More than ever in recent years TU/e has gained a good number of student teams, with their various dreams and objectives. They are all fishing in the same pond: the one full of enthusiastic, ambitious students who are keen to do a little bit extra in addition to their regular curriculum.

Meanwhile, according to Alex Pap, chief financial officer of URE, nearly all the teams are struggling with the same problem: too few members. This year in particular, recruitment is he says “extremely difficult”. One of the causes, he believes, lies in the image the teams have of being ‘inaccessible’. “Many students think the teams are only for really clever people and so they don't feel comfortable about joining. And a lot of people are worried about falling behind with their program - and these teams don't offer student grants”.

Accordingly Pap is very much in favor of the teams presenting themselves more often as a single entity, to both students and potential partners and other interested parties. He refers to the D:DREAM Hall at TU Delft. “With something like that you are making a statement about the kind of parties you work with, for example, and how professionally you play your game,” believes Pap.

And so, according to him, the teams are slowly but surely starting to talk together about “how we can all stay afloat. And about how we can convey our message from one and the same beating heart”. Because, as he puts it, “We are struggling with a problem and we as teams have to solve that together.”

The Meet & Greet on June 8 is for both partners and students and aims them together. The event begins at 10.45 hrs with a word of welcome by TU/e board vice president Jo van Ham; this is followed by a companies market (in the Auditorium), demonstrations (outdoors on the KOE field) and presentations. For more info and to sign up, visit the site.