Dijsselbloem (PvdA) was once the Minister of Finance. As President of the Eurogroup, he was responsible for implementing major austerity measures in southern European countries such as Greece in order to break out of the euro crisis. He has been mayor of Eindhoven for a year and a half now. Dijsselbloem sees a rapidly growing city and region, in which the university holds a unique position. However, he is well aware of the obstacles that hinder this growth. Born in Eindhoven, Dijsselbloem is also the chairman of Brainport voor Elkaar, a partnership between educational institutions and the business community that aims to address the social problems in the region, which are in part a result of the rapid growth, and ensure that everyone benefits from the growing economy. 

Although born in Eindhoven, Dijsselbloem grew up in Son. He was advised to go study in Wageningen for a year after not being selected for the veterinary medicine program in Utrecht. He began the zootechnics program with the “idealistic notion” that this would allow him to help animals. However, the reality was a little different than expected. “It was really about how to raise pigs for slaughter as cost-effectively as possible, so after six weeks I switched to agricultural economics.”

Thus began the mayor’s student life, which in the first few years were mostly spent in the pub. Although he has fond memories of that time, he admits that he could have balanced things better. “In retrospect, I think I wasted a lot of time. Both at the beginning and at the end when I worked very hard and wrote three doctoral theses. But that’s just life; looking back you always think: I could have done this more efficiently.” Therefore, his advice to TU/e students is to avoid doing it that way. “Spread out the fun and hard work.”

Boom town 

Looking at today’s students, Dijsselbloem hopes they will take the time to connect with Eindhoven. “It would be extremely valuable for them to engage with the city and become part of the community.” 

During the Intro week, Dijsselbloem already congratulated all the new students on their choice of studying in the “boom town of the Netherlands”. He gave them the tip to not just stay on campus, but to explore Eindhoven’s clubs and festivals as well. 

According to Dijsselbloem, there are lots of ways for students to connect with the city, such as through a part-time job or by attending sports events, theater performances or concerts. “I think students deserve that. Eindhoven is an exciting place, after all. I hope that their involvement in the city and everything it has to offer continues to grow.” 

Cuts

Although the city and region will see significant growth in the coming years, the university is facing cuts in education and science. Dijsselbloem is concerned about this since other countries are investing heavily in cutting-edge technologies. For example, earlier this year, the U.S. invested five billion dollars in the chip industry, in addition to the previous billions invested in strengthening their position in the global market. China, now in the third phase of its growth plan, put over forty billion euros into an investment fund for the semiconductor industry. 

“These are huge investments, and then we go and scrap the National Growth Fund. The Netherlands is cutting back on science and universities. I truly can’t wrap my head around that. It’s a terrible mistake; that’s the only way to put it. Hopefully, a future cabinet will rectify this.” Still, Dijsselbloem speaks positively about the additional funds going to the innovation fund InvestNL. “That is important to finance new companies and technologies, but we do need to take the lead in certain technologies.”

According to Dijsselbloem, students will not necessarily feel the impact of these cuts. The most important thing is for them to realize that they have been given an opportunity to study at a “top university in a top region,” he believes. “Of course, the university is a source of talent and innovation for this region. Companies have to perform in their market segments. The university, on the other hand, is an environment where people can explore exciting ideas free from the constraints of shareholder value.”

Project Beethoven

TU/e’s unique position in the region means that the university faces more challenges than just budget cuts from The Hague. Towards the end of the previous administration, politicians in The Hague developed Project Beethoven. Its goal is to retain ASML in the Netherlands and to strengthen the position of the Netherlands and Brainport in the global chip market. 

2.51 billion euros has been made available for this purpose. A large share of it will go towards the renovation of the train station and other infrastructure improvements in Eindhoven, but there is also money for research and education. Until 2030, 450 million is available to train more people for the chip sector. After that, 80 million will be allocated annually. Of this 450 million, 275 million is reserved for TU/e, Fontys (HBO) and Summa (MBO). Part of the financial boost will go to Groningen, Delft and Twente to help advance chip technology there as well. TU/e plans to use this funding to, among other things, double the number of semiconductor researchers, increasing the total by 700. 

“It is of regional and national importance to retain the most successful companies in Europe here,” said Dijsselbloem, referring to companies like NXP, ASML and their chain of suppliers in the manufacturing industry, where many TU/e students will end up working. “But that represents a huge challenge for the city and the region.”

Challenges 

Two of those challenges for the region are infrastructure and mobility. A total of 1.06 billion euros has been allocated from Project Beethoven for this purpose. Most of it will be used to improve the station to accommodate more international trains and express buses. In addition, roads and bike paths will be widened and more space will be made available for residential development. This investment adds to the previous investment of 1.6 billion euros by the government and Brainport.

Another major challenge that comes with regional growth is the housing shortage. Dijsselbloem believes the lack of housing in the region will only increase in the coming years. “Currently, we’re building at a slower pace than our economy is growing, but we’re working hard to catch up. For example, we have secured a substantial sum as an additional subsidy for housing construction across the region.”

However, in the future, more housing will need to be built in the region surrounding Brainport, Dijsselbloem adds. “So that future engineer might have to find a home in North Limburg, or near Tilburg, or maybe even across the border in Flanders.”

Dijsselbloem believes the region should also do more for international students. “I believe that currently, sixty percent of the internationals who graduate here stay in the Netherlands. And most of them stay in this region and find a job here. So it’s our collective responsibility as a region to see to it that they learn Dutch and have access to housing.”

Young talent

The growth of the region also brings challenges for TU/e itself. One important challenge is attracting young talent. Dijsselbloem believes the university should make extra efforts in this regard. “We’re already talking about this a lot and doing many things, but the numbers are actually decreasing.”

According to the latest report from the Techniekpact Monitor, the proportion of young people enrolling in technical programs has been slightly declining in recent years. For example, in the academic year 2021-2022, 27,146 students enrolled in technical science programs. Two years later, that number dropped to 25,771. This decline can only be partially explained by the lower number of students advancing to higher education.

“That’s why there needs to be a stronger connection between senior secondary vocational education (MBO), higher vocational education (HBO), and universities,” Dijsselbloem argues. This would also provide students with more development opportunities. “We should be taking a closer look at why the number of young people choosing technical fields is declining, despite all the initiatives, campaigns and promotions, all the money we put into it. I consider this the university’s and its regional partners’ biggest assignment.”

Collaboration

Therefore, Dijsselbloem believes it is very fortunate that TU/e is located in the Brainport region. “The Brainport relies on talent. We have large companies like ASML and NXP that collaborate extensively with the university and also invest heavily in research facilities.” Recently, ASML invested over 80 million euros in its collaboration with the university, which is partly used to build a cleanroom on campus. “Thank God TU/e is located in the Brainport. That’s good for both the university and the Brainport itself.”