'We have one generation left to save the world'

“We have one generation left to save the world. As a university, we cannot stand on the sidelines; we must play a role in the transition,” says Maarten Steinbuch, professor at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and scientific director of Eindhoven Engine. For years, he has been advocating for a fourth generation of universities, in which the emphasis is on impact in addition to education, research, and valorization.

André Dorée is a professor of dynamics in the construction sector at the University of Twente (UT) and is dedicated to implementing the necessary changes within the university, particularly in the field of education. The two professors, who share a similar mission, meet for a conversation about impact, the fourth generation of universities, and lifelong learning.

“Valorization is central to third-generation universities,” Steinbuch begins. ”We look from the inside out: scientists have developed something and see if and how the outside world can use it. To really make an impact, we need to think the other way around. If people from the regional ecosystem around the university provide input for the research, we can be sure that it will contribute to the transitions. In this way, we can address the major social issues of today together with all these actors. As a university, our primary role is to help the local ecosystem create value.”

He advocates more demand-driven research. “Conducting research based on questions from society and in collaboration with companies and other organizations is not new. Collaboration is necessary to secure subsidies and funds. However, we regularly see researchers withdrawing after receiving research funding and focusing on their areas of expertise. That has to change; they need to stay connected to their environment.”

Co-location

He hopes that the ecosystem will trigger researchers to tackle relevant problems. “You have to have your feet on the ground, your gut – your feelings – in the environment, and your head in the cloud, connected to your international scientific peers.” He believes that the concept of 'co-location' is crucial for truly connecting with each other. “By regularly working together in the same place, with people from your ecosystem, you understand each other better. That, in turn, is important for achieving the best possible results.”

New role and new business model

Dorée has also been advocating a new approach for some time. “The university's business model is broken. Universities need to rethink their role in society and the business models that go with it.” Previously, the influx of new students and calls for PhD appointments were the two primary sources of income. Both of these are declining due to changes in politics and society, he explains. Steinbuch adds: “Universities receive money for education and research, but not for valorization and impact. That's actually very strange.”

Dorée sees a major role for universities in accelerating innovation and increasing productivity. “The economy is going to change in the coming years. Previously, the economy was focused on growth, with the goal of keeping everyone employed. Nowadays, there are more vacancies than job seekers, and we need to find new ways to do the same amount of work – or more – with fewer people.”

Lifelong development

Due to the changing economy and labor market, lifelong learning (LLO) will become an essential task within the university of the future, according to Dorée. This will enable people who are already active in the labor market to retrain or reskill. “Take the energy transition, for example. We can focus entirely on the technology in a heat pump to make the device a little more efficient. However, the current issue primarily lies in the installation of the pumps. It is intensive work and takes a long time, while we are facing a severe shortage of technicians. We would be better off focusing our research and development on improving and facilitating the installation of heat pumps. Technology that saves labor will help society the most in the coming years.”

The crucial question for LLO now is: Who will foot the bill? Will people who retrain pay for it themselves, will employers take responsibility, or is this a task for the government? “That's a complicated problem,” says Dorée. And what is the role of the university? Steinbuch: “As an academic institution, we are used to giving lectures. A short course for retraining or further training professionals is something completely different.” That is why he sees opportunities in collaborating with companies that specialize in providing fast and routine education in and for professional practice.

Connecting educational layers

Dorée points to a third development that universities will need to focus on in the coming years: collaboration with secondary vocational education (mbo) and higher professional education (hbo). “By involving vocational and higher professional education institutions in practical development, we can accelerate the implementation of research and development results,” he says. He also sees an opportunity to connect with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through these programs. Through various research projects and partnerships, innovations regularly make their way from science to business. That is obviously a positive development, but it only applies to the frontrunners (mostly large companies that have the time and money to contribute to scientific research, ed.). The vast majority of companies, particularly SMEs, are still out of reach for universities."

Funding cuts

All in all, Dorée and Steinbuch agree that more cooperation is needed. But to achieve this, drastic changes are required. In particular, in the way research is conducted and its business model. “Both research and education are currently funded through different channels and silos that are not linked to each other. For example, research is often funded based on the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) ladder, and each step is associated with a different funding source. Education funding is also structured differently for secondary vocational education, higher professional education, and university education. This funding potato slicer makes it difficult to carry out projects that cross disciplinary boundaries. We are trying to break through that struggle,” says Dorée.

Living Innovation Lab and Eindhoven Engine

An example of such a network is the Living Innovation Lab at the University of Twente. “In the coming years, a lot of work will have to be done on cables and pipes in the ground. About a third of the streets will have to be dug up. It is challenging to determine exactly where cables and pipes are located underground. That requires a significant amount of time and carries risks. In short, it is not efficient. That is why we are working in this Living Lab to develop technology that maps the ground beneath roads and parks more accurately. In doing so, we are building an ecosystem of scientists, developers, and the people who will ultimately have to work with it. In this way, we are trying to improve a practical problem."

Steinbuch nods in agreement. ”The core of the problem is that we have become compartmentalized in all kinds of systems and institutions. The problem is so big that it sometimes seems almost impossible to solve. Fortunately, there are examples, such as the network at the UT and projects within Eindhoven Engine, such as Brains4Buildings, which show that change is possible.” According to Dorée, there needs to be more examples like this in the future to demonstrate its effectiveness.

Teachers make connections

According to Steinbuch, one of the solutions is for teachers to establish connections between the various programs, for instance, a professor who also teaches at a university of applied sciences. There are a few examples of this in Eindhoven. Dorée: “I am indeed trying to implement this, although there is a big difference in management and work culture between universities and universities of applied sciences. That makes it difficult to organize such cooperation.”

It will take a long time to implement the course change, which Steinbuch and Dorée believe is necessary. Dorée: “Changes in direction raise fundamental and practical questions. It takes time to find answers to those questions.”

Inspiration and courage

4TU.Built Environment, the partnership between the architecture faculties of the four technical universities in the Netherlands, pays a great deal of attention to this. Dorée is a member of the management team of 4TU.Built Environment. “Due to current political developments, universities are cautious and regularly fall back on old models. It's great that we, as 4TU.Built Environment can offer the confidence and comfort needed to move forward.” Steinbuch: ”A crisis can also lead to transition phenomena; it's about external disruption. 4TU.The Built Environment is the only 4TU center that is tackling this issue so firmly. Let it be an inspiration to others.”

What is the next step? Steinbuch is clear: “Let's just do it.”