Jochem Vreeman

Yellow grass. Low river levels. Nature reserves drying out. While people in the Netherlands are used to talking about flooding and excess water, we are increasingly facing the opposite problem: drought. At the University of Twente, researchers are working on an urgent question: how can we help the Netherlands, and regions around the world, better cope with drought and water scarcity?

As a student in Enschede, you might not notice it right away. But behind the scenes, someone is speaking on behalf of students in meetings with aldermen, housing corporations, educational institutions, and policymakers. Since the beginning of this year, that person is Maartje Peters, the student civil servant representing university students in Enschede.

What if walking required less effort? Or if technology could help people move more steadily and confidently? At the Biomechanical Engineering group of the University of Twente, researchers are working on exoskeletons designed to do exactly that.

What if an algorithm could predict which beer you would enjoy? At the University of Twente, postdoctoral researcher Berry Gerrits studies how artificial intelligence is transforming the brewing process, from designing recipes to helping (smaller, local) breweries and bars make better decisions.

A partner who always listens, never gets angry and does exactly what you want. What does that mean for how we think about intimacy? PhD researcher Maaike van der Horst investigates at the University of Twente how sex robots and digital AI partners are changing our ideas about relationships, desire and vulnerability.

The Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games are the most gender-balanced Winter Olympics ever. According to IOC figures, nearly half of all participants are women, a clear step forward compared with previous editions.

With the Olympic Games approaching, wearables are once again in the spotlight. Elite athletes measure everything: heart rate, sleep, recovery and stress. In some cases, this goes so far that sports federations step in, as recently happened with tennis player Carlos Alcaraz, who was no longer allowed to wear a wearable during the Australian Open. One thing is clear: data has become inseparable from elite sport. But what does all this mean for the average athlete, or for the average person in the Netherlands?

After a cardiac arrest, patients and their families enter a period of deep uncertainty. Who will wake up? And what will life look like afterwards? UT PhD researcher Astrid Glimmerveen (TechMed Centre) studied brain signals that could help doctors better predict recovery and organise aftercare more effectively.

How can CO₂ be captured without complex installations or high energy costs? A research team in Twente discovered that the answer was literally beneath our feet: clay. From that insight emerged CarbSorbTec, a University of Twente spin-off that uses a special clay material to remove CO₂ from biogas.

Healthcare saves lives — but it also harms the planet. Globally, the sector is responsible for 4–5% of all greenhouse gas emissions, and in the Netherlands it’s around 7% — more than aviation. Hospitals run 24/7, consuming huge amounts of energy, cooling and ICT. They generate mountains of waste and use large quantities of raw materials. Pharmaceuticals end up in water systems, and transport of patients and supplies adds additional emissions. In short: there’s work to do. At the University of Twente’s TechMed Centre, researchers and partners tackle these challenges every day.

Researchers at the University of Twente have been contributing to technologies that address often-overlooked women’s health needs across every stage of life for years. To bring students’ voices into the fold, they have launched a new minor 'Technology for Women's Health in a Lifespan Perspective’.

An electronic nose that can tell different whiskies apart? It might sound like a joke, but behind the idea lies a serious technology with significant impact. Dr Ir Sissi de Beer, scientist and programme director of Applied Physics at the University of Twente, is developing a portable sensor that, much like the human nose, can recognise scents. Handy at a whisky tasting, perhaps, but primarily intended to help farmers detect diseases in their livestock at an early stage — even before a vet would notice.

Drones have become more commonplace in today’s society. You see them fly over more often, to take breathtaking shots at festivals or to use them to inspect the facades of buildings. However, there’s also a flip side to it, where drones are also used for criminal activities and warfare.

Propaganda used to be distributed through leaflets or broadcast over the radio. Today, it reaches us with a click on our smartphones, and it is tailored to our preferences. The way we consume information has changed - and with it, the way we form our beliefs about political and social institutions. Assistant professor Adam Heschke is worried about what comes next.

Earlier this year, Prof. Tiedo Tinga was invited to speak at the Dutch Parliament (Tweede Kamer) about strengthening the connection between academia and the Ministry of Defence. The topic of discussion was how scientific research could address some of the Ministry’s challenges.

For patients born with a congenital genetic kidney disease, finding treatment is often difficult. The complex structure of the kidney tubules makes it difficult to research to find solutions for this. Through close collaboration between researchers from the Radboudumc and the University of Twente (Technical Medical Centre) and with the help of a grant from the TURBO program, treatment for these patients can get closer.

Batteries are everywhere. In your pocket, in your car and in lots of other places. Yet, despite their ubiquity, batteries are far from reaching their full potential. They degrade over time, charge slowly and are often made of unethically sourced or environmentally harmful materials. Prof. Mark Huijben and his Research Group are looking into novel battery materials to extend battery life and improve performance across applications, from smartphones to heavy machinery.

“We joined the UT together. I applied for the role of simulation patient, and my husband planned to be the driver and read a book,” says Anita Lettink (78). At least, that was the plan, but things turned out quite differently.

Processes and technology enable people to work more efficiently within an organization. However, these structures and processes evolve naturally over time, making them complicated or unfitting for the needs and ambitions of the organization. With Flawless Workflow, Geanny Amor dos Santos helps to align processes, software, and data within organizations so that the infrastructure supports the people.

When people recover from a stroke, they often start by doing exercises in a clinic. But once they go home, they need to keep exercising to keep their hands and wrists functional. These exercises can feel boring and hard to stick to. Many people skip the recommended 30 minutes of daily exercises, which slows down or reverses their recovery. But what if brushing your teeth or drinking your morning coffee could help you get better?

UT PhD candidate Thomas Leigh Hackett has devised a way to improve the air speed measurements of a so-called flow sensor by as much as 511%. This could lead to better sensors for horticulture and better air flow in data centers.

Imagine a digital flower that blooms when you hit your daily excercise goal or wilts when you miss a medication dose. Creative technology like this, designed by students and researchers at the University of Twente, is part of the network of the expertise Centre for Remote Monitoring & Coaching (eCMC), an initiative of TechMed Centre of University of Twente.

Some researchers start their PhD to contribute to fundamental research, while others dream of starting their own company based on their research. Keerthivasan Rajamani (Keerthi for short) was one of those entrepreneurial researchers. He founded UT spin-off Flawless Flow Pumps based on his research on magnetic pumps. He shares his journey from researcher to entrepreneur.

If we continue like this, ICT applications will account for no less than twenty percent of our total electricity consumption by 2030. Data centers, AI, the many millions of questions we ask Google every day... It takes an enormous amount of computing power and therefore energy. This can and must change, agrees Professor Wilfred van der Wiel of the University of Twente.

The Netherlands faces a water crisis: too much water, a shortage of water, agricultural fertilisers, and industrial pollution such as PFAS and medicine residues threaten our drinking water supply. Some new businesses are already denied drinking water connections; new residential areas may soon meet the same fate. It is crucial to invest in water technology for a sustainable future.

Within innovation cluster MedTech Twente, people are working on tomorrow's healthcare. UT alumnus Gabriel Costa and Stephanie Jansen, founders of spin-off company J58, talk about the importance of patient-centred innovations, the ecosystem in Twente and making an impact.

The Universitent at the Zwarte Cross, the largest festival in the Netherlands, has been a successful concept for years. In this summer series you can watch the mini-lectures again. In episode 3, Guus Rijnders talks about computer chips.

The Universitent at the Zwarte Cross, the largest festival in the Netherlands, has been a successful concept for years. In this summer series you can watch the mini-lectures again. In episode 2, Jeroen Cornelissen talks about the beer cups of the future.

The Universitent at Zwarte Cross, the biggest festival in the Netherlands, has been a successful concept for years. In this summer series, you can revisit the mini-lectures. In episode 1, Dr Ton Spil talks about beer and IT.

How can we make our holidays more sustainable? A question that concerns many engineers, scientists, and citizens. Emissions need to decrease, but in the aviation industry, that's not so simple yet. Research at the University of Twente is investigating a promising technology that could lead to hydrogen-powered airplanes: cryogenic superconductivity.

Every resident of Twente knows them: the trucks of waste collector Twente Milieu driving through the streets to empty the green, orange or grey minicontainer. To ensure that the rubbish trucks empty the five million minicontainers annually as efficiently as possible, perfect route planning is needed.

University of Twente startup STERN Motorcycles, unveils a revolutionary electric enduro motorcycle with a distinctive interchangeable battery pack. Their mission? A motorcycle world that embraces electric riding.

Is 'band syndrome' (bloating after eating) a medical condition or a psychological problem? That question has occupied medical science for decades. Prof Bob Geelkerken, professor at the TechMed Centre at the University of Twente and surgeon at Medisch Spectrum Twente, uses a special method to dispel the question marks once and for all: fake surgery.

For years, we've diligently sorted our waste, but a significant portion of the waste stream remains (yet) unrecyclable. The University of Twente, in collaboration with companies, is researching how to create new products from complex and 'wet' waste streams. This involves efficiently isolating chemical components used in new materials. The multi-year project ReBBloCS - Renewable Building Blocks from Complex and Wet Waste - began last year with a subsidy of €3.8 million from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency.

If a family member has an inherited heart condition, there is a chance that you have it too. Usually, you will then receive a letter with information and an invitation for an interview about possible DNA testing. Researchers at the University of Twente are now testing whether they can approach people via a virtual doctor.