Who are our directors? What do they do and why are they so passionate about their work? These are all questions that are answered in our online video series Boardwalk . Every quarter, we visit a special place on campus with a board member and talk to them about one of their themes. In the second episode, Robert-Jan Smits, President of the Executive Board, explains why valorisation is so important for the region.
The best conversations often arise during a walk. That is why our Executive Board would love to take a walk around our campus with everyone who works or studies at the TU/e. Because that unfortunately does not work out, the Boardwalks are created. We quarterly visit a special place on campus with one meber of the Executive Board, and record and share that with the entire TU/e community in a video.
In this second episode, we meet our President of the Executive Board, Robert-Jan Smits . Smits has been involved in innovation and valorisation for more than 30 years. He did so in his previous job in Europe, where he was responsible for the European science and innovation programmes. He is also committed to this in his current role as President of the Executive Board. Four years ago, he took the initiative to start The Gate , 'the one-stop-shop for tech start-ups', as he calls it.
With several partners in the region, the university offers a place to develop, work and exchange knowledge and advice for entrepreneurs. This makes valorisation possible, the conversion of knowledge into profitable products and services.
A physical place like The Gate contributes to this. Two start-ups ( Antennex and Tibo Energy ) explain how they benefit from this partnership. Smits is impressed by the number of start-ups that have been able to develop into companies. He also discusses why collaboration with industry is important for the university.
Every quarter
The Executive Board consists of three members and a university secretary, each of whom has their own role and portfolio . For each episode, we highlight one of their themes. Rector Magnificus Silvia Lenaerts is committed to wellbeing, which we discussed with her in the first episode. Patrick Groothuis is the vice president of the Executive Board and Eric van der Geer-Rutten-Rijswijk supports the Executive Board as secretary of the university.
For the time being, we will have a different board member speak every quarter. In this way, the Boardwalk alternates nicely with Stay TU/ened , in which the colleagues and students of the TU/e have their say. Both programs are shared on our intranet and can be found on TU/e's YouTube channel.
The next episode of Boardwalk will be released in January. In this third episode, we talk to Patrick Groothuis.
