WERE YOU THERE? Open House 2018 - COLLABORATING WITH THE VU Joint Mechanical Engineering bachelor's programme WAR FOR TALENT The hunt for highly ...
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MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND PARTNERS SUMMER 2018
WERE YOU THERE?
Open House 2018
COLLABORATING WITH THE VU
Joint Mechanical Engineering bachelor’s programme
WAR FOR TALENT
The hunt for highly educated technicians
CONTENTS Cover image: Rikkert Harink
36 LARGEST MANUFACTURER
OF GREEK YOGHURT
32 ENTREPRENEURIAL DAY
22 LUBRICANT FOR
THE HEALTHCARE
VU
4 WAR FOR
TALENT UT 14 COLLABORATING
WITH THE VU
4 DOSSIER 18 ENTREPRENEURSHIP 32 WERE YOU THERE?
War for talent Used items of clothing are
given a new life 34 ON THE CAMPUS
8 IN BRIEF The Hogekamp project
20 IN THE LAB
10 PHD RESEARCH 36 INTERVIEW RESEARCH
Research relationship between 22 AMBITION & ACHIEVEMENT
water scarcity and consumption The success story of two 38 DEPARTURE POINT TWENTE
electrical engineers CFO at yoghurt king Chobani
12 FUND NEWS
From drop-out to top student 25 EXECUTIVE EDUCATION 40 STUDENT HOUSE
Huize DADA
14 INTERVIEW EDUCATION 26 IN BRIEF
Joint Mechanical Engineering 42 MY JOB
bachelor’s programme with VU 28 ALUMNI NEWS From BIT to blockchain
16 ACTIVE STUDENT 30 FUND NEWS 44 SPIN-OFF
For an online version of this magazine in English please visit: www.utwente.nl/magazine/en
2
FOREWORD
RETAINING YOUNG TALENT
“Twente’s campus in the lead,” ntrepreneurial attitude made us
e
wrote the regional newspaper De pioneers, but we have to regularly
Twentsche Courant Tubantia in early reinvent ourselves if we want to
June. A study of Dutch “knowledge maintain our lead.
campuses,”’ conducted by Buck
Consultants, shows that Kennispark Another conclusion from the report
Twente holds the #1 position: the is that the growth rate of the
park houses by far the largest num- employment opportunities at
ber of organisations – nearly twice Kennispark Twente lags behind the
as much as the number two. These average of all other – 35 in total –
are spin-offs of the University of knowledge campuses in the
Twente, as well as organisations Netherlands. Unlike the area
that like to settle close to the Uni- around Eindhoven, we lack major
versity and the pool of young talent corporations in Twente. Our em- “WE HAVE TO REGULARLY
it houses. Figures from Statistics ployment opportunities are found REINVENT OURSELVES IF WE WANT
Netherlands (CBS) also show that at the hundreds of SME spin-offs
the economy in Twente grows at a and scale-ups. We find that some TO MAINTAIN OUR LEAD”
higher rate than the Dutch national of our graduates prefer to work at a
average. That explains why we large organisation and in a different
have received the title of “most region. That is why we are colla
entrepreneurial university” for the borating with the municipality of
third time in a row. Enschede on an initiative to retain
young talent in the region or stimu-
These are all wonderful results, late them to return. We are aware
yet we cannot rest on our laurels. that it is not all about work; the re-
Every university is focusing on gion’s living environment, facilities
entrepreneurship now. Rapid growth and culture are also important
is not only seen at the other factors. For you, as an alumnus or
technical universities, but also at relation of the University, a new or
classical universities like the ones renewed introduction to the region
in Groningen and Leiden. Our might also be interesting!
VICTOR VAN DER CHIJS, LL.M.,
(1960) CHAIRMAN OF THE UNIVERSITY
OF TWENTE EXECUTIVE BOARD SINCE
OCTOBER 2013.
3
DOSSIER Over the course of the next five years, the Netherlands will need
60,000 highly educated engineers. The four technical universities
can only supply half that number. That means it is all hands on
deck for businesses and knowledge institutes, including the
University of Twente. BY Marco Krijnsen PHOTOGRAPHY Gijs van Ouwerkerk
‘WAR FOR TALENT’
ALL HANDS
ON DECK
4
The UT spin-off Demcon is doing in the area. Demcon sponsors
well. The developer of high-end Saxion’s Mechatronics lectorate and
technology is experiencing specta- the UT’s Robotics and Mechatronics
cular growth and it will soon begin chair. The collaboration with the
the construction of a brand-new University will be expanded in the
Technology Center, right across future. Demcon will also finance
from the University of Twente. This half of the Precision Engineering
year, the organisation will need 100 chair, the research group that
to 150 new employees to keep up focuses on medical robotics.
with this rapid expansion. “We will
find them all,” says director Dennis This improved visibility is required to
Schipper with conviction. avoid a brain-drain of highly educa- “We post 3,000 to 4,000 vacancies
Nevertheless, the UT alumnus of ted engineers to other places and
Mechanical Engineering is con- companies, Schipper says. Additio- per year and receive 125,000 applications”
cerned. Demcon is already forced to nal measures are also needed. “The - Peter Wennink, CEO ASML
refuse many projects because it University of Twente stops at the
simply lacks the manpower. That Hengelosestraat, which still forms a
problem is only expected to grow in barrier. We must attract more
the time to come, because the com- students for lectures, projects or
petition on the employment market drinks. We do not do enough of
is becoming noticeably fiercer. that, even though Demcon is
Schipper: “We must be careful that located close to the University. This
the shortage of engineers does not situation is even more difficult for
impede our growth.” businesses based in Oldenzaal or
Almelo. They are often completely
Attracting more students invisible to UT students.”
Schipper believes that the only way
for Demcon to stay in the race for Multinationals in Twente
technical talent is for the organisa Victor van der Chijs, the president of
tion to be visible to potential em- the UT’s Executive Board, acknow-
ployees who are either still studying ledges this problem. “We have the
or have recently graduated. That is right people in Twente and we have
why the company is investing in all small and medium-sized high-tech
kinds of cooperative alliances, for companies with a large number of
example with knowledge institutes vacancies. Nevertheless, many of
5
DOSSIER
A TECHNICAL DEGREE, BUT NO TECHNICAL JOB
An important cause for the shortage of technical staff is the fact company. These figures are in line with the national averages.
that many highly educated engineers work in other sectors. In Twente, the problem is exacerbated because only few students
National figures show that only 44% of the students in this group
with a technology degree are interested in a job at a local tech
ultimately end up in a technical position at a technical organisa company (17% of the male students and 6% of the female
tion. For women, that percentage is much lower still. The chance students).
that they choose a profession outside the technology sector is The number of female technology students has increased in
four times larger than for men. recent years, but the effects are limited for the time being. That is
The “Mind the Gap!” study recently mapped out the situation in due to the fact that women are far more likely to leave the tech-
Twente. The results show that one out of every five technology nology sector than their male colleagues. The IT sector in parti
professionals “drops out” of the sector. Out of all highly educated cular struggles with this phenomenon. According to researchers,
technology professionals with a technical degree from the UT or this is caused in part by the male-dominated culture on the work
Saxion, only 37% works in a technical position at a technical or- floor. Women feel like they are undervalued and given less
ganisation, while 31% has a non-technical position at a technical challenging tasks than men in similar positions.
our students leave for the Randstad. tage of technical staff. The need is
They want to work for a major cor- dire, although ASML itself is not
poration, preferably a multinational. necessarily affected by it, says CEO
We should therefore try to bring Peter Wennink. “We post 3,000 to
those companies here. We have to 4,000 vacancies per year and
focus on the ASMLs of this world.” receive 125,000 applications. This
Van Der Chijs also believes that the does not necessarily mean that we
number of fish in the sea of techni- always have enough candidates
cal top talent will have to increase. with the right competences for all
The supply and demand on the positions. Our suppliers are strug-
employment market can be balan- gling with the growing shortage of
ced with a higher intake of new engineers. We will have to work
technology students. That explains together to resolve this problem.”
the University of Twente and VU Wennink, who recently gave the In-
University Amsterdam’s initiative to novation lecture at the University of
set up a joint engineering program- Twente, has identified a number of
me in Amsterdam. “In the Amster- problem areas. “One of the causes
dam region, far fewer young people is the poor image of the technology
choose a technical university pro- sector – not among young people
gramme. Twente is too far away, so but among their parents. They still
we will go to them instead. We are believe that anyone with a technical
creating a new market and I am curi- degree will end up working in a dirty
“We must be careful that the shortage of ous to see what the results will be.” factory. That is certainly no longer
engineers does not impede our growth” the case, but it takes time to change
- Dennis Schipper, director of Demcon Image problem the sector’s image. Furthermore,
ASML in Veldhoven, the world’s the technical universities have to
largest manufacturer of chip machi- increase their capacity. I am not ad-
nes, already stated that all technical vocating diploma factories, but they
universities in the Netherlands will have to produce more excellent
should be active in the Amsterdam engineers. That requires additional
region in order to resolve the shor funding from the ministry.”
6
Peter Wennink gives his keynote speech during the Entrepreneurial Day.
Female role models of radar technology, launched a
A problem that is specific to the Ne- scholarship programme to attract
therlands is the shortage of female more women to the high-tech
engineers. “Thirty-five percent of sector. Ten female students each SALARY IS IMPORTANT TO
our foreign employees are women. received a €5,000 scholarship that GENERATION Z
That number is just 6% for Dutch allowed them to choose a technical Employers are lining up to recruit the new generation of
employees. That is frankly ridicu- master’s programme at a university. employees, the so-called Generation Z. What should they
lous,” says Wennink. “Businesses Following a major reorganisation at keep in mind? Like the millennials that came before them,
have a role to play in this regard as the company, this initiative no lon- today’s young people are difficult to retain and hard to
well. At ASML, we host Girlsdays, ger exists. reach. A study conducted by YoungCapital shows that
for example. We send our best they are slightly more conservative and value salary more.
female engineers to show how fun Now that the economy has reco Relatively many people in Generation Z choose to become
and relevant the technology sector vered and the number of jobs in entrepreneurs, possibly in combination with a salaried job.
is. Young girls tend to love that.” Hengelo will increase by 150 this In the latter case, they want to know exactly what their
Victor van der Chijs applauds that year alone, Thales is considering a boss expects from them.
last initiative. “We are already doing follow-up initiative. “Instead of
a lot to get girls interested in the scholarships, we may seek to acti-
technical fields with the Technology vely collaborate with students in a
Pact. We desperately need female start-up-like setting,” says spokes-
role models. Vanessa Evers, our person Job Harmelink. “We want to
professor of Social Robotics, is a meet potential employees at an
great example. She is a figurehead early stage. In the past, we used
who can give others the final push advertisements for that. These days,
they need to choose a technical we go all-in on social media. The
study programme. That is why we Arduino competition for students is
will recruit more female professors another one of our platforms. We
in the years to come.” will expand it with mixed teams
that do not consist solely of engi-
Social media neers. For us, that is a great way to
Several years ago, Thales in Hen attract the attention of young
gelo, a company active in the field people.”
7
IN BRIEF
LASER SHOE
People suffering from Parkinson’s
disease often have trouble walking.
They regularly experience freezing
of gait, where their feet appear to
be stuck to the ground. Research
conducted by the UT and other
institutes has shown that a special
shoe can help. With each step, the
shoe uses laser light to project a line
on the floor for the patient to step BITCOIN
over. This reduces the number of Research conducted by the University of Twente has shown
instances of freezing of gait by that an attack on the Bitcoin is easier than previously assu-
46 percent and cuts the duration of med. A group of Bitcoin users with access to twenty percent of
each episode in half. the computing power can execute an attack over the course of
a few days that would force all other users to accept a new
standard for the Bitcoin. Researcher Ansgar Fehnker compares
this to an organisation in which twenty percent of the share-
holders can impose their will on the vast majority of other sha-
reholders. The attack retroactively cancels recent transactions,
thereby undermining people’s trust in the current standard.
ELECTRIC BIKE
In late May, the Electric Superbike nine months by the team’s fifteen
Twente student team presented the students from the University of
Liion-GP. This motorbike, which can Twente and Saxion. The bike will
achieve a top speed of 250 kilome- participate in its first official race
tres per hour, was designed and on the Pembrey race track in the
produced in a record time of just United Kingdom on 8 July.
8
IN BRIEF
EIGHT TOP MASTERS
In total, eight of the UT’s master’s
programmes have earned the title
of “top programme.” This is
revealed in the latest edition of the
Keuzegids Masters, which offers an
annual comparison of all master’s
programmes in the Netherlands.
The UT has achieved excellent
scores across the board. It is the
fastest riser and finished second
of all fulltime universities. In late
2017, the UT already achieved
a third place in the Keuzegids
Bachelors and earned the title of
“Best Technical University in the
Netherlands.” Go to www.keuze-
gids.org for more information.
URINE TEST
A new spin-off from the University of Twente, NanoMed
Diagnostics, is developing a urine test that can be used
to detect the early stages of cancer. During a previous TECHNICAL MEDICINE
study conducted by the UT and the VUmc, researchers Researchers with a background in bill to make this possible. The new
discovered strong indications that the presence of can- Technical Medicine must be perma- occupational group in the health
cer in a patient’s body can be identified by looking for nently included in the BIG register care sector originated at the Uni-
specific signal substances on DNA fragments found in to allow them to perform medical versity of Twente. Heleen Miedema,
their urine. Furthermore, the position of these substan- procedures on their own. That is the founder and programme direc-
ces on the DNA provides an indication of what type of the recommendation of an evalua tor of the Technical Medicine pro-
cancer the patient has. The researchers involved in the tion committee following an experi- gramme, is overjoyed. “This is an
project expect to have a reliable and validated test ready ment in which researchers were important step for the occupational
for the international market in circa four years’ time. given this authority on a temporary group, the University of Twente and
basis. Minister Bruno Bruins (Medi- the healthcare sector in general.”
cal Care and Sports) will submit a
More information about
these items can be found
at: www.utwente.nl/en
9
Is there anything better than a cup of coffee? Did you know that the production of the coffee beans used for
one cup of coffee costs 140 litres of water? The steak on your plate required 2,000 litres. Water is becoming
scarce, so it is high time to provide more insight into the impact of our consumption. Rick Hogeboom obtains
his doctoral degree with research into the water footprint. BY Frederike Krommendijk PHOTOGRAPHY Gijs van Ouwerkerk
“In just a few decades, we are using up
groundwater reserves that have built up
over the course of centuries or millennia”
10PHD
RESEARCH
PROMOT IO N A L R E S E A R C H I N TO TH E R E L ATI O NS H I P
B ETWEEN WAT E R S CA R C I T Y AND CO NS UMP TI O N
CALCULATE YOUR
WATER FOOTPRINT
If Rick Hogeboom was not such a decisions. I recently attended a By the time Rick graduates next
happy fellow, he might get depres gathering with major investors, summer, he will have spent 5.5
sed from mapping out the world’s where it became clear to me that years working on this subject. He
water situation. “There are three this is hardly ever an issue at the has also been actively involved in
problems associated with water: moment. Water is a scarce r esource water management outside the
too much, not enough or too pollu- and there are limits to the growth.” university for years, for example as
ted. Pollution is often visible and the director of the Water Footprint
floods are hard to ignore as well. How much good will it really do if Network and as part of the Wetskills
Water scarcity, however, is like mi- Western consumers stop buying foundation, where students help
sery in slow motion. The effects are avocados? “It is not that simple, of corporations and governments in
hardly felt here in the Netherlands, course. The thing is that we, as rich developing countries quickly resol-
but four billion people around the countries, can bring our products in ve their water-related problems.
world already experience water from anywhere. If the water runs “I wanted to become an engineer in
scarcity one month out of the year. out somewhere and production the army to work on construction
For 1.5 billion people, that scarcity grinds to a halt, we will simply buy projects in developing countries.
lasts all year long.” our stuff somewhere else. That will From the Royal Military Academy,
stop one day, though.” Is it a hope- I came to the UT to earn my bache
Installing a more efficient shower less cause? “No, but similar to how lor’s degree in Civil Engineering.
head or a smaller toilet tank is not everyone is only now beginning to I am an idealist and because water
enough. People all over the world truly realise the impact of CO2 emis- is such an urgent problem in many
will have to change their behaviour. sion and climate change, it is impor- developing countries, I was inspired
“That starts with consumers. How tant to start raising awareness. For to stay here and focus all my atten-
long will we be able to continue example, our research data shows tion on water management.”
eating meat every day when the that an avocado grown in one place
production of animal feed requires is a less sustainable choice in terms
so much water? Do those avocados of water usage than one that origi-
“Our current consumption pattern
and almonds still look as good nates elsewhere. A vegetarian diet is draining the ground water supply
when you know how much ground- has a lower water footprint than one
water is used for their production in that includes meat. Fortunately, we
in many places all over the world”
Chile and California? When you link do have some choice in the matter.”
consumption to this water footprint, After he obtains his doctoral
it quickly becomes clear that this With knowledge of the water foot- degree, the world will be at his
situation cannot last: in just a few print, policy makers can make diffe- feet. He is definitely interested in a
decades, we are using up ground- rent choices. “For example, we are postgraduate degree from the UT,
water reserves that have built up studying the efficiency of irrigation. but his options also include global
over the course of centuries or Using droplets is far more efficient organisations such as the World
millennia.” Investors should also than spraying. If it is possible to Bank and the UN’s Food and Agri-
keep the water footprint in mind grow coffee in a way that costs 100 culture Organization (FAO). “I want
when considering an investment in litres per cup, policy makers can to contribute in some capacity to
yet another almond or avocado prohibit methods that require 200 raising the awareness of consumers,
farm in a sun-drenched, dry location. litres per cup. They can also stimu- businesses and policy makers. They Rick Hogeboom recently
“I get what they are thinking: they late the use of the far more efficient have to understand that we must gave a TEDxTwente talk
are after the most lucrative deal. droplet irrigation method. There are start taking better care of our which you can watch::
However, it would be great if plenty of measures that can be global water supply. The current youtube.com/watch?v=
sustainability also factored into their taken, but awareness is step one.” situation cannot last forever.” DCzTJi4XpOA
11FUND
NEWS
“THE UT HAS MADE ME
WHO I AM TODAY”
FROM D ROP- O U T TO TO P S T U D E NT Right before our call, Peter Rieze-
bos sends a picture of his view of
Shanghai’s imposing skyline. “I am
UT alumnus Peter Riezebos (38) is an artist, writer and multidiscipli- ready,” the caption reads. He had
nary scientist who currently lives in China. Despite the large distance planned to work out with his perso-
nal trainer, but he has rescheduled
to Twente, he still feels connected to the University. With his Named that appointment. The artist’s agen-
Fund, he wants to help students study in a way that suits them best. da is packed. His work is popular
all over the world and he hops from
BY Marieke Vroom PHOTOGRAPHY private image / Rikkert Harink
plane to plane – from China to
America to the Netherlands and
back – to attend expositions, book
“I often struggled presentations, auctions and pain-
to scrape together ting sessions. In between, he finds
the time to work on his doctoral re-
enough cash to pay search. “I need that pressure,
for my ticket” otherwise I get bored easily.”
12In celebration of the seventieth anniversary of the Twente
University Fund, artist and UT alumnus Peter Riezebos
displayed his work at the UT. Throughout the month,
a selection of his art was presented in the exposition space
of the Vrijhof building. Riezebos has achieved international
success with his work. Art enthusiasts line up to attend his
expositions and auctions. This year alone, he had shows in
Amsterdam, New York, Los Angeles and Shanghai.
The artist still has close ties with the UT. He has set up a
Named Fund to offer motivated students – with or without
learning difficulties – financial support for their special
educational needs or extracurricular activities. During the
opening of his exposition at the UT, the alumnus and his
wife donated 15,000 euros to the Peter Riezebos Fund.
Catching up you can get,” he says when asked With the Peter Riezebos Fund, he
The alumnus did not have an easy about his choice to enrol in multiple wants to support students with lear-
start in life. He did not fit within the programmes at the same time. “On ning difficulties. “I know from perso-
traditional school system and was top of that, I am interested in a great nal experience how challenging life
classified as an “unruly” student. many things. When I found out what can be when you are dealing with
Teachers had no idea what to do works for me and where my talents mental obstacles.” A student who
with him. He spent a lot of time in lie, I also discovered that I love un- has trouble functioning in a lecture
detention, failed his intermediate ge- derstanding the world and con- hall or as part of a study group can
neral secondary education and was necting different aspects from a apply for a scholarship to create a
expelled from his senior secondary multidisciplinary perspective – as study area at home. The fund is also
vocational education programme long as things happen by my rules available for ambitious students who
twice. A serious depression resulted and meet my conditions.” want to take on extracurricular activi-
in a clinical admission for a period of ties. “I learned a whole lot from the
a year. He was diagnosed with Support and flexibility international conferences I attended
Asperger’s and ADHD, among other The University of Twente gave him during my studies. That takes money,
things. “With the help of doctors and the room he needed. Riezebos did though. I often struggled to scrape
psychiatrists, I found out that there not attend many lectures. Instead, together enough cash to pay for my
was a lot going on in my head, but he worked on extracurricular pro- ticket. It is important to me that there
that it also held a lot of potential.” jects, collaborated on publications are funds available for that. If it gives
and presented his research at con- someone the opportunity to learn and
Love brought Riezebos to the UT. ferences abroad. “I have trouble sit- have fun, I am happy to contribute.”
His wife Lindy lived in Haaksbergen ting still and listening. A two-hour
at the time and studied Commercial lecture tired me out as if it were
Economics at Saxion. “She stimula- eight hours long. However, if you
ted me to resume my education.” gave me a project that allowed me
Between 2006 and 2014, he studied to do my own research, I would do
Psychology and Communication eight hours’ worth of work in two
Studies, took two minors and a pre- hours’ time.” SUPPORT AND DONATE!
master’s in Philosophy, completed Visit www.utwente.nl/Ufonds
the honours programme for excel- He found the joy in life during his
lent students and enrolled in a higher time as a student, the alumnus
education Business Administration says. “I met people who supported
programme in the evenings. me and were very flexible. That
allowed me to flourish.” It also
“Call it catching up or a need to pro- motivated his decision to give back.
ve myself. When you move from a “The University has done so much
negative to a positive situation and for me. My time at the UT was a
you suddenly find out that you can major factor in making me who I
do a lot more than you thought pos- am today. I cannot simply forget
sible, you seize every opportunity about that.”
13INTERVIEW
EDUCATION
UT HAS ITS EYE ON
“We can introduce
a whole new group
of students to the UT”
JOINT MECHANICAL ENGINEERING The students from North Holland
will frequently visit the UT. Every
BACHELOR’S PROGRAMME WITH VU month, they will spend three weeks
at VU University Amsterdam and
The employment market is in dire need of highly educated technical staff.
one week in Enschede. They get
Nevertheless, the Mechanical Engineering bachelor’s programme is not parti- to use the UT’s facilities, such as
laboratories, and the UT looks for
cularly popular among high school students in the province of North Holland.
affordable housing on the campus
The main reason: there is no technical university in the region. In September for that one week per month.
Some of the UT’s employees will
of next year, the UT will therefore introduce a new programme in Amsterdam
teach their classes in Amsterdam.
in collaboration with VU University Amsterdam. With this programme, the UT It is not out of the question that
other joint programmes will be set
hopes to see more students move on the master’s programme.
up in Amsterdam. For UT employees
BY Frederike Krommendijk & U-Today PHOTOGRAPHY Rikkert Harink & Claudia Kamergorodsk who live elsewhere in the country,
travelling to Amsterdam is not
necessarily more difficult than their
Victor van der Chijs, the president of market, which is in dire need of commute to Enschede.
the UT’s Executive Board, explains highly educated technical staff.”
that only eleven percent of the high Once students have completed the Part of the UT
school students in Amsterdam with bachelor’s programme in Amster- The bachelor’s programme will for-
a pre-university education choose a dam, the move to Enschede to ac- mally be a part of the UT. Setting up
technical programme. “If there is a quire their master’s degree at the UT a new programme takes years, but
technical university in the region, is not so large anymore. “With this this allows the programme to operate
that number increases to 23 percent. bachelor’s programme, we can intro- under the UT licence. It will be a joint
That is why we will go to the student duce a whole new group of students programme in the truest sense of the
if they will not come to us. It will be to the UT. We expect that this will word. The UT will initially supply more
good for us, for VU University Am- make it more appealing for them to lecturers, but as time goes on, each
sterdam and for the employment obtain their master’s degree here.” institute will provide fifty percent.
14STUDENTS IN AMSTERDAM
VU
“We are taking
our social responsibility
with this technical
bachelor’s programme”
UT
The curriculum is similar to that in Praag says. “We are both driven by lectures. Issues like participation
Twente: it is based on the Twente the added value we can create for and the authorities of e.g. exami
educational model (TOM) and pro- our society. This is deeply ingrained nation boards also pose some
ject-based education. The goal is to in the culture of both institutes. To challenges. Lastly, it is important to
attract a maximum of 200 students me, that is an important foundation eventually collaborate on our re-
in order to preserve the small scale for good collaboration. Our institu- search as well. Whenever possible,
of the education. tes also complement each other on we want to involve lecturers from
a substantial level; our respective Twente in our research programmes.
Mirjam van Praag, the president of research and educational infrastruc- We have come a long way already,
VU University Amsterdam’s Execu- tures tie into each other well. The but we want to dot every I and
tive Board, also sees major advanta- UT and VU University Amsterdam cross every T.”
ges in this collaboration. “Research also collaborate with Delft Universi-
has shown that in North Holland ty of Technology and the University Does this joint bachelor’s program-
fewer young people choose a tech- of Amsterdam. Our new coopera- me open the door for further colla-
nical university education. Apparent- tive alliance does not detract from boration with the UT in the future?
ly, the proximity of study programmes that at all. Rather, I see it as an Van Praag finds that a tough
is a major factor in their choice. As important addition to the existing question to answer right now. “It is
the shortage of employees with a partnerships of both universities.” enough of a challenge to make this
technical background grows, our Amsterdam branch of the Mecha
choice to offer a technical bachelor’s Van Praag emphasises that there nical Engineering programme cost-
programme in Amsterdam can be are still some practical issues to be effective. Technical programmes
seen as our social responsibility. If resolved concerning the joint ba- are expensive. The key goal of our
anyone benefits from this, it is the chelor’s programme. “Colleagues collaboration is to get more young
student who ends up choosing our from Twente who visit our campus people interested in a career in a
joint programme and, a bit later, our must be given access to our admi- technical field. Of course, we hope
society as a whole.” nistrative systems and facilities. We this programme becomes a resoun-
also want to offer students housing ding success. Let’s start small for
VU University Amsterdam and the on the campus in Twente, because now,” she says soberly.
UT have a lot in common, Van they will go there regularly to attend
15ACTIVE
STUDENT
PRESIDENT OF NESST, PLAYING SPORTS,
WORKING AND STUDYING
Going out and drinking beer is fun, but student Amy de Lange
(22) prefers to spend her time on other pursuits. She plays sports,
has a job, is on her way to becoming an entrepreneur and serves
as president of Nesst, a foundation that helps students and
young professionals set up their own business. “It is a lot, but it
also gives me a lot of energy.” BY Frederike Krommendijk PHOTOGRAPHY Arjan Reef
MAKING THE MOST OF
HER STUDENT LIFE
She is enrolled in the third year of On top of that, you can learn from
the Industrial Design bachelor’s established professionals, such as
programme and has a job. You accountants and lawyers, and you
might say she has plenty to do gain more insight into marketing.
already, but Amy likes to take on No matter how good your idea is,
more. “The UT offers so many op- there is a lot more to setting up and
portunities that I want to seize them running your own business. To me,
all. I already joined the ice-skating all this knowledge was invaluable.”
team and did lindyhop dancing for Amy is not an entrepreneur just yet,
a while. These days, I frequently hit but she does have the prototype of
the climbing wall. There is a lot a backpack from the Amy Naomi
more to do than just studying.” webshop in her apartment. Despite
being made of paper, which is good
She considered joining a sorority, for the environment, it is exception-
but it was all too organised for her ally sturdy. “As I use it, I encounter
liking. “I prefer a bit more sponta some small issues, such as the clips.
neity. Don’t get me wrong: I love Once I resolve those, it is ready to
going to the pub, but I would rather be sold in the webshop.”
do something that actually benefits
my development.” As the president of Nesst, she now
She has found that combination of finds herself on the opposite side of
social and educational in her position the table to help students like her
as president of Nesst. This foundati- who dream of running their own
on helps students and young profes- (web)shop or business. “I get to use
“The UT offers so many sionals set up their own business. my organisational talents here. It is
“I did that myself and it is a very important to stay on top of every-
opportunities that I want to educational experience. The Indus- thing, safeguard the goals and
seize them all” trial Design programme teaches you communicate well. I used to see a
all about product design, but the president as some dominant perso-
entire process of bringing that pro- nality who smacks their fist down on
duct to market is largely overlooked. the table. That is not like me at all. A
At Nesst, you get to brainstorm gentle hand works just as well. Unco-
about your idea, draw up a business vering such useful self-knowledge is
plan and talk to local entrepreneurs. another benefit of this position.”
16COLUMN
A FRENCH REVOLUTION FOR THE
DIGITAL REVOLUTION
Can we base information technolo- In our digital society, “freedom” is
gy on the democratic values of the generally interpreted as “privacy,”
French Revolution: liberty, equality which is tellingly defined as “the
and fraternity? In the western right to be left alone.”. The philosop-
world, the American model is her Isaiah Berlin would say that this
currently prevalent: all your data is is mostly a negative definition of
owned by a corporation. In the freedom: “freedom from something.”
Chinese model, all your data is The opposite is the positive “free-
owned by the state. Why is there dom to.” This form of freedom is
no European alternative yet? positively directed at something.
With regards to technology, this is
With these questions, professor not only the freedom not to get
of Media Sociology Jan van Dijk involved with it, but also to treat it
recently departed the University of responsibly. That requires us to create
Twente. Back in 1991, his visionary the right social conditions through
book The Network Society predic- education and legislation.
“IN OUR DIGITAL SOCIETY,
ted that the internet would develop FREEDOM IS GENERALLY
in three phases. It would first con- During the French Revolution, INTERPRETED AS PRIVACY,
nect people, then things and finally equality was about putting an end to
our bodies. Keep in mind that the ranks and classes. In a digital society, WHICH IS TELLINGLY DEFINED
term “social media” did not exist it means inclusive design: designing AS THE RIGHT TO BE LEFT ALONE”
yet and a concept like the Internet technology in such a way that it is
of Things went beyond anyone’s both affordable and understandable
wildest imagination. for everyone. To do that, we must
first understand how we are influen-
The message he delivered in his ced. If everyone is to receive equal
farewell speech was clear: connec opportunities, “algorithm awareness”
ting everything and everyone for will have to become a major aspect
ever will have far-reaching social of citizenship and of design in a digi-
and political consequences. The tal society.
recent Facebook scandal has de-
monstrated that not only our priva- Solidarity (a better word for our
cy but also our very democracy are times than “fraternity”) is perhaps
at stake. These days, the biggest the most important value of all.
threat does not come from a distant Does digital technology offer an
totalitarian regime, but from an alternative to individualism? Can
American corporation that is simply “data ownership” also lead to “data
following its own business model. donorship?” Can “digital protection”
All of a sudden, the digital revolution be expanded into “digital compassi-
has taken an unexpected turn: a on?” Can digital technology facilitate
revitalisation of the European philo- new forms of civic participation and
sophy. How can we honour the political engagement? Only when PROF. DR. IR. P.P.C.C. (PETER-PAUL)
legacy of the French Revolution? that is the case can we truly talk VERBEEK (1970) IS UNIVERSITY OF
As a tribute to Jan van Dijk, I would about the “connectedness of every- TWENTE PROFESSOR OF PHILOSOPHY OF
like to give it a try. thing, always and everywhere.” MAN AND TECHNOLOGY.
17ENTREPRE-
NEURSHIP
Annemieke Koster was already an entrepreneur during her Applied Communication Science
study at the UT. She enjoyed being her own boss so much that she gave up her master’s degree
for it. Today, she maintains close relationships with both the UT and Saxion as the founder of
Enschede Textielstad. “The great thing about Twente is the interplay between the knowledge
institutes’ new inventions and entrepreneurship.” BY Frederike Krommendijk PHOTOGRAPHY Arjan Reef
SPINNING A YARN
18USED ITEMS OF CLOTHING ARE GIVEN A NEW LIFE
ON ANNEMIEKE KOSTER’S LOOM
She was supposed to become a Kneedweg. “I received a lot of help going well for her, because
communication scientist, but her from elderly weavers who taught me sustainability is becoming a major
career has taken a completely the ins and outs of the process. concern. “People’s awareness is
different turn. In 2013, Annemieke Preserving all that knowledge is ano- growing. That much is clear from
Koster saw a news report on a ther form of sustainability.” Because the questions students asks and
disaster that had occurred in a Annemieke loves to innovate, she consumers’ changing purchasing
clothing workshop in Bangladesh. rekindled her ties with knowledge behaviour. Nevertheless, we still
Contrary to most people, she deci- institutes like the University of have a lot to do.” Fortunately, she
ded to do something to change the Twente. “I notice that the UT is now has worked on a number of highly
clothing industry for the better. more aware of the fact that entre- visible projects, such as creating
“I started researching how clothes preneurship is becoming an increa- the cushions on the stands at ABN
are made. I looked at everything singly important skill in many fields. AMRO’s sustainable Circl pavilion in
from how everything is put together When I was working on my master’s Amsterdam and supplying uphol-
in those workshops to all the steps degree, studying and entrepreneur- stery fabrics to the Arendsen Volvo
leading up to that, including cotton ship were still two separate worlds. garage in Hengelo, which was built
production, weaving and how That has really improved.” using circular processes. “People
zippers are made. The situation was have to have the chance to experi-
even more dire than I thought. I Major success ence these developments for them-
could not sit back and do nothing.” In fact, Annemieke is now reaping selves. Luckily, a growing number
the benefits of the close ties that of fashion labels, upholstery com-
Yarn from recycled exist between the UT and entrepre- panies and architects are realising
material neurs. “Two years ago, I founded the the importance of circularity to their
Although she had never even set Textielcafé for local entrepreneurs work.
foot inside a weaving mill, she together with the municipality of En-
founded her own company that pro- schede. We all encounter the same
duces fabrics for the clothing and issues, such as the aging workforce “We can make this into a strong
furniture upholstery industries in a and competition from abroad, and textile region once more in a new
sustainable manner. Her business is we are all looking for ways to innova-
called Enschede Textielstad, after te. One of the initiatives we set up in way, using all kinds of innovations”
her hometown’s rich history in the collaboration with the DesignLab was
textile sector. “I have yarn made a day about Smart Textiles. That was
from recycled materials. To do that, a major success and it resulted in a What is Annemieke’s advice for
I collaborate with e.g. Frankenhuis in bunch of concrete alliances between other alumni? “Stay in Twente. I am
Haaksbergen, where unusable items parties. Both the UT and Saxion can one of the few students from my
of clothing are fiberised. I also work connect the latest technological year who stuck around and I am
together with parties that process developments to the knowledge and glad I did. It might be slightly more
the trimmings from garment work- expertise of existing companies. We difficult to find a way in with a com-
shops (e.g. those owned by ZARA) can make this into a strong textile re- pany, but you will forge a strong
into new yarn. I acquire that yarn as gion once more in a sustainable man- bond once you do – one based on
close to my own business as possible. ner, using all kinds of innovations.” equality and continuity. I see that as
a major advantage over the looser
Enschede Textielstad is housed in Annemieke’s textile is gradually ties that exist in the west. People
the Ter Kuile weaving mill on the becoming more popular. Things are are not always in such a rush here.”
19IN THE LAB
Name Claas-Willem Visser
Age 37
Position Reseacher in the
Physics of Fluids group
Education Applied Physics (UT)
Lab Developmental
BioEngineering
BY Marco Krijnsen
PHOTOGRAPHY Eric Brinkhorst
Printing plastic with a 3D printer has
become commonplace. However,
things get a lot more complicated
when you want to print with other
materials. These are often too hard to
print with or too soft to retain their
shape. A new printing technique
developed in Twente has solved this
problem. Instead of using a nozzle,
the printer uses a small plate of glass
with a thin layer of metal on it. Using
a focused beam of laser light, a
microdroplet of metal is ejected from
the layer. “By doing that at high
speeds, you get miniscule building
blocks that you can use for the 3D
printing of e.g. copper or gold,” says
Visser. In late 2014, he obtained his
doctoral degree with this technology
and he received a Rubicon grant from
the NWO to conduct further research
at Harvard University. In the United
States, Visser focused on the printing
of living cells. Over the past two years,
he regularly flew back to T wente,
where his colleague Tom Kamperman
is also working on the new technology
in the lab in the Zuidhorst.
Now that the researchers have found
a way to print faster, they are able to
produce live materials such as pieces
of cartilage or skin. This technology
also has a range of potential com-
mercial applications, e.g. the produc-
tion of microparticles for cosmetics
or drugs. This will require further
research in the Developmental
BioEngineering lab. Visser wants to
market this technology with the start-
up IamFluidics, which he founded
together with his colleagues Tom
Kamperman and Menno Noordlander.
20“You get miniscule building blocks for the 3D printing of e.g. copper or gold”
AMBITION &
ACHIEVEMENT
They sold their first company Applicare to the American General Electric Company, GE.
Philips recently took over their second company, Forcare. There is no end in sight for
the success story of Harm-Jan Wessels and Andries Hamster, two electrical engineers
from Twente. BY Marco Krijnsen PHOTOGRAPHY Rikkert Harink
LUBRICANT FOR
“Information exchange: we both saw
major opportunities in that field”
- Andries Hamster
22Forcare’s head office is
located in Zeist. It also has
branches in the United King-
dom, Germany and Canada.
The organisation employs
ninety people in total.
THE HEALTHCARE
Harm-Jan Wessels believes timing The engineers from Twente develo- nues to be an intrinsic motivation
is everything. “The latest technical ped a program that allowed doctors for me to this day.”
developments, the people, the op- to generate three-dimensional Applicare was gearing up for its
portunity and a dose of luck. When medical images on their computer next phase, made possible by a
all that comes together, great things screens. “We were fifteen years capital injection from investment
can happen.” That was true back ahead of our time. At a tradeshow company Holland Venture. Hamster
in 1986, when Wessels first came in Chicago, we found out that no started out as a software engineer,
to the University of Twente. He one wanted our software,” Wessels although he quickly shifted his
wanted to make a contribution to remembers. focus to product integrations as the
the healthcare sector, but he did not They did receive advice from a company grew. He became the link
choose a medical study. Instead, he radiologist who told them to write a between the technology and the
went with electrical engineering. program with which to view “regu- user. His job was to explain the
“That was a great choice, because I lar” medical images such as MRI product, show demos and listen to
built a career that combined IT and and CT scans. Applicare developed what the market wanted.
healthcare almost immediately.” a program that could run on any
computer with Windows NT. This
Fifteen years ahead of breakthrough opened the doors to
“We knew right away
their time hospitals all over the world. “We that we were on to something
During the second year of his study, knew right away that we were on to
Wessels was involved in the foun- something that we could not let go.
that we could not let go”
dation of Applicare. The business Since then, we are focused entirely - Harm-Jan Wessels
consisted of several talented on software development for the
students (including Wessels’ own medical sector.” The first million-dollar contracts with
brother Frank, who had also studied Kodak, IBM and the American
electrical engineering in Twente) The first million-dollar Department of Defense (the world’s
and Ruud Kroon, an experienced contracts largest healthcare organisation) were
entrepreneur. The eager young At that time, back in 1996, Andries soon signed. Hamster: “We had the
students were told to go nuts on Hamster joined Applicare. He had advantage of having a clear goal and
Kroon’s expensive computers and also studied electrical engineering a concrete product that could run on
write their software. at the UT and received job offers Windows NT. Combined with our
After graduating, Wessels shifted from five interesting employers use of open standards, we had a
his focus to real-time 3D medical vi- after his graduation. Although IBM significant lead on other, bigger
sualisations with Applicare Medical and Philips did appeal to him, he ul- companies. They often think too
Imaging. This was a direct continu- timately chose Applicare. “I would long before starting something new.
ation of his final thesis project. Back have the opportunity to contribute They are bogged down by their
then, the field was still in its infancy. to the healthcare sector. That conti- existing structures. We are not.”
23AMBITION &
ACHIEVEMENT
ANDRIES HAMSTER HARM-JAN WESSELS
(VP Business Development Forcare) (CEO Forcare)
1989-1995 Studies Electrical Engineering UT 1986-1991 Studies Electrical Engineering UT
1996-2004 Works at Applicare/GE 1988 Founds Applicare
2004-2005 Works at Nucletron 1999 Sells Applicare to GE
2006 Founds Forcare 2006 Founds Forecare
2017 Sells Forcare to Philips 2017 Sells Forcare to Philips
U-COUNCIL MEMBER, GUITAR PLAYER AND POLICY OFFICER
Andries Hamster was active during his study of Electrical Engineering (1989-1995). He was a member
of the Taste student association and held a seat on the U-council on behalf of the KPS student party.
He also played guitar in the student band Jamming with Edward, which performed during the UT’s days
of the girl and at student parties. “We did not make a lot of money with that. We were happy if we had
enough to pay for the sound equipment, the van and the beer...” Back in 1992, it earned them a photo on
the cover of the UT magazine Campus (see photo).
After his graduation, Hamster stayed involved with the UT for a while longer as a temporary policy
officer. He collaborated on plans for educational reform that were eligible for government subsidy.
Takeover and restart From Leuven to Kentucky hilips. The electronics conglome-
P
The company’s rapid growth pre- The result was the foundation of rate took over Forcare in December
sented its owners with a dilemma. Forcare, which focuses on the user- of 2017 in a bid to strengthen its
Should the organisation, which had friendly and secure exchange of position on the healthcare infor
thirty employees at this point, go information in the healthcare sector. mation technology market. CEO
public, or would a takeover be a When they finished developing their Harm-Jan Wessels is proud of the
better option for its continued deve- software after three years, they strug- sale. “As far as the people at Philips
lopment? The team decided to sell gled to find buyers. At a tradeshow in can tell, this is the first time they
to the multinational organisation Denmark, they were approached just have taken over a Dutch company.”
General Electric. before closing time by the CIO of UZ
Several years later, Hamster left Leuven, the largest hospital in What is Forcare’s strength? “Our
Applicare. A chance meeting at Belgium. This first international client open and standardised platform,
Schiphol in 2005 reunited him with opened the doors to more healthcare which is compatible with competi-
his former colleague. Wessels and institutes in many European countries tors’ systems,” Wessels explains.
Hamster were both on their way to a and Canada. They recently signed a He predicts further growth for the
tradeshow in Chicago. On the plane, multi-million-dollar contract with the company. “We notice that patients
they sowed the seeds for a new col- American state of Kentucky for a are increasingly becoming health-
laboration. “Digitisation had entered solution that allows the state’s health- care consumers who want access
the healthcare sector and created a care professionals to exchange to their own medical data. The new
new problem: information exchange. patient data. privacy regulations present a host
Back then, different methods such of opportunities for our product.
as fax, mail and email were used and Philips With the help of Philips, new
information security was not always The rise of the company, made possi- markets have opened up that are
guaranteed. We both saw major op- ble by a capital injection from Prime hard to reach for a small player.”
portunities in that field,” Hamster says. Ventures, caught the attention of
24EXECUTIVE
EDUCATION
ENRICHING
AND EXPANDING
KNOWLEDGE
The UT offers a range of postgraduate programmes through the
BMS faculty. Participants acquire thorough knowledge and insights,
form useful new relationships and share their experiences so
others can learn from them. Emeritus professor Olaf Fisscher may
have left the University five years ago, he continues to make an
important contribution to this postgraduate education as a lecturer
and an organiser of seminars. BY Frederike Krommendijk PHOTOGRAPHY Rikkert Harink
Everyone has their own reasons to go (back) to school. “Lifelong learning is one of the core
“We have people retraining for a different line of work,
as well as those who want to enrich and expand their social functions of a university”
knowledge to benefit their current career. Some of our
participants are over fifty. They know they have at least With its study programmes for professionals, the UT
another fifteen years to go and want to keep up with the wants to be more than a source of knowledge. Partici-
latest developments,” Fisscher illustrates. pants are also introduced to the University’s extensive
network. Vice versa, the University continues to expand
The emeritus professor says the UT has a wealth of and improve its network. “Alumni in key positions are
knowledge to offer alumni looking to expand their eager to attract our recent graduates. They are also willing
knowledge. “We have a lot to offer as a university, in to contribute to guest lectures that give them a chance
terms of both knowledge and network. This is not a one- to share their wealth of practical experience with us.”
way street, however. Our masterclasses tend to be based
on market demand. We offer masterclasses with a more In addition to the public management and risk manage-
generic structure as well as custom programmes for e.g. ment programmes, the UT offers a whole range of
a ministry, a healthcare institute or an insurance company. other masterclasses. “Lifelong learning is one of the
You have to listen carefully to find out what the market core social functions of a university. Fortunately, more
wants. You also cannot let your own research come and more institutes are accepting that responsibility. Are you curious about
first,” Fisscher warns. For example, the UT has set up For a university, it is also simply a requirement to attract the UT’s programmes
programmes about risk management for Achmea and external funding. That should not be the primary con- for alumni and other
it retrained eight employees of Nedap in Groenlo to cern, however. First and foremost, it is about sharing knowledge seekers?
become software specialists through the EWI faculty. one’s knowledge and network.” Look at utwente.nl/pld
25IN BRIEF
PHOTONIC CHIPS
In June, PHIX, a subsidiary of the miniscule glass fibres onto a chip.
UT spin-off LioniX, and the Fraun- This requires a great deal of precisi-
hofer Project Center presented a on and used to take an hour and a
micro assembly machine. It was half when done by hand with the
unveiled during the UT Photonics help of a microscope. The new ma-
Event in The Gallery. The machine is chine automates this process and
powered by a technology that auto- shortens the lead time to mere se-
mates the labour-intensive and spe- conds. This brings the mass producti-
cialist task of manually installing on of photonic chips one step closer.
DA VINCI
The first robotic birds, such as the
Robird that was developed at the 22 MILLION
University of Twente, are already With an investment of 22 million euros in five different
spreading their wings. According to research programmes, the 4TU.Federatie, the coopera-
UT professor Stefano Stramigioli, it is tive alliance of the four technical universities in the
now time for the next step. He recei Netherlands, will give a strong impulse to the research
ved a European research subsidy of into sustainable technology. Within these programmes,
2.8 million euros. With the help of the four technical universities collaborate on research
new theories and experiments, he into personalised healthcare, sickness prevention and
wants to make Leonardo Da Vinci’s treatment, “smart” industry, more resilient societies
dream a reality: the development of and the global food problem. The project leaders of
the next generation of robotic birds three of these programmes come from the University
that can take off and land like their of Twente.
real counterparts and can fly with an
asymmetrical wing motion.
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