Refocus for UT’s DesignLab on education and student learning

The University of Twente will refocus DesignLab as an educational environment. The emphasis will be on education, student learning, and hands-on experimentation. Existing research-related projects will be completed as planned. No new research activities will be initiated from DesignLab.

This decision follows extensive discussions held across multiple levels of the organisation, as well as consultations involving faculties and other stakeholders. These conversations highlighted that approaches such as Citizen Science and Open Science are now firmly embedded across UT’s broader research environment, creating the opportunity for the DesignLab to concentrate more explicitly on its added value in education.

The Faculty Board of EEMCS has been asked to develop a plan that builds on this direction, alongside earlier measures regarding DesignLab’s educational function. This may include exploring a new organisational form, identifying a suitable location on campus within existing facilities, and embedding DesignLab as a shared UT educational facility hosted by a faculty.

During the broader decision-making process, the Executive Board, the Strategic Board, and EB-Deans noted the need to clarify DesignLab’s governance and observed that its activities had expanded beyond its original educational mission. At the same time, stakeholders highlighted the importance of preserving and reinforcing DesignLab’s core identity as a student-driven makerspace focused on education and experiential learning.

With this renewed focus, the University of Twente aims to strengthen DesignLab’s contribution to education, streamline its organisational structure, and safeguard its unique makerspace concept. Employees of DesignLab have been informed of this decision and will be kept informed of further developments by the EEMCS Faculty Board as the process progresses.