Fontys tackles education and research together with Defense

The Dutch security strategy has been tightened up. This has not left Dutch knowledge institutions unaffected. Fontys University of Applied Sciences wants to develop a new minor in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense, as some other universities of applied sciences have already done. In addition, plans are underway to establish research projects relevant to the Ministry of Defense's practical work.

“The world is in turmoil. Geopolitical threats require greater resilience from Europe and the Netherlands. As a university of applied sciences, we too must consider what we can contribute through education and research. This will therefore also be on our agenda in the coming period,” says Joep Houterman, chair of the Fontys Executive Board. At the start of the academic year, he already indicated that Fontys will take steps to collaborate with the Ministry of Defense. The collaboration fits in with working on social issues through education and research, and offering opportunities to students who want to contribute to the issue of a resilient society.

Partner

Fontys already collaborates with the Ministry of Defense in various ways. For example, the Ministry of Defense is a member of SPARC and, as a Partner in Innovation, is active at Strijp TQ in Eindhoven and MindLabs in Tilburg. A structural collaboration with the Ministry of Defense fits in with the Fontys for Society strategy. The board believes that such a collaboration, provided it is laid down in clear agreements, is well in line with Fontys' social role. Because complex ethical questions may also arise in this type of collaboration, an advisory committee will also be set up. This committee will support the board in making careful considerations in such situations.The Ministry of Defense needs to innovate faster.

New minor

One way to collaborate with the Ministry of Defense is through education. For example, students can combine the Ministry of Defense's National Resilience Training with their studies in a minor. This academic year, several universities of applied sciences, such as Avans and NHL Stenden, are already offering such a minor in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense. Fontys is now also developing a new minor that will include these physical and mental training courses from the Ministry of Defense. In addition, Fontys offers Lifelong Learning (LLO) programs for further training and retraining. This is also of interest to reservists and lateral entrants who want to develop further and contribute to a safe society.

Research

There are new opportunities, such as the KIEM Defense scheme, which supports small-scale research projects. Several researchers at Fontys are already working on proposals for this scheme. The dual-use principle is also being considered. This means that research or innovation can not only be useful to society but also to the Ministry of Defense. In this way, practice-oriented research not only provides answers to questions from the Ministry of Defense but also generates new and critical ideas for the innovation agenda.