The president and the managing director of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), prof. José van Dijck and Mr. Mieke Zaanen, this week made an informal working visit to the University of Twente. Van Dijck and Zaanen, the successors to prof. Hans Clevers and Hans Chang, were introduced to the Twente education and research and were impressed by it.
UT professor Albert van den Berg, also a member of the Academy's board, invited the delegation. The Academy's top spoke to the scientific directors of Twente research institutes. They were informed about the UT's research and policy and spent a lot of time in the facilities of the MESA+ (the Nanolab) and MIRA (the Experimental Centre for Technical Medicine, ECTM) institutes.
A discussion with rector Ed Brinksma covered the Twente teaching model, strategic partnerships and entrepreneurship in Twente. During an informal gathering, the delegation was introduced to the current and former UT members of The Young Academy, including prof. dr. Ir. Hans Hilgenkamp, prof. Dr. ir. Peter-Paul Verbeek and prof. dr. ir. Alexander Brinkman.
"TEXTBOOK EXAMPLE OF THE IMPACT ON SOCIETY"
Academy director Mieke van Zaanen was very enthusiastic about the working visit. "A wonderful day. Besides all the fantastic research and the passion with which it was presented, I was especially impressed by the impact of your research. Thus, the Technical Medicine degree programme has made an enormous impact on patient care and safety. There is a strong connection between technology and humans. A textbook example of how important universities are for society."
"A REVELATION"
"It was really nice in Enschede and I continued to relish the memory right through the following day," reported Academy president Van Dijck. "The visit to the UT was a revelation. It was impressive to see how cutting-edge scientific research, innovation and
interdisciplinarity are connected together. The future is being worked on with an infectious enthusiasm in Twente. The UT has fantastic facilities and wonderful people.”
