Symposium to share knowledge
To conclude the first part of ACCESS and share insights and results, HTSC held a mini-symposium in February in collaboration with VDL ETG. “About 80 people from industry attended that. We find it important to share the knowledge we have now gained around this topic.”
We face big tasks together; why reinvent the wheel everywhere?
Fellow Ton Peijnenburg
“I’m a great supporter of an open innovation model. We face big tasks together; why reinvent the wheel everywhere? The university has a nice role in sharing knowledge about innovations; ACCESS is a good example.”
Giving the design profession more space
In addition to his role in research, Peijnenburg is also looking at education and how the design side can be given a more prominent place in this. “I believe TU/e has started to lean very much on the scientific axis: a piece of analysis, understanding things, publishing. Designing – coming to a finished whole in which compromises have to be made – lags behind.”
Professor of practice
“I strongly advocate further involving some experienced industry people in education. You see good examples of that in America. There, much of the teaching that has to do with the design side is taught by what they call a ‘professor of practice’. This is someone from the industry with a bucketload of relevant experience to technical university students.”
Valuable
“I believe that would also be highly valuable for TU/e, especially in design education. The industry could pay for the appointment of these professors of practice because there are great benefits for them too, given that more and more well-trained designers will enter the job market.”
“The big companies like Philips and ASML already realize this, but smaller suppliers could also play a role in it,” Peijnenburg believes.
Resting point
So, there are plenty of good experiences and new ideas for Ton Peijnenburg. Is it sometimes difficult for him to wear two hats? “No, they complement each other. The pressure from VDL is always to be there, especially when we are about to deliver to a customer.”
“From TU/e, the pressure is less. I work there with colleagues from other companies, leading to a different type of discussion than in my daily work. I’m not only concerned with the operations there; we also look together at our profession and the future of our profession. In that sense, my role at TU/e is a resting point for me. It’s nice to be able to organize your thoughts now and then.”He concludes: “This collaboration offers a great deal to me, TU/e, and VDL ETG.”