Hy2Care, a spin-off of the University of Twente in the Netherlands, is developing a special gel to repair cartilage in knees. This should improve the quality of life for a lot of young patients.

The 4TU.Federation, made up of the four Universities of Technology of the Netherlands, is committed to strengthening and pooling technological knowledge in the Netherlands. The first edition of the HTSF programme was shaped around these ambitions and will end in December 2022. The 4TU.Federation now aims to award a new set of theme based research programmes through the next call.

Check out now: the new edition of the 4TU Career Special. Full of tips on applying, do’s and don’ts, stories about job hunting in corona time, articles about young entrepreneurs and columns that make you think.

The team of the HTSF Soft Robotics programme are working on soft robots that are safer and better equipped to function in a human environment. This is a new specialisation that involves many fields of expertise.

The City of The Hague is collaborating with the 4TU Centre for Resilience Engineering to better prepare for the future. But what exactly is resilience, and what are the main challenges to address? How do you address these most efficiently?

EFFECT Photonics - a spin-off from TU Eindhoven - makes optical chips for telecommunications. These chips allow more data to be sent simultaneously over a fiber optic network. This prevents cities to lay more and more glass cable. A good development now that the 5G network is taking shape and extra bandwidth is required.

The spin-off of the spin-off | ChainCraft B.V., a spin-off of Wageningen University & Research, makes sustainable and fully circular fatty acids. The raw material is used in various products, from healthier animal feed to sustainable plastics. This is a big step towards a circular economy.

Which ethical dilemmas are at play in today's data-driven world? And how can companies deal with this in a responsible way? In 4TU.techtalk #4 Karin Bos of Achmea and Philip Brey of the University of Twente discuss this topic.

The spin-off of the spin-off | The burgers and sausages produced by start-up UmaMeats - a spin-off from WUR - consist of a unique combination of beef and seaweed. Less fat and salt are needed thanks to the flavors of the seaweed. This makes the burgers and sausages healthier and more sustainable.