Eindhoven University of Technology has opened the new academic year with a clear message: Europe needs to act faster to maintain its economic and technological position. During the opening of its 70th anniversary year, there was a call on the Dutch government to create more room to educate and train engineers. The nearly 400 attendees in a packed Blauwe Zaal also heard how, according to Minister of Foreign Affairs Tom Berendsen, Europe and the Netherlands can learn from the culture and success of Brainport.
President Koen Janssen emphasized that Europe is facing a challenge similar to the one the Netherlands faced when TU/e was founded in 1956: even then, deliberate investments were made in technology, industry and innovation to strengthen the region's and the Netherlands' future earning capacity. According to Janssen, it is once again time to take decisive action. Europe has a strong foundation to build on, he said, but lacks speed and the willingness to make risk capital available: "We know what the diagnosis is. Now we need to act. Stop talking. Start doing."
TU/e itself is keen to make a strong contribution by educating more top technical talent and continuing to invest in research and innovation, including through the Beethoven project. At the same time, the university is reaching the limits of its growth: three bachelor's programmes will introduce a numerus fixus, limiting the number of students admitted. Janssen therefore called on the government to create the necessary room for universities of technology to train more engineers.
The undisputed king of rules and regulations
Rector Silvia Lenaerts, who officially opened the academic year at the end of the ceremony by pressing the now-famous button, took aim at the regulatory burden in the Netherlands. "The Netherlands has become the undisputed king of rules and regulations. We spend billions of euros on regulation every year." According to the rector, this discourages product development and entrepreneurship.
At the same time, she warned that Europe has been too slow to respond to developments on the global stage. Although Europe is unique, Lenaerts said, in the combination of prosperity and well-being it has built up, she believes it needs to rely more on its own strength. "Europe must chart its own path towards autonomy." She sees concrete opportunities to do so in the semiconductor sector: "We need to make ourselves indispensable, among other things by focusing on areas such as heterogeneous integration, computing, power, memory, wireless technology and photonics." Advanced Materials, Health and Energy are also areas in which TU/e has strong expertise, according to Lenaerts.
Brainport as an example for Europe
Minister Berendsen praised Brainport as an example of what is possible when government, business and knowledge institutions work together. According to him, this approach should also inspire Europe: "If Europe wants to remain strategically, economically and technologically relevant, we must continue to work together." He then turned to the students in the room. "We need to build the economies of the future. You are the researchers, entrepreneurs and technology leaders of tomorrow. What you build can have an impact that reaches far beyond your immediate surroundings."
During the panel discussion with ASML CTO Marco Pieters, Simac CEO Maartje van Schagen, MEP Bart Groothuis and TU/e professor Carlijn Bouten, Mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem highlighted the key issue: according to him, there is still a lack of urgency, and the major decisions that need to be made are too often postponed. "Our politicians do not always make the big decisions that are needed. Too often, short-term interests take priority. We need to get to work."
More future-proof and more agile
The call for action is also being heard within TU/e itself. Earlier in the day, the university community gathered to discuss the major organizational transformation through which the Executive Board (CvB) aims to make the university more future-proof and agile. According to the Executive Board, the rapidly changing world and the university's strong growth in recent years make it necessary for the organization to adapt. In a conversation with Chief Transformation Officer Sham Moodliar, the Executive Board emphasized that internal collaboration is crucial to this process.
