At Strijp TQ, education and the working field explore the future together

Unique collaborations

Innovations Insight is not just a showcase of student work, it is a moment of coming together of all the players in this innovation hub. Partner companies see results of the issues they brought in, but also meet each other. External guests and interested parties (as Innovations Insight is open to everyone) get inspired by the possibilities. This time, Mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem was also present for a tour and to get a taste of what all these unique collaborations produce. The impressions were positive: "Very positive! I spoke to students who are really working in practice. Close to companies or local residents, looking for practical solutions and innovations."

Innovation centre for the region

The unique partnership between the Fontys ICT InnovationLab and the partner companies, united in cooperative SPARC, ensures mutual commitment, but also a shared interest. This makes the InnovationLab a regional innovation centre, where the possibilities of ICT take shape. It is therefore particularly nice that three new partners are joining, who also typically fit the Brainport region as an international knowledge region in tech. We can now welcome ASML, Jumbo and CY2 as partners in the Fontys ICT InnovationLab, which fits in perfectly with the role and ambitions of Fontys and Brainport with this location, according to Dijsselbloem: "In the Brainport region, we have all kinds of collaborations between knowledge institutions, companies and the government. Fontys makes very good use of this by cooperating with companies in practice, so that students not only graduate with theory, but also have practical experience. That fits Eindhoven very well and is a good way to learn."

From applied technology to 'what if' concepts

But those who get to steal the show during Innovations Insight are, of course, the students. This is because they work on open questions from the field, leading to practical solutions, prototypes and innovations. In doing so, students provide added value for partner companies, where these meaningful assignments are often followed up (or taken up by other students in further iterations). Others instead work on challenges, providing innovative concepts, exploring what is possible in the future. Examples include the Misty project from a previous edition, but this time we also saw a wide arsenal of projects, judged by the able SPARC jury, consisting of Maurice van Veghel, Chris Hendriks and Martin Hundepool.

This time the prizes, in the form of the SPARC 'Innovation Lightning cup' the win went to three standout projects. The first was a group of students working on the Streaming wearable and stress mangement platform (SWSPP). This group of students is contributing to the 'Van Sensoren naar Zorg' research project with their project. In the 'Learning English with AI' project, the second group developed an AI-driven learning tool for English speakers. The tool analyses language use in terms of sentence structure, pronunciation and word choice. The third project which took home an award explored ways to help people cope better with violent noise (harmful) with a smartwatch application and was carried out by ICT & Media Design and ICT & Infrastructure students. Good examples of the innovative projects emerging at the InnovationLab.

Fontys ICT InnovationLab: hub for collaboration

Innovation does not happen by itself, for that you need each other, but also a place to come together. Bringing education, research and the professional field together creates a chain effect that provides professionals with the knowledge and skills the Brainport region needs. The creativity and open approach also makes it possible to colour 'outside the lines' and deliver original innovations. The Fontys ICT InnovationLab shows during Innovations Insight, that it is the place where everything comes together and tomorrow is shaped.

Innovations Insight takes place twice a year at the Fontys ICT InnovationLab. Everyone is welcome to attend. More information, also about last semester's projects, can be found here. All projects and collaborations on show at the event are developed at this unique location.