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The meeting began with a welcome from initiator and organiser Diederik Visser (Educate-it educational innovation programme) followed by pitches from Johan Jeuring (Computer Science department), Peter van der Heijden (Applied Data Science focus) and (Utrecht Data School) about the opportunities they can see for increased collaboration with government and business to generate revenue for UU. After that, TU/e Innovation Lab director explained how his organisation works.

The university as an economic agent

“For us, things didn’t start to take off until we presented the scientists with something that tied right into their core business of research and education. It is only to be expected that researchers have little interest in valorisation. Scientists perform research, publish, coach PhD candidates and produce doctorates. But society is changing, and universities are becoming active participants in the national economy. We sometimes call that phenomenon the fourth generation university. The first generation focused on education, the second on education and research, the third on education, research and valorisation and right now, we’re in the fourth generation: economic development. Society and the government demand that its institutes of higher learning take a leading role in social development. TU/e is responding to that demand.”

Shouldering the burden for researchers

TU/e considers itself part of an ecosystem. Universities are integral to society. Their teaching and research are tailored to the wants and needs of businesses and organisations. We work together and depend on each other. The helps Eindhoven’s researchers thrive in that ecosystem. Everything in the organisation is geared towards teaching and research. Valorisation is a secondary concern and plays a supporting role. The TU/e Innovation Lab generates revenues that ensure the university remains well funded. A hundred percent of the research in Eindhoven is funded by secondary and tertiary revenue streams. Because these funds come from outside partners, the conditions for accessing those funds are vitally important. These conditions focus entirely on the impact of our research. In Eindhoven, we believe that any research proposal consists of equal parts research, organisation and impact. That means TU/e is taking two-thirds of researchers' work off their hands. Things like organising research consortiums and collaborations.

Research in consortiums

“Increasingly, research and research funding are being organised in international and multidisciplinary consortiums,” Blok continues, “Collaboration is now the only option. You can see this clearly in the Dutch Science Calendar, the new industry policy for The Netherlands, NWO, TTW. They are moving towards the question of how science can contribute to the world's . That requires performing research in collaboration with partners in different fields of expertise. It requires companies willing to provide innovative products and services. It requires us to transform our university into a collaborative model where consortiums take the knowledge and research results we generate to develop them into valuable contributions to society."

Steef Blok's explanation inspired those present. That afternoon, they gathered into three groups to explore likely new revenue models. Models developed not just from research, but from teaching, talent and start-ups as well. They then took their ideas and condensed them into actionable plans to be fleshed out over the coming months.

An Innovation Lab for UU?

Johan Jeuring looks back on the meeting fondly. "This was a good thing to have done. It's interesting to hear what Steef Blok and his team, which includes business developers and strategic account managers, are accomplishing. Eindhoven has 1,100 PhD candidates running around whose positions are partially funded by external, corporate money. That's impressive. From our Computer Science department, we could easily mentor 100 PhD candidates with one foot in business or government. I see real benefits for both ourselves and the 'outside world.'"

"This afternoon, Steef Blok said: 'Take the time to systematically review all of your research projects and consider which of them could be turned into a revenue model.' That analysis is a fine idea, but actually working out the details is a whole other thing. That takes time, which is in short supply. To turn research projects into revenue sources you need an organisation like Eindhoven's Innovation Lab that can bridge the gap between UU and the outside world."