Get to know: Reinder Wolthuis

Reinder Wolthuis has been working at TNO since 2006 and has around 30 years of experience in information security and cybersecurity across various companies.

"I have always focused mainly on innovation, and I continue to do so at TNO, specifically in the area of cybersecurity. I am one of the initiators behind the PCSI program and its predecessor, the Shared Research Program Cyber Security (SRP, 2014–2020)," Wolthuis explains.

What is PCSI focused on, and what is your role within it?

While the SRP mainly focused on the financial sector, with the PCSI program, we have taken a broader, cross-sectoral approach. In 2014, we started with three major banks, jointly executing cybersecurity projects. The foundation remains the same: we work on a project basis on topics that are relevant to our partners and contribute to a secure and resilient digital society through cybersecurity innovation. The program is co-funded by both the partners and the government. What we develop in the projects can be immediately tested with the core partners.
In 2020, we broadened our scope and welcomed new core partners from outside the financial sector. We now have a strong mix: ABN AMRO, Achmea, the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration, ING, and TNO. Each of these organizations brings relevant expertise and faces similar threats in their daily operations. We combine this knowledge into small, committed project groups, resulting in an effective and unique working experience.

In our projects, we follow a short-cycle innovation process (Figure 1) consisting of four phases of four months each.
Using the PCSI Security Radar which provides an overview of current trends relevant to PCSI partners. The PCSI steering committee selects two or three topics every four months. For each topic, an Ideation session (a facilitated brainstorming session) is organized with experts from all core partners. In one day, the Ideation session takes place in the morning; the resulting project idea is developed into a pitch by early afternoon and pitched to the PCSI steering committee in a "Dragons' Den" setting at the end of the day.

The steering committee immediately decides whether the pitch will proceed as a project. We always end the day with a social gathering. These are days full of energy and creativity. We then start working on the selected ideas in projects, with a 'go/no-go' decision after each phase to assess whether the plans remain feasible and valuable. I mainly focus on program management within PCSI. I ensure projects are running smoothly, report on progress, and explore possibilities to expand our ecosystem. Besides the core partners, we have now built an ecosystem of about forty ‘Liaison Partners’ — organizations interested in PCSI’s results and that may be involved in specific projects.

What is the added value of participating in PCSI for organizations?

The strength of PCSI is that it brings together TNO researchers with various experts from the other partners who are 'in the field' and seeking practical solutions. This fits exactly with the 'Orchestrating Innovation' role that TNO pursues. Additionally, TNO contributes substantive knowledge to the projects. I hear many positive stories from TNO colleagues who participate in the projects. Feedback from other core partners also shows that employees find participating in a PCSI project highly valuable. At the same time, alongside the financial investment, the partnership also demands a significant time commitment. We usually have five to seven projects running in parallel, with each partner participating in about half of them. Each project requires about four hours per week from a core partner’s expert. Altogether, this amounts to at least half an FTE that organizations need to free up a commitment that requires serious dedication.

What are you proud of?

I am proud that we are still going strong and that the PCSI concept has proven so successful.
It’s quite unique for a co-funding model like this to run for ten years — that speaks volumes about the value it delivers, I believe.
TNO's role, both in terms of content and organization, is very valuable. Over the past few years, we have assembled a professional program team, and this is clearly paying off. It is also great to see that the people involved remain enthusiastic, and we consistently receive positive feedback on our approach. Moreover, I am proud that we are continually developing our program. Our Security Radar has now become an interactive tool, and we are constantly taking steps to bring innovation more effectively to market.

Where do you see opportunities and challenges for the future?

The collaboration as it stands is working very well. However, recruiting new core partners remains a challenge and takes time.
We also need to stay focused on keeping our current partners engaged, as circumstances can change.
The current PCSI program runs until September 2026. We would like to extend it with our current partners and bring in new ones — and we are already working on that. I also see opportunities to apply this successful concept in other sectors.
For the PCSI community itself, there are plenty of opportunities as well, such as broader collaborations with other security consortia in the Netherlands. There is also international interest in our approach — for instance, PCSI was invited to present at the European Bank.
We are open to international collaboration, although there are practical challenges, for example regarding (government) funding and cooperation in projects.