In the Centres of Competence:

• Colleagues of the three Universities of Technology pool their skills and harmonize their efforts and research priority areas,
• Professional colleagues from other universities or institutes may contribute;
• With the exception of the Centre for Ethics and Technology, Centres of Excellence will be embedded that focus on special research projects and programmes within the subject area concerned.

The five Centres of Competence are:

• CoC High Tech Systems
• CoC Netherlands Institute of Research on ICT ("NIRICT")
• CoC University Research Group on Sustainable Energy Technologies ("URGENT")
• CoC Applications of Nano Technology
• CoC Fluid and Solid Mechanics

Each Centre of Competence has a board formed by the dean of each of the three Universities of Technology who is the most involved in the subject area concerned. Furthermore, each Centre of Competence has a Scientific Director who coordinates the work within the Centre of Competence, including the Centres of Excellence within it, and advises the board accordingly.