NLR carries out applied research on behalf of the aviation and space sectors. NLR is an independent technological institute.

NLR performs research to develop new technologies for aviation and space travel, not only from a scientific perspective, but also for the application of this research in industrial and governmental sectors.


NLR has two locations, one in Amsterdam and another about 100 kilometers to the northeast in Marknesse. Approximately 700 people - from aircraft engineers to psychologists, to mathematicians, to materials experts - work for NLR. All these people work constantly to make aviation safer and more environmentally friendly. They support Dutch government policy, they assist the Dutch military and use their own research to enhance the innovative capacity of private businesses. In this way, NLR contributes to more responsive authorities and competitive industries.

NLR's clients include governmental authorities, large and small industries, and aerospace organizations - both in the Netherlands and abroad. NLR has a number of specialized research facilities such as wind tunnels, which it operates together with its German sister organization, DLR.

NLR is a non-profit organization that carries out market-oriented and socially-relevant studies. Three-quarters of the research it performs is commissioned by clients. The NLR conducts other research via demand-driven programs financed by the national government.