Founded on 7 October 2025 following the dissolution of a foundation with roots in the former Protestant nursing order ‘Zusters achter ’t Hofje’ in Enschede.
The Twente University Fund received a donation of over €900,000 to support two innovative research projects at the University of Twente: halting retinal aging in the elderly and developing microrobots that can travel through the gastrointestinal tract. Through these research projects at UT’s TechMed Centre, the quality of life for elderly people can be improved and bowel examinations made less burdensome for patients.
Miniature Retina
Prof. Dr. Andries van der Meer and his team at the Organ-on-Chip Center Twente (OoCCT) are developing an “eye-on-a-chip”: a miniature model of the retina made from patient-specific tissue. The OoCCT is a collaboration between the MESA+ research institute and the TechMed Centre. Using this model, researchers can simulate how the retina ages and test new treatment methods. In the future, this will help predict which therapy will be most effective for each patient, avoiding unnecessary and taxing treatments.
Microrobot in the Intestines
Dr. Islam Khalil and his team at the University of Twente’s TechMed Centre are developing a microrobotic capsule that patients can swallow. As it moves through the gastrointestinal tract, the capsule captures images of the intestinal lining, allowing abnormalities to be detected more quickly and accurately. The goal is to make bowel examinations less invasive while maintaining the same high standards of quality and safety. Moreover, this method is expected to be much more cost-effective than current procedures. In the future, the microrobot could also be used more broadly for diagnosing and treating other medical conditions.
The donation agreement was signed on Tuesday, 7 October, by both researchers, Miriam Luizink (Chair of the Twente University Fund), and Vinod Subramaniam (President of the Executive Board of the University of Twente).
More information: Eye-on-a-chip (Dutch) - Micro-robot (UToday).