Digitalisation

Ensuring access to specialist care at peak periods is challenging, especially in sparsely populated areas with fewer available healthcare specialists. Project BRIDGE tries to tackle this issue in an unconventional way: hospitals in the German-Dutch border region are joining forces to share healthcare personnel. As simple as this sounds, is it so in practice?

Most of us have done it, walking through familiar streets or looking at your own house with a street view service. Now imagine doing this with a complete virtual replica. Every street, every car, every person walking to their work is meticulously simulated. This is a city digital twin. Discover how researchers at the Digital Twin Geohub of the University of Twente are transforming urban planning – one virtual city at a time.

We live in a world where almost everyone is online. The internet is a near-endless source of information, a space where we keep in contact with loved ones and where we work and consume. But what if you do not have access to the internet, because of a lack of motivation, skills, or don’t have a computer? Digital inequality increases the social gap between people and can even lead to exclusion. Alexander van Deursen, professor of communication science at the University of Twente, is investigating how digital inequality arises and how we can combat it.

By 2050, nearly 70% of the world's population will live in cities1. Urban planning decisions made today have a critical impact on the future, which means there is less room for trial and error. How can we address the increase in urban populations and make future cities more sustainable?

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.

Bitcoin, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and other popular blockchain innovations represent our shift to a digital society. But this transition comes at a cost. The emissions generated by these blockchain technologies from the year 2021 alone are responsible for around 19,000 future deaths. This alarming statistic raises many questions: How is this possible and what can we do about it?

In a world where technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) are developing rapidly, the question arises: will AI be our next teacher? Imagine lecture halls filled with chatbots, robots and holograms giving lectures. Sounds like something out of a science fiction movie, right? Yet this scenario is less far-fetched than it seems, given the speed at which AI is developing. But according to Kim Schildkamp, professor at the University of Twente's ELAN teacher training programme, these technologies will never completely replace our teachers because human relationships are far too important in the classroom.

Explore the future in our podcast series, "My Future Dream Job," where Anic van Damme guides you to the year 2030. Our scientists explore prospective careers in cybersecurity, climate adaptation, and energy transition. Listen in to gain insights into the professions taking shape at the University of Twente.

Explore the future in our podcast series, "My Future Dream Job," where Anic van Damme guides you to the year 2030. Our scientists explore prospective careers in cybersecurity, climate adaptation, and energy transition. Listen in to gain insights into the professions taking shape at the University of Twente.

The labour market is under pressure. From the busy airports of Schiphol to the hectic hospital corridors, there's a huge shortage of staff everywhere. Perhaps you've already noticed the effects yourself. Restaurants operate with fewer staff, leading to longer waiting times for your food. Classrooms are fuller due to the lack of teachers or masters. And your parcels? Those take longer to arrive because of understaffed delivery services. Even buses and trains are less frequent on the roads and tracks.