Impact

Drivers of change

Just as the campus of TU/e lies at the heart of the city of Eindhoven and the wider Brainport region, we put our research and education at the heart of society. We train our students and engineers to become drivers of change by coming up with solutions that have a real impact on the world.

Key challenges

In the years and decades ahead we see three major challenges facing society: sustainability and the climate crisis; revolutions in enabling technologies such as AI, robotics and synthetic biology; and the increasing role technology plays in our lives.

Responsible innovations

In order to meet these challenges, we translate the top-notch research of our scientists into responsible innovations with impact, in tight-knit collaborations with society and industry, other universities and our award-winning student teams.

Collaboration with industry

TU/e has a unique position in the Brainport region, with its many successful high-tech multinationals, many of them global market leaders. TU/e is proud to have intensive, successful and long-term collaboration with all of these top companies. 

As a result our university features prominently in international rankings and indicators for collaboration with industry. We are also a breeding ground for successful startups and spin-offs in the field of sustainability, AI, and photonics.

Linking pin

A key role in further deepening our collaboration with industry and society is played by innovation SpaceThe GateEindhoven Engine and our four main research institutes. They are the linking pin between our fundamental research and practical applications for the real world.

Economic engine

To create even more impact and meet ambition of the Brainport region to become the engine of the Dutch economy, we aim to double the number of engineers educated at our university by 2032. Creating the impact-makers of tomorrow.

 

  

Our top position in cooperation with industry is based on:

  • Top 25 worldwide co-publications with industry

  • One third of professors has a joint assignment in industry

  • Top 5 worldwide Industry income (knowledge transfer)

  • Excellent job opportunities in Brainport

  • High second and third funding flow

Impact highlights

MantiSpectra wins prestigious award for its groundbreaking photonic sensor chip

ChipSense enables the construction of new material sensors that are 1,000 times smaller and up to 50 times cheaper than standard products.

Student team makes entire car life cycle CO₂-neutral

Students from TU/ecomotive have developed a zero emissions car that actually captures CO₂ from the air as it drives.

King Willem-Alexander opens ELEO battery production plant in Helmond

With the opening of the plant, the TU/e startup is increasing its battery production capacity tenfold. The company expects to grow from 60 to 200 employees over the coming two years.

Xeltis lands 32 million euro investment to develop restorative cardiovascular devices

These new and substantial investments enable the TU/e start-up to increase the development of its extraordinary cardiovascular prosthetics.

How the Eindhoven heat battery can make millions of homes gas-free

A heat battery based on salt and water is ready for its first real-world tests. Why could this be a 'game changer' in the energy transition?

Sustainability statement of the TU/e Executive Board

Global warming and climate change pose an unprecedented threat to our world. Therefore we are constantly taking new steps to increase our contribution to sustainability.

Bill Gates invests in TU/e spin-offs

Behind the scenes of a museum, you'll find a world of decay, fading colors, bended canvases and cracked paint. Tackling these problems involves a lot of science. 

Unusual collaborations

Researchers from TU/e, Wageningen University & Research, Utrecht University and UMC Utrecht come together to seek answers to societal issues from uncommon perspectives.

The power of pioneers

Although Leo van IJzendoorn and Eva van Aalen are working on different types of biosensors, they have common visions on the future of biosensors.

Making the world a more sustainable place

The reports from the IPCC are completely clear on the threat of global warming and climate change, which are taking place at an alarming rate. That’s why the strive for a sustainable world is the number one societal challenge that underlies the strategy of TU/e.

We are committed to this through our education and research, and we are constantly taking new steps to increase our contribution. Driving forces in this are our sustainability ambassador, the GO Green Office and the Eindhoven Institute for Renewable Energy Systems (EIRES), among others. 

Sustainability is also a top priority in the way we run our university. We separate our waste, aim to provide environmental friendly catering and try to make use of renewable energy on our campus. 

Creating the impact-makers of tomorrow

Eindhoven University of Technology harbors a myriad of student teams: highly motivated groups of students who take up the challenge of bringing the imagined future one step closer. With their unprecedented enthusiasm and can-do mentality, student teams come up with innovative solutions for societal challenges in the fields of energy, sustainability, artificial intelligence, health and mobility.
 

Helping your start-up off the ground

The Gate creates impact by deploying its business development, intellectual property, and finance and business incubation professionals, all of whom are widely experienced in knowledge valorization, startup support and business incubation across a broad array of fields, including the physical sciences, life sciences and information technology.

 

Connecting innovative minds in the Brainport Region

Eindhoven Engine accelerates innovation in the Brainport Region through challenge-based research in its public-private research facility at the TU/e Campus. Teams of our region’s most talented researchers from industry, knowledge institutes and students cooperate in Eindhoven Engine research programs to deliver breakthrough technological solutions.  

Building a fast track to high-tech health innovations

e/MTIC is the research collaboration between TU/e and the Catharina Hospital, the Máxima Medical Center, Kempenhaeghe Epilepsy and Sleep Center, and Philips (Philips). Its mission is to create a fast track to innovation in health research, development and implementation in the domains of cardiovascular, perinatology and sleep.

Investing in spin-offs with a promise for the future

TU/e Participations participates in new innovative companies that originate directly from scientific research. It thus contributes to the valorization ambition of the TU/e by translating academic and technological findings into solutions that create impact for society. Successful technology transfer also brings economic impact as it contributes to the economic development of the Brainport region and the Netherlands.

In the Spotlight

In collaboration with The Gate and Innovation Origins, TU/e puts the spotlight every month on an innovative company that has emerged from scientific research.y

See right for an overview of all the stories we have published so far.

Research institutes with an impact