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When a jubilant Hubert Martens (Salvia BioElectronics) was announced the winner of the LEVEL UP Awards, the more than 1,550 participants could already look back on a full day of celebrating entrepreneurship. During the day, they discussed deeptech, deftech, medtech & life sciences, gaming, big data, quantum, AI, plant-based food, cybersecurity, and many related topics. And what's more: all these debates had impact and sustainability as the central theme. If LEVEL UP 2025 made one thing clear, it's that there's no innovative progress without positive societal consequences.

In April, the four technical universities jointly launched 4TU.Schools: a platform aimed at bridging the gap between secondary and higher education. Since then, many initiatives have been set in motion to introduce young people early on to the engineering perspective and the skills that come with it.

With a healthy dose of ambition, young entrepreneurs took to the stage on 28 August to pitch their ideas during the final of the 4TU Impact Challenge. Of all the participating start-ups, each of which is helping to advance society with their innovations, two teams won prizes. Vindi Biosystems won the Jury Award. This start-up is developing a portable device for real-time monitoring of biomarkers associated with various diseases. The Audience Award went to SimplyPill with their innovative pill dispenser.

Over 100 international alumni of  TU Delft, Eindhoven University of Technology, the University of Twente and Wageningen University & Research (together 4TU) gathered last week in Utrecht  for an inspiring evening of connection, reflection, and forward-looking dialogue. The event, organized by 4TU.Alumni, aimed to foster a stronger sense of belonging among the estimated 20,000 international graduates in the Netherlands and highlight their vital role in Dutch society and innovation.

4TU.Ideation Labs connect researchers with entrepreneurial students to explore the market and societal potential of research outputs through guided workshops and coaching. This supportive environment allows researchers to contribute to innovation and entrepreneurhsip without taking on the role of founders or leading commercialisation efforts themselves. 

For ten years now, 4TU.CEE has focused on innovating engineering education. It’s a question of trial and error - just as in other design processes. What is already going well? How does this translate into practice? And what still needs to be done? Four experts (see text box) shed light on this, in the second part of our interview series celebrating 10 years of 4TU.CEE.

After almost six years, Robert-Jan Smits will step down as President of the Executive Board of TU Eindhoven (TU/e). Looking back on wonderful years during which the university raised its profile and grew despite budget cuts, he also saw positive developments within the 4TU Federation. But progress could be faster. "Dare to make decisions via smart specialisation. See to it that as 4TU, you are an example to others."

With the inclusion of the first participants the ten-year MONUCO study has officially started. This research, also made possible by 4TU.RECENTRE, will examine the long-term impact of obesity treatments on women's health and child development. 

Advancing teaching careers is a strategic priority at our universities. As part of the national ‘Sectorplan Onderwijs Betatechniek’ this 4TU Centre for Engineering Education publication Advancing University Teaching and Educational Careers brings together insights from our universities and experts committed to structural improvements in the recognition and appreciation of teaching.

A new kind of engineering education is needed to address the future needs of society. How can this innovation be done most effectively? What are the challenges and solutions? Four experts share their views in this first issue of our three-part series ''Ten Years 4TU.CEE''.

Last Saturday, 5 October, ten student teams from the four Universities of Technology exhibited their vehicles, demos and workshops on a sunny Marineterrein Amsterdam during the Weekend van de Wetenschap. They showed children and adults how much fun engineering is and explained more about the sustainable and smart solutions they are contributing to with their innovations.

Since 1 July 2024 Noortje Bax has been appointed as chair (a.i.) of the 4TU.Health centre. She succeeds Richard Goossens, who held this position since 2022.

The city of tomorrow | During the Weekend van de Wetenschap (5 en 6 October), students from the four Universities of Technology will display cool vehicles and demos and organise workshops in and around the AMS Institute building at the Marineterrein. Their ambition? To show children and their parents how much fun engineering is and what solutions they are working on to tackle global challenges on climate, health, agrofood, safety, infrastructure and mobility.

In a vibrant and forward-looking conversation, Stella Kapodistria (TU/e), the newly appointed scientific director of 4TU.AMI, and her predecessor Johann Hurink (UT) shared insights into the transition of leadership within the institute. The discussion revealed a shared commitment to maintaining the institute's strong foundation while pushing forward into new territories. The atmosphere was charged with energy as both leaders expressed a unified vision for the future of 4TU.AMI.

The city of Tomorrow | During the Weekend van de Wetenschap (5 en 6 oktober) the 4TU Student Teams - from TU Delft, TU Eindhoven, the University of Twente and Wageningen University & Research - will show children and their parents how much fun engineering is and what solutions they are working on to tackle global challenges on climate, health, agro-food, safety, infrastructure and mobility.