Reggefiber, which specializes in fibre optic connections, and the University of Twente (UT) are planning to collaborate in the Careful Construction and Reduction of Excavation Damage programme (ZoARG). Practical experience and science come together in order to stimulate methods, techniques and processes for construction. PDEng candidates from the UT will develop quality solutions for civil engineering problems during a period of two years.
Reduction of construction damage
The initiative was born out of the desire to reduce construction damage. Both Reggefiber and the UT are working intensively on the optimization of construction processes. Reggefiber is doing this on the basis of its role as fibre optic supplier and focuses on promoting careful excavation and construction. UT is researching the process of laying of cables and pipelines and focuses on the development of new technologies, methods and forms of cooperation to streamline sewer projects, including cables and pipelines.
PDEng project
The associated PDEng (Professional Doctorate in Engineering) course is intended for students who, after their master's programme, wish to focus on designing a solution for a complex practical problem in the field of construction processes. The PDEng candidates are linked to ZoARG partners: companies or institutions with a practical problem. Under academic supervision, the students set to work with the development of a solution. After two years, this will result in a high quality and creative solution that can be applied in practice. In total, there is capacity for ten PDEng candidates and ZoARG partners.
Science and practice
"We are very excited about the collaboration with Reggefiber and about the ZoARG programme," says Ed Brinksma, rector magnificus of the UT. "The programme is a good example of the power of combining science and practice. For companies, this is an excellent opportunity to make use of scientific knowledge and technologies that are available at the UT and to expand their network. The PDEng candidates in turn have the opportunity to develop in practice to become an excellent innovator."
"With the ZoARG programme, we give a strong new impetus to our mission to reduce construction damage as much as possible," says Bert Nijboer, managing director of Reggefiber. "We see it as our task to promote careful excavation and construction and thus keep the amount of damage to a minimum. Thanks to the collaboration with the UT, we can zoom right in to all aspects of the process, including the preparation of activities, the major excavation work in the streets and the individual house connection. In this way, we raise our contribution to the prevention of construction damage to a higher level."
