Testimonials

Meet Vijay Vivekanandan

Master student, Student Assistant and TU/e Contest Participant

My name is Vijay Vivekanandan and I study MSc. Automotive Technology at TU/e. I initially came across innovation space during my application stages, and the concept of Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) was something that immediately caught my attention. I was really curious to explore the concept of CBL, and my first interaction was during the Master Kick-Off challenge day. I took part in one of the many themed inter-disciplinary challenges arranged, and our team went on to win in the category! The whole experience of brainstorming, ideating, defining, and pitching an idea to solve a real-world problem, as an interdisciplinary team, was very interesting and unique. 

With that being the starting point, I went on to attend multiple workshops that happen in TU/e innovation space constantly, such as ideation, pitching and problem definition. TU/e innovation Space is actually a place that really resonates and lives up to its name. The moment you walk in, you just get so inspired seeing everyone working ambitiously with so much enthusiasm – be it people working in the prototyping facilities, student teams, students and coaches in a CBL activity or a group of students just getting started on an idea!

The whole ecosystem is so vibrant and ambitious, and hence, when I got an opportunity to join as a Student Assistant in TU/e innovation space, I took it up with great excitement! The most unique thing about TU/e innovation space is that you are not bound by limits in terms of exploring an idea. If you have an idea and you are really motivated by it, you can get all the support from defining the idea to entrepreneurship. An even better thing is that you do not necessarily need to have an idea in the first place, as you get learning opportunities on how to identify problems and ideate. 

For example, the annually occurring TU/e Contest in TU/e innovation Space serves as a good launchpad whether you are in the ideation or prototyping phase, with many industrial partners who get on board as advisors and potential stakeholders. Fun fact is that I’ve registered for the 2023 TU/e Contest edition in the ideation phase, just to explore how viable and feasible my idea could be in the eyes of experienced entrepreneurs and coaches.

In summary, if you have a go-get attitude and an entrepreneurial spirit, it is all that you need to get started at TU/e innovation space, to create real-world impact with your ideas! 

Student experiences

From ISP student to co-founder & CEO at Aristotle Technologies

Maurits Overmans

The TU/e innovation Space Project (ISP) ensures rapid personal and professional development. No matter if you want to make an impact as an engineer, entrepreneurial engineer, or entrepreneur. It is an amazing opportunity to form a diverse and multidisciplinary team to solve the challenge of a pioneering organization in the Brainport region. The validation that this enables you to do is valuable in determining the technical, commercial, and financial feasibility of your execution of the solution. You can finish this project with your co-founders, a launching customer, and an amazing network that will support your journey towards making an impact on society.

ISP student Art & Design

Luna

In the Art & Tech course, I got to work with a very diverse team of students from different fields like ID, ME, Nuclear Fusion, EE & ICT. We were all challenged by two cool artists/designers who gave us tons of stuff to research, and we even got to visit places like Effenaar, Amsterdam Dance Event and Mojo, and talk to experts. Next to working on some new tech, we were encouraged not to lose sight of our own learning goals and to do a lot of hands-on prototyping and experimentation, which resulted in both a new sync tool for DJs and a smoke machine. Some of us are continuing to work on it with an entertainment company. Who knows, your might see the result at a concert soon ;-)

Co-founder of CU/p

Anik Jacobsen

innoSpace is an awesome place for open-minded innovators and students who want to become such. I received a lot of support from the community and staff to start my own project and not be afraid of challenges. The space itself invites for creative working sessions and provides a lot of prototyping opportunities. Of course, the network to like-minded students, staff and stakeholders was wonderful and the vivid exchange always sparked new ideas.

Team Leader of Chairgonomics

Jules Hilkens

TU/e innovation Space offered me opportunities and experiences which I never imagined to have before joining the university, let alone TU/e innovation Space. It's one of the best ways to broaden your horizon at the TU/e, and get acquainted with skills that you cannot learn in a lecture hall.

Co-founder of taylor

Michiel Roelofs

What I enjoyed the most in innovation Space are all the talented people from different backgrounds that are working there. Especially in the early stage of a project. When it is not yet fully clear in what direction it will be going, it is really valuable to have a place where you can see up close examples of projects which are already in full motion.

Co-Founder of JimFit

Cas van Grunsven

JimFIT participated in TU/e innovation Space from the beginning. During the years, we have seen it grow from a small community in a small dusty building, to a great organisation within the TU/e ecosystem. TU/e innovation Space surely is one of the places which formed me as a student and helped me further in my professional career.

Play video

Meet Pam, one of our students in the course ‘innovation Space project’!

Pam is working on a challenge from PSV Eindhoven! Read her first experiences below:

What was your main reason to enroll in ISP?
 My main reason to enroll in ISP was because the project was part of the Technology Entrepreneurship and Management certificate. In addition, working on a challenge for a high-tech company with an interdisciplinary team for a longer period of time really appealed to me. 

What is your assignment about and why did you choose this one?
 Team NILYS works on a challenge together with PSV which is all about understanding football, especially how the current use of data in football can be improved. Our goal is to bridge the gap between the technical possibilities and coaches by developing crash courses so coaches can get educated on how data can benefit them, and how they can get insights of it. 

How do you experience ISP until now? Is it different than other courses?
 I really enjoy being part of ISP. This course is completely different than all the previous courses I followed during my bachelor of Medical Engineering since there are no boundaries in what the students want to develop. It is all about new business development and the engineering of a product. Furthermore, this course doesn’t involve any lectures but completely consists of studio style group work.

Watch the Testimonial Challenge Owner DAF

Play video

 

innovationSpace has brought us a great platform to start our entrepreneurial journey on! While we may have been atypical in our upstart (earning revenue from the get-go as opposed to starting at ideation like most student projects), we nevertheless greatly enjoyed the company of so many people with a similar attitude! The all-important network, socials, subsidy opportunities, coaching, and workshops really help to keep your game on point and discover opportunities you would never get when working your way up from your attic. For free! Rethinking and tuning your business plan will become a habit rather than a chore. This puts great purpose to your actions as you maintain an overview. Set your gaze on the horizon and set sail as an entrepreneur from the safe haven that is innovationSpace!

- Tiemen Schuijbroek, Co-Founder of Ratio

Watch the Testimonial Challenge Owner NSO

Play video

‘’The innovation Space plays a key role in my teaching as it offers me the space and inspiration to innovate my education and make it impactful. In the BSC course Responsible Innovation students work on real-world projects, supervised by societal stakeholders. Students work on these challenges in the innovation Space, exchange ideas with other teams and can transform their ideas into prototypes and products. The innovation Space offers the ideal platform and tools for realizing this. Yet, the innovation Space is much more than that. It is a community of enthusiastic professionals and students who want to make an impact in the world and want to contribute to responsibly tackling the grand societal challenges of our times. I am happy and proud to be part of this.’’

- Johanna Höffken, teacher of the year 2020