The theme The Power of Green Growth exposed diverse visions of the future during the opening of the academic year at Eindhoven University of Technology. Attention was also paid to the budget cuts in science and higher education, the importance of green start-ups was emphasized several times, and rector magnificus Silvia Lenaerts introduced the new TU/e core values before officially opening the academic year.
Eurocommissioner Wopke Hoekstra opened the events with praise for the Brainport region in his keynote speech: "For me, Eindhoven is the innovation capital of Europe. And some in the room might actually say: this is the one and only innovation capital of the world."
Budget cuts
A position TU/e President Robert-Jan Smits is happy to confirm. As such, he thoroughly disagrees with the cabinet, which wants to cut back on science and education, Smits said in the panel discussion. "It is such a pity that the current government has announced these huge cuts in investment, education, and science. It's just unacceptable."
"When you see what's coming to universities, the cuts we have to absorb and deal with, this will hamper the Dutch economy in the long run, hamper our creativity, and hinder us in dealing with societal challenges. I am outraged by these budget cuts", Smits clarified, after which applause rolled across the hall.
Optimism and doubts
Optimism and doubts alternated around the theme of The Power of Green Growth. Hoekstra embraced the concept in his speech but added a side note: "We are all in the same boat, so we have to fix this challenge together. The next five years will be absolutely crucial to set the tone for the decades to come."
Employers' chairperson Ingrid Thijssen (VNO-NCW) is convinced we will achieve green growth and eventually solve the climate problem. She referred to the power of green start-ups, such as the TU/e spin-off Rift. "We must work together in the triple helix," Thijssen referred to the close cooperation between industry, knowledge institutions, and government that is already common in the Brainport region.
TU/e climate scientist Heleen de Coninck also sees opportunities but is skeptical at the same time. "We want to finance the future and not the past. So if you want to link innovation to finance and education, I think you have to engage with people and engage nature and actually make a growth model based on well-being and not just money."
Economist and NRC journalist Marike Stellinga pointed out the consequences that commitment to green growth brings during the panel discussion. "It will not be cheap, and it will not be easy. As a government, you will have to take very strict measures and will not get away with petting the big companies. You will have to take the side of the new companies to grow the economy."
Impression of the Opening of the Academic Year
Photos: Bart van Overbeeke
Improving startup climate
The latter sounded like music to the ears of panelist and CEO of Rift Mark Verhagen. The start-up, which turns iron powder into an alternative sustainable fuel, is a TU/e spin-off. Verhagen: "Green growth is not easy. A start-up always has three problems: time, money, and people."
Verhagen called on Hoekstra and National Growth Fund director Maurice van Tilburg at the Ministry of Economic Affairs via a plea (see its contents here) to improve the startup climate in The Hague and Brussels. Both Van Tilburg and Hoekstra supported this call and emphasized the importance of green startups, an importance that several speakers touched upon throughout the afternoon.
Reviewed core values
Concluding the event with her speech, Rector Lenaerts spoke about value creation. "We need to move back from the issues of the day to the value of the day. Because that's what we do as a university, we create value. Every day. We create value with our teaching, with our research, and with our collaborations. We create value for society and for industry. We create value for the future because we aim to use our knowledge for green growth."
Lenaerts also announced TU/e's revised core values: curious, open, respectful, and responsible. Together, these core values form the acronym CORe. In addition, the rector highlighted the new office for social safety and integrity - the place where everyone can go for support on these issues.
Lenaerts: "We will make mistakes, everyone does, but we are a learning organization. We will continue to improve our integrity and social safety at our university. Because again, at TU/e we take care of each other."
Read the entire speech by our rector magnificus Silvia Lenaerts here.
Want to watch the whole ceremony? You can do so via this link.
