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UT successful in Smart Industry research Grants worth at least €1 million for Smart Industry projects

The University of Twente will receive half a million euros from the EFRO (European Regional Development Fund) to co-finance 18 PDEng programmes in the field of Smart Industry.

This will enable SMEs to collaborate with the university at greatly reduced cost. The STW Technology Foundation has recently also made €1 million available for four Smart Industry projects that the University of Twente is involved in. 

A PDEng (Professional Doctorate in Engineering) programme involves a two-year post-Master’s at the University of Twente, with a strong focus on collaborating with industry. The programmes yield considerable added value for industry because there is strong demand for professionals who can work on designs for multidisciplinary issues independently. This grant from EFRO will enable closer links between SMEs in the east of the Netherlands and the University of Twente. 

The PDEng Cluster for Smart Industry in the east of the Netherlands links the manufacturing sector with the university in order to foster talent and develop targeted solutions for Smart Industry themes.

EFRO: Building on a strong position

Applicant and PDEng coordinator Timo Meinders says: ‘The east of the Netherlands has a strong position in the manufacturing sector. It is crucial that SMEs in the east of the Netherlands play an active role in the Smart Industry movement in order to retain and improve this strong position. The PDEng Cluster for Smart Industry aims to build on the strong regional position of SMEs, promoting cooperation between SMEs, enhancing the university’s activities in the field of knowledge transfer, and acquiring new knowledge about Smart Industry in practice. Of course, we are delighted with this grant. It will dramatically reduce the costs for SMEs wishing to participate in the cluster.’

More information about PDEng programmes at the University of Twente: www.utwente.nl/pdeng

About the STW - Smart Industry

The University of Twente scores exceptionally well in the Smart Industry programme of the STW technology foundation. Recently, the STW approved six research proposals for projects that focus on ‘achieving pioneering smart industrial processes’. The total budget for the project is €3.6 million. The University of Twente is actively involved in four of the approved projects. Twente researchers Marielle Stoelinga and Tiedo Tinga were awarded half a million euros for their projects on ‘controlling the causes of track failure’ and ‘predictive maintenance in the steel sector’. Ton van den Boogaard (zero defect manufacturing) and Tom Vaneker (personalized products and services) were also able to win this grant. The University of Twente will be able to appoint six PhD candidates, a postdoctoral researcher and a PDEng candidate as a result of this funding.