This is Part 2 of the series Campuses in North Brabant. In the next weeks, we will publish the profiles of all 8 innovation campuses that were mentioned in the recent study by Buck Consultants International (BCI). Every Tuesday we highlight one of them. Today we focus on Eindhoven University of Technology Campus. Here are all the articles that have already been published.
Eindhoven University of Technology Campus is one of the ten mature campuses in the Netherlands and a hotspot of innovation, technology education, scientific research, and collaboration with industry which incorporates sustainability in everything it does.
Collaboration with industry
One of the most characteristic features of Eindhoven University of Technology Campus (TU/e Campus) ever since its establishment in the 1950s, has been its collaboration with industries. According to Jo van Ham, vice president of TU/e Executive Board, this is exactly what makes the Campus attractive to companies: “The research collaborations and living labs ensure that we can innovate better and more quickly here. On the campus some hundred companies have established themselves, and we collaborate closely with them. From startups and SMEs to multinationals like Philips, ASML, NXP and KPN.”
What’s more, TU/e is at the top of research collaboration with industry in 2018 CWTS Leiden Ranking of “broad” technical universities. This is due to the high number of academic publications in collaboration with industry – 6,171 annual publications (PP industry).
Besides, TU/e has been working in a high-impact flagship partnership with Philips, Catharina Hospital, Maxima Medical Centre, and Kempenhaege Expertise Centre for the last four years. According to Lukas Dekker, a cardiologist at the Catharina Hospital, “the cross-appointments, for example people with positions along the entire chain, are very important for the success of this collaboration. Physicians advise Philips people and are part-time professors at the university. Philips people are part-time professors or advisors at the TU/e and TU/e-employees can also work at Philips or the hospital.” According to Sebastiaan Overeem, sleep medicine specialist at Kempenhaege , ”all this complementary knowledge ensures that we can accelerate meaningful innovations in healthcare, which would otherwise take a very long time to develop.”
Progressive startups
TU/e Campus ecosystem is built upon sustainable collaboration between innovative companies, institutes, start-ups, and spin-offs. Companies are indispensable partners in TU/e research in Health, Smart Mobility, and Energy. The Campus accommodates 143 companies in total, of which 63 are spin-offs and 77 startups. This makes it the campus with most startups in the whole country, according to BCI latest report.
Among one of the startup success stories that have spun off from the university is Usono. It facilitates medical care with smart ultrasound solutions – ProbeFix, which provides lengthy and stable fixation of an ultrasound probe to the body, and ProbeFix Dynamic, which supports ultrasound measurements during dynamic exercise. Usono solves a major problem because ProbeFix keeps the probe on the spot while the person has one hand free and ProbeFix Dynamic monitors muscles in motion, for example while the person is walking or running.
Another prominent TU/e startup is Amber Mobility. It is a new generation of car sharing platform. Requesting an Amber car is done within a minute via its app and there are no subscription fees. Amber is useful for employees who prefer to go to work by bicycle or public transport but need a car for work appointments. Apart from offering environmentally-friendly mobility, Amber reduces the need for parking space. One Amber car can replace up to ten private cars, the start-up claims. Amber’s shared electric cars can be found in Eindhoven, Tilburg, Utrecht, and Amsterdam’s business district – the Zuidas.
Sustainability to the core
Sustainability forms an integral part of the Campus – from its design to its operational management, to the curriculum of its every programme, to its research, to its business operations. The Campus uses only green power and compensates the CO2 emission from gas consumption through reforestation. Besides, it aims to be 50% energy neutral by 2030. On top of that, its main building – Atlas – has been selected a winner for the most sustainable educational building in the BREEAM awards, the international standard for measuring the sustainable performance of a building.
Jan Mengelers, chairman of the Executive Board, has previously remarked: “TU Eindhoven believes in challenge-based education. Our maxim is also ‘practice what you preach‘. This also applies to our efforts in the field of sustainability.”
Hence, it comes as no surprise that TU/e ranks as the most sustainable institution in Dutch higher education in 2018 SustainaBul-ranking, organised by Morgen. The university got particular acclaim for its sustainable student teams. One example is Solar Team Eindhoven, the three-time winner of the cruiser class in the World Solar Challenge.
In Part 3, we will introduce you to High Tech Automotive Campus – Helmond.
Featured image (c) Your Captain Luchtfotografie
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