Our roots

Aart van Beuzekom and Gerrit Timmer founded ORTEC in the early 1980s, based on their conviction that applying mathematics was, and still is, valuable for sustainable long-term growth for society at large. 

Over the years, ORTEC has put this belief into practice by contributing its expertise to societal initiatives and projects with organizations such as North Star Alliance, The Ocean Cleanup, Amref Health Africa, in partnership with the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and Analytics for a Better World (ABW). 

The ORTEC Foundation was established in 2025 by ORTEC B.V., together with Aart van Beuzekom and Gerrit Timmer, to further professionalize and strengthen these activities through a dedicated foundation. The longstanding partnerships with UvA and ABW will remain important to the Foundation as it develops its activities and builds new collaborations.

This shared belief — that mathematics, analytics, optimization, and technology can contribute to a better society — lies at the heart of the ORTEC Foundation.

The ORTEC Foundation believes that societal organizations and initiatives can significantly increase their effectiveness and positive impact when decisions are supported by data, analytical insights, and technological innovation. By making this expertise financially available, the Foundation aims to contribute to a better and more just society.

By providing financial support to initiatives and organizations worldwide that apply analytics, optimization and technology, and by encouraging collaboration between relevant partners, the Foundation seeks to contribute to sustainable and measurable impact.

The ORTEC Foundation distinguishes itself through a data-driven approach to philanthropy. The ORTEC Foundation focuses on initiatives that apply analytics, optimization and technology to address societal challenges. The ORTEC Foundation provides financial support to initiatives that use these capabilities to improve decision-making and create positive societal impact, across a wide range of sectors and themes. 

In doing so, the Foundation aims to contribute to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), instead of focusing on one or or a limited number of SDG's.