ľ�ϸ���Ӱ��

Help! The mobile satellite kitchens for soldiers are out-of-date. How do we make sure that soldiers on deployment can still eat tasteful and nutritious meals? This question comes from the Dutch Ministry of Defence and is directed to students at the universities in Utrecht, Eindhoven and Wageningen. A soup-making robot, 3D-printed meals or a vegetable garden on wheels? We will have to wait and see what the outcome will be, but the students have accepted the ministry's challenge and will start the challenge Food for Health and Safety in early 2020.

“Students who work on a concrete question from practice often invest more time in it because they really want to find a solution. This challenge based way of working also enhances the quality of education,” says Jan Haarhuis, who is responsible for Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ��'s education innovation programme Educate-it. “We are definitely going to investigate this form of education as well. Because Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� is not only strong in education, but also in research into education.”

A palette of fields

In interdisciplinary teams, the various universities contribute knowledge and expertise from a palette of fields focusing on energy, nutrition, health and the circular society. “It unites all the aspects you need in this dossier,” says Frits van Dooren, commander of the Royal Netherlands Army Training Command. “When the request to replace the mobile kitchens came in, it would have been logical to meet with the manufacturer of the old kitchen. But we thought: let's look at this with students and see if we can realise an innovative nutrition concept from other angles. I really believe we can amplify each other.”

Jan Haarhuis shares that belief. “The strength of the alliance is in uniting staff and students who use different fundamental attitudes: theoretical (inquiry based - Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� (UU)) and practical (design based – Eindhoven ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� of Technology (TU/e)). And on top of that the special expertise in agrotechnology and nutrition sciences (Wageningen ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� & Research (WUR).”

I really believe we can amplify each other.

A challenge for everyone

The collaboration between UU, the ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU), WUR, TU/e, the Ministry of Defence, and the Ministries of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy is not just a challenge for students, according to Haarhuis. “This will also be a challenge and a good case study for us. Three universities, two ministries and the UMCU; that requires a thorough collaboration.”

The parties were united under the programme of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy. Programme Manager Ineke Lemmer says: “Our slogan is ‘More students working on innovations’. The programme brings together students, lecturers and entrepreneurs. The interdisciplinarily composed student teams experiment while collaborating in order to find solutions for societal issues. The concepts that students come up with have to be sustainable, social, innovative and affordable. In other words: Small and medium enterprises have to be able to provide what Defence is asking for.”

Students find this type of education challenging and motivational.

And - last but not least - what do students themselves think of this form of education? Bart Koppelmans is a student and is also involved as a supervisor and a coach in the challenge based education in Eindhoven. During the kick-off meeting in September, he says: “To me, it's a nicer way to learn more and in a broader perspective. It makes sure that students can develop themselves in new fields and learn how the real world works. By involving them in this kind of challenges early on, students take a new view to important societal issues.”