TU Eindhoven and High Tech Campus join forces for even more cross-fertilization
TU Eindhoven (TU/e) and High Tech Campus Eindhoven (HTCE) want to expand their collaboration to achieve even more significant impact. Both campuses already have an essential place in Brainport's innovation ecosystem, and there are many points of contact. The two Brainport-based stakeholders now want to expand this connection further to stimulate open innovation, education, and entrepreneurship within the region and thus achieve even more societal impact.
The cooperation between the two campuses is far from new. For decades, TU/e has worked intensively on research and innovation with Philips, the founder of HTCE, and other companies on campus, such as NXP and Signify. Many TU/e student teams also collaborate with companies on the High Tech Campus. TU/e startups regularly grow from the university campus to HTCE. A good example is Smart Photonics, the photonics company that originated at TU/e and has now been housed at the High Tech Campus for many years. As the only startup in the Netherlands, Smart Photonics is in the top 30 companies with the most resources in Research & Development.
Intensifying cross-fertilization
One of the goals is to connect companies, students, and researchers even more. This can be done, for example, by organizing academic conferences and seminars, guest lectures by TU/e professors, and additional collaborations in areas such as AI, health, and semicon. In addition, the initiators are considering a support system for student-teams and cooperation with The Gate to help aspiring entrepreneurs. To facilitate this, they are considering creating a dedicated TU/e hub at the High Tech Campus to coordinate collaborations and organize internships and trainee programs.
Earning power of the future
“Given the central role of both campuses in Brainport's innovation ecosystem and their enormous importance for the Dutch knowledge economy, it is only logical that we try to achieve maximum cross-fertilization,” said Robert-Jan Smits, TU/e's chairman of the board. “Not only for the Dutch earning capacity of the future but also to contribute even better to solutions for societal problems and to the goals of the national investment program Beethoven.”
Otto van den Boogaard, CEO at High Tech Campus, sees a “Campus Squared” emerging through the interwoven networks of both campuses. “We are building an ecosystem with a global allure that accelerates innovation. A joint open innovation hub on our campus is a clear dot on the horizon within this collaboration. It will become an inspiring meeting place where companies, researchers, and students can exchange ideas, collaborate, and celebrate innovation. This fits perfectly with our mission to facilitate the growth of companies in the Brainport region optimally.”