Sounds like an no-brainer, doesn't it? So perhaps it isn't surprising that this school, which actually exists in Paris, had 80,000 applicants this last year. After sitting a couple of tests and spending a month plowing through various assignments, a select 1000 souls were actually enrolled. This l’Ecole 42, founded with the millions of a good-natured French billionaire (where are the Dutch benefactors?!), requires no previous knowledge at all, sets no learning objectives, and consists solely of game-based assignments that students, without the help of lecturers (of which there aren't any), work in teams to solve. All of this is designed to develop creativity, cooperation and entrepreneurship. 

This past week some of our innoSpace team members made a lightning visit to this programming school to gain inspiration. Naturally, as ex-student-team-and-current-innoSpace fanboys, we think this is a marvelous example of challenge-based learning. With a wealth of inspiration to offer. Still, we happen to think that we can do things just a little bit better and, what's more, that we've got the perfect opportunity right here in Eindhoven without having to spend hundreds of millions (although come to think of it, it would make a nice target for a 'fourth category of funding'. Take a leaf out of the book of the dockers at Erasmus University Rotterdam). 

No French billionaire can compete with that

Here's how it works: At l'Ecole42 they train programmers using intrinsic motivation as the main driver of success. In Eindhoven, by contrast, we can make use of a unique ecosystem of companies and researchers who will provide interdisciplinary teams with real-life challenges (instead of made-up French games). This can generate even more intrinsic motivation. No French billionaire can compete with that. 

This past week our own Team Solid showed once again how valuable this kind of student team can be. Together with industrial partners and researchers at TU/e, they are busy developing metal fuels, in which metal is used as the renewable energy carrier. To further develop this idea, they quickly rustled up 50,000 euros. Nice work boys, it's time to crack open another bottle of champagne! 

Let's pop the champagne

Because we wouldn't mind drinking champagne a little more often, here's an important announcement. Exams are finally over, a brand new quarter has begun and we know for sure that you guys are bursting with great ideas again. Of course, there is only one place on campus where you can transform these ideas into something beautiful. That's why we are throwing the doors of the Gaslab open wide in the second quarter to ALL dedicated self-starters at TU/e, so you can come and build prototypes, fiddle around, work up ideas, hold meetings, drink coffee, set up a business, go bust, you name it. No registration needed, just turn up. See you in the Gaslab!

Students Tom Selten (Innovation Sciences) and Bas Verkaik (Mechanical Engineering) are very much involved with the TU/e innovation Space. They will be blogging about what's really going on within the four walls of the Gaslab, where the hotspot of innovation is located.