communicate the results of our projects to all relevant stakeholders to accelerate implementation. And we are concerned with education to ensure the training of future bright young people. For this we have established the ISPT Innovation Academy.
Supervisory and Academic Advisory Board
The ISPT Supervisory Board consists of appointed representatives of ISPT participants from the (process) industry, academic partners and SME’s. It supervises the ISPT managing board and provides advice and counsel. The ISPT Academic Advisory Board guarantees the scientific quality of the activities and programs of ISPT. It consists of professors and academic representatives related to ISPT.
ISPT Regulations: working together in confidence
The ISPT Foundation regularly adjusts its regulations, whereby the amended regulations require the approval of the foundation’s Supervisory Board. The most recent amendment applies to the ISPT cluster and project regulations. It was decided to make these adjustments to ensure that the new regulations are fully in line with European and Dutch legislation, in this case the R&D&I framework. In this way, the rights and obligations of the participants in ISPT are clarified, among others. The adjustment was made in collaboration with a lawyer from the Dirkzwager office in Arnhem, and was approved by the Supervisory Board on September 23, 2020.
ISPT offers an environment in which participants can collaborate on innovations in confidence. It is important that all input from universities, knowledge institutions and companies is handled properly. All participants retain their rights to knowledge they already had before the start of a project. If new rights arise during the collaboration, ISPT ensures that these rights are allocated to the participants in a fair manner. Among other things, participants within the project in question may apply their own results in their normal business operations.
The new regulations apply to all existing and new participants. You can view the regulations here: