'Growth would be incredibly good for TU/e, it has a flywheel effect'

June 20, 2022

Professor Maarten Steinbuch sees opportunities in particular in substantial growth TU/e.

Professor Maarten Steinbuch. Photo: Angeline Swinkels

In view of the enormous demand for engineers in the Brainport region, Professor Maarten Steinbuch has been a fervent advocate of substantial growth for TU/e for many years. He sees the opportunities in particular, he says in a reaction to the Executive Board's willingness to explore how we can manage to educate more engineering graduates for the Brainport region. Steinbuch therefore sincerely hopes that the path to more students can be paved.

"Doubling would be incredibly good for our university," Steinbuch says. "With more scale you get more research money, more international visibility, you can attract more top talent, it leads to more diversity, and you go up in the rankings. It's a flywheel effect," the professor of Systems and Control argues enthusiastically.

Of course, quality must be guaranteed in the event of growth, but Steinbuch sees no problem there, in principle. "Is TU Delft, with its 25,000 students, worse off than us? I see no reason why TU Delft can have 25,000 students and we cannot, while the Brainport region is thriving."

For Steinbuch, it is a particularly welcome sign that TU/e's door is now basically open for growth. "In 2008 I suggested that the university should grow from 6,500 to 13,000 students to meet the rising need for highly qualified employees in the Brainport region. At the time, people thought it would be at the expense of quality. But now we have doubled to 13,000 students and are still an excellent university. So it is perfectly possible to grow without compromising quality and culture. And it's hugely needed, the demand for engineers from the region continues to grow, and we are by far the most important supplier."

For media inquiries, please contact

Ivo Jongsma
(Communications Adviser)

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