'The financial perils, I'm not pessimistic about that. With a good strategy, we can manage without a reorganisation this year. And, of course, by doing our best to obtain research financing. I am a lot more positive than I was around this time last year. We are more on the same page and I see that everyone wants to do their bit to solve this difficult challenge – because that's what it is.'
'We also have to take the worst-case scenario into account'
'We can get through this year nicely. After that, it depends on what happens in the country. Suppose the internationalisation law means that all lectures must be in Dutch, then we have a problem. That is why we are outlining scenarios at the beginning of this year. We don't want to count ourselves rich with possible exceptions. We also have to take the worst-case scenario into account.'
'This first quarter, the new CUBE workshop will be put into use for the first lectures. I expect that we will festively open the building around the summer. The new Master's programme in Humanitarian Engineering will also start in September, in collaboration with the faculties of BMS and ITC. In addition, the Living Innovation Lab – or FieldLab – will take shape, in collaboration with ITC.'
'The Horst is as leaky as a sieve'
'This year, the NVAO inspector will also come for a research visitation, for the first time for the entire faculty. That is a fairly laborious process – we have been preparing it for six months. But it is not that we look ahead at the visitation with fear and trembling. It's an opportunity to learn and improve ourselves. In addition, this year we will start with a renovation plan for the Horst, for the renovation that will start in 2027. This is urgently needed, especially in terms of sustainability. The complex is as leaky as a sieve. But I also hope that we can improve the building in terms of functionality. My ideal image is that visitors are first confronted with the laboratories. As UT, we have the task of being at the forefront of what the industry is doing. And we have to propagate that.'
'Even though I'm not pessimistic about the financial situation, it's definitely a challenge. We must be able to respond rapidly to changes. If it turns out that a budget is in danger of not being met, we must intervene quickly. The same applies if it turns out that the legislation from The Hague changes. In short, as an organization we need to be more resilient and agile. That's why I'm curious to see what happens at other faculties. We have to do it together and as ET we are willing to lend a helping hand where necessary.
What I am happy about is that the UT-wide distribution model for research funding is being overhauled. Historically, there has been an imbalance there, to the disadvantage of ET. We recently received compensation for this, in anticipation of a change in the model. It is important that it is transparent and explainable how we distribute the money. And that will happen in 2025.'
'I see Project Beethoven as a great opportunity for our faculty. Innovation is the keyword of this new cabinet. The notion that engineering and technology should help us as a country is of course a good fit for us. Just like engineering belongs to a technical university. Being visible is becoming all the more important to us. This applies, for example, through the cooperation with the Zwolle region, but also with regional companies such as VDL and Demcon, which have grown enormously. The talent who works there is trained here. We need to communicate this more, both to administrators, companies and to society. Enschede celebrates its 700th anniversary this year. I would like to see the UT playing a nice role in this. It would be a missed opportunity if we don't do that.'
