The University of Twente celebrated its 64th Dies Natalis today with an inspiring gathering on the theme of the Hospital of the Future. The focus was on pioneering technological developments, groundbreaking research and the collaboration needed to shape the healthcare of tomorrow. As every year, several awards were presented during the ceremony.
In his opening speech, Rector Magnificus Tom Veldkamp emphasised the university's shared mission: educating the next generation, pushing the boundaries of knowledge and creating social impact. According to him, this year's theme perfectly captures that ambition. Health is one of UT's important areas of impact, and during this Dies, emphasis was placed on how technology, data and human-centred design will fundamentally change how we care for each other. Veldkamp concluded the introduction with a quote: "We cannot predict the future, but we can shape it."
Practical applications that improve healthcare
One of the keynote speakers was Maroeska Rovers, scientific director of the TechMed Centre. As a professor and innovator with extensive experience in both academic and clinical environments, she outlined the technological challenges facing our region. Rovers discussed the Moonshot Project Hospital of the Future, which aims to create a future-proof healthcare system for 2040 by collaborating with regional partners such as FME, Twenteboard, hospitals in the region, and particularly the MST.
The project focuses on utilising technology, data, and collaboration to reduce labour needs in healthcare while enhancing economic and patient-centred care. As Rovers put it: “Our current healthcare system is simply not ready to meet the challenges we face in 2040.”
Next to speak was Miriam Vollenbroek, board member of Medisch Spectrum Twente and closely associated with the UT for many years. She explained how her work, from Roessingh Research and Development to her current role at MST, revolves around building bridges between research and healthcare practice.
Vollenbroek: "Twente has everything it takes to be a leader in the healthcare of tomorrow. Twente has technical talent, a strong clinical network, an entrepreneurial climate, and growth potential with the ability to scale. In addition, we collaborate cross-border with Münster and the Euregio. But above all, we have naoberschap – a mentality that cannot be captured on paper, but reflects the power to look beyond our own boundaries and say: 'We are doing this together.'"
High Tech Human Touch minor
A special part of the celebration was the contribution of students Bas Schimmel and Bianca Filip. They participated in a High Tech Human Touch (HTHT) minor that focused on visualising the hospital of the future. In this minor, students from different disciplines work together on social challenges, combining technology and human-centred thinking.
Schimmel and Filip presented creative visualisations that show how future hospitals could function. Their contribution underlined how closely education and innovation are intertwined within the UT and how students can already make an impact during their studies.
Awards
As is tradition during the Dies Natalis, UT also celebrate several achievements. The Overijssel PhD Award, the Professor De Winter Award and the Marina van Damme Scholarship were presented to exceptional talent within the UT community.
Overijssel PhD Award
The Overijssel PhD Award is sponsored by the Province of Overijssel. Deputy Erwin Hoogland presented it to this year’s winner, Yifei Yu, who conducted research on a Circularity Information Platform (CIP) for his thesis.
Professor De Winter Award
As chair of the Twente University Fund, Miriam Luizink presented the Professor De Winter Awards for 2024 and 2025. The Professor De Winter Award is an annual prize for the best internationally refereed conference paper or article written by a female university lecturer or senior lecturer.
The 2024 Professor De Winter Prize went to Libera Fresiello. She received the prize for her publication on an innovative, soft robot model of the human heart, the aorta or other organs, which can be used to test medical devices accurately and safely. The 2025 prize was awarded to Anneliene Jonker for her work on highly personalised therapies for individual patients and the steps needed to develop such tailor-made treatments.
Marina van Damme Scholarship
During the Dies, UT also awarded the Marina van Damme Scholarship, a prize that supports female UT alumni in their professional development. For 2024, the scholarship went to Andrèz Coco, an experienced innovation manager who leads a large team at UWV and is committed to innovation at all levels. With the scholarship, she wants to further explore inclusive leadership, a subject she has been gaining experience in worldwide for years. The jury praised her drive, broad background and ability to inspire others.
For 2025, for the first time in the history of the scholarship, two winners were chosen: Lisa Deijlen and Wietske Woliner. Deijlen will use the scholarship to deepen her knowledge of leadership, digital strategy and cybersecurity, enabling her to expand her role as IT manager to a more strategic position. Woliner is using the scholarship to strengthen her work on future-proof and people-oriented care in the northern Netherlands, combining technological innovation with rehabilitation care and organisational development.
