The universities of technology plan to educate and deliver sufficient excellent engineers and technological designers, to deliver internationally-renowned and societally-relevant research, and to stimulate cooperation between research institutes, industry and public organisations.
4TU takes initiatives and combines forces to contribute to the social challenges we are facing worldwide. The goal of the technical universities is to ensure sufficient, well-trained engineers and technological designers, to deliver internationally leading and socially relevant research and to stimulate cooperation between research institutions, industry and public organisations.
The four universities of technology in the Netherlands are united in the 4TU.Federation. 4TU aims to boost and pool technical expertise. The universities of technology plan to educate and deliver plenty of excellent engineers and technological designers, to realise internationally-renowned and societally-relevant research and to promote cooperation between research institutes, businesses and public organisations.
4TU takes initiatives and combines forces to contribute to the social challenges we are facing worldwide. 4TU does so on the basis of its core values: connecting, representing and innovating in the areas of education, research and valorisation.
Connecting
4TU connects the knowledge and expertise of the four universities of technology in the Netherlands. There is intense collaboration on educational innovation in the 4TU.Centre for Engineering Education. The 20 post-Master design courses are combined in the 4TU.Stan Ackermans Institute. The research activities have been organised by theme in 4TU.Centres, and the High Tech for a Sustainable Future programme focuses on finding solutions to socially relevant issues. In the Dutch 'Sectorplan bètatechniek', 4TU is taking the lead in increasing the educational capacity of technology courses in consultation with the science faculties of the general universities and the technical hbo's (higher education).
Representing
By joining forces in the fields of research and education, the 4TU.Federation is an attractive partner for regional, national and European public institutions, research institutes and social and political organisations. In this role, the 4TU.Federation aligns with other players in the science and technology domain, including UNL, NWO, TO2 institutes, FME and VNO-NCW.
Innovating
By working together as four universities, innovative research and innovation of education are actively stimulated. Together, the universities have a pioneering role in the development of new technologies, from the use of drones in agriculture to artificial intelligence to monitor patients' eating patterns. Cooperation with external parties such as general universities and UMCs is strengthened on the basis of the added value that technology has for other fields of science.