Tilburg University and Eindhoven University of Technology want to continue the Jheronimus Academy of Data Science (JADS) with the support of the municipality of 's-Hertogenbosch and the province of Noord-Brabant. The JADS institute, which has been in existence for ten years, has achieved the most important goals and has great added value for the city of Den Bosch and the province, the evaluation showed earlier.
Initiative still relevant after 10 years
The four parties started the 'Grand Initiative Data Science' in 2015, in which JADS was a main component. In doing so, they responded to the rapidly growing importance of data science and AI. Data science offered and still offers enormous opportunities in the field of societal challenges, business processes, innovation and science. JADS is a unique academic environment for interdisciplinary education, practice-based research and collaboration with public and private partners. The institute is housed in the former Mariënburg monastery in Den Bosch.
Grand Initiative and JADS successful according to external committee
The external committee that evaluated JADS concludes that the institute is a success in terms of the main goals. The added value for Brabant and Den Bosch is large; JADS ensures a better business climate and economic growth. For example, the two-year Master's program in Data Science and Entrepreneurship is of high quality and the demand for graduates is high. The engineering doctorate (EngD) degree program in data science is the largest in the country. The Mariënburg complex has been developed into a fully-fledged campus with a unique mix of education, research and impact activities, with about a hundred Data Science employees.
In addition, the evaluation also reported areas for improvement: management and operations can be made more efficient and effective and the location in Den Bosch is expensive.
Future plan leads to strengthening and broadening
The two universities strongly believe in the joint further development of JADS. They have drawn up a plan for the next ten years, which responds to the points for improvement mentioned to make the data academy future-proof. JADS broadens the focus areas and the education is expanded. In addition, JADS will be even more focused on impact, on societal issues that require innovation. For example, there will be more innovation labs, including in the field of software and security. Furthermore, the number of students in the master's program will be increased by offering more different tracks within the program. This will further increase the economic value for the ecosystem of Den Bosch and the province.
The location will remain in Den Bosch, but JADS will be organizationally embedded in the TU/e department of Mathematics & Computer Science, to ensure simpler and more efficient management and lower costs.
However, the continuation of the Den Bosch location and the expansion of activities is not possible without the support of the municipality of 's-Hertogenbosch and the province of Noord-Brabant. The benefits for the region are enormous, but the institutions alone cannot bear these costs. With the intended continuation of the partnership, the financial burden is shared.
'Great added value proven'
Wilma de Koning, Vice President of Tilburg University: "The added value of Data Science in addressing important societal challenges is enormous. Within JADS, the technical insights from Eindhoven are combined with the Tilburg perspective on the business, legal and social components. The evaluation gives us starting points to make JADS even stronger and more future-proof and we are taking this on with full energy."
Patrick Groothuis, Vice President of TU/e: "We are proud that together we have built up an important institute with strong relationships in a relatively short time, which has now proven its great added value. We are therefore fully committed to further developing JADS."
In November, both the municipality of 's-Hertogenbosch and the province of Noord-Brabant will decide on the respective contributions needed for the further development.
