Federation

How can academic research find its way to society? By collaborating with societal actors from early on in your research, and seeking ways to actively communicate your results to the stakeholders they are relevant for, conclude 4TU researchers Florence Metz and Simona Turco from their own experience.

In the 4-part series Brightful Minds, science editor Sonja Knols and photographer Dieuwertje Bravenboer are taking a tour along the tenure trackers involved in the 4TU High Tech for a Sustainable Future (HTSF) programs. These talented, often young, scientists explain what drives them, what high-tech research they are working on, and how they organize their careers. 

The major societal problems of our time require an approach that transcends scientific disciplines. This often means that people from one discipline collaborate with colleagues from other disciplines. Femke van Beek (TU/e), Guido Camps (WUR) and Caroline Figueroa (TUD) take a different approach: they unite multiple disciplines within themselves, forming bridges between robots and nature, food and artificial intelligence, and mental health and digital technology.

Last Friday 9 June, 4TU secretary Marjolein Dohmen-Janssen, together with the rectors of the 4TU (Arthur Mol, WUR; Tim van der Hagen, TUD; Sylvia Lenaerts, TU/e and Tom Veldkamp, UT), kicked off round two of the 'High Tech for a Sustainable Future' (HTSF) programmes during the HTSF Crossover Event. In HTSF round 2, with 20 million euros of funding, scientists from the four technical universities will work on personalised healthcare (RECENTRE), the heatless green city (HERITAGE), green, biodegradable sensors (Green Sensors) and a local, personalised food system  (REDESIGN). 

In this first episode of the Brightful Minds series you can read about the experiences of Carissa Champlin (DeSIRE) and Tim van Emmerik (Plantenna) from HTSF round 1, and the ambitions of Sujith Raman (Green Sensors) from HTSF round 2. Their stories illustrate the importance of collaboration, and of scheduling enough time to experiment at the beginning of a scientific career.

In the High Tech for a Sustainable Future (HTSF) capacity building programmes of our four technical universities, talented researchers work on society-relevant themes such as sustainable agriculture, personalised medicine and a heathless, green city.

Agriculture and horticulture are not always efficient. Often times, small adjustments may lead to big improvements in yield and sustainability.

In NRC Wetenschap van zaterdag 15 oktober is een reportage te lezen van journalist Laura Wismans over de sensoren die de onderzoekers van het samenwerkingsprogramma 4TU.Plantenna afgelopen zomer in de tomatenkas van Delphy hebben getest.

Ali Sadeghi the PI of the Soft Robotics lab at the University of Twente and his Ph.D. student Nick Willemstein were interviewed by NRC about their research on 3D printing of soft and hyperelastic materials and soft robots.

In the 4TU Precision Medicine programme, scientists are working towards this goal by improving medical imaging technologies in a fruitful interaction between science and clinical practice.

The team of the HTSF Soft Robotics programme are working on soft robots that are safer and better equipped to function in a human environment. This is a new specialisation that involves many fields of expertise.

A talk between Tina Comes (4TU.Resilience Engineering) and Anne-Marie Hitipeuw (City of The Hague) about resilience and the main challenges to address.

The right treatment, in the right way, at the right time. The 4TU.Federation interviewed Tenure trackers Camilla Terenzi (WUR) and Jelmer Wolterink (UT) on the dream that connects the 4TU Precision Medicine team.

In the Food Intake project, part of the 4TU Pride & Prejudice programme, 4TU researchers want to use technologies such as sensors, smartphones and an interactive dining table to measure what, how much and how people eat.