The technology company Cisco and the University of Twente are working on a joint project to accelerate digitization. This week, Edwin Prinsen (Managing Director of Cisco Netherlands) and Victor van der Chijs (on behalf of the Executive Board of the University of Twente) signed a Memorandum of Understanding, setting out their joint aspirations in this area.
During the upcoming months, decisions will be taken on the fine detail of this joint venture. The emphasis will be on strengthening the use of digital technology and services in the University of Twente’s teaching and research activities. The Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU), the Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences, and SURF (the Dutch cooperative for IT in education and research) recently presented their Agenda to Accelerate Innovation in Education. The joint activities planned by Cisco and the University of Twente are entirely in line with that agenda.
DIGITAL ELITE
The theme of education is one of the lines within Digital Acceleration Netherlands (DAN), Cisco's long-term investment programme. This programme is intended to promote the digitization of Dutch society and of the country’s economy, in partnership with government bodies, companies, and educational organizations. In the context of DAN, Cisco is investing in the knowledge and resources needed to secure the Netherlands’ position among the digital elite for the foreseeable future.
Maarten van Steen, Scientific Director of the University of Twente’s Digital Innovation Institute, points out that “Given our robust digitization agenda, in the form of the new Institute for Digital Society, and Cisco's unique initiative to accelerate the digital transformation throughout the world, we at the University of Twente see Cisco as a natural partner. So we are looking forward, with keen anticipation, to a tight-knit partnership that will significantly advance the progress of digitization.”
