Han van Kasteren and Patrick van Schijndel from the TU/e Innovation Lab have just returned from Indonesia. At three universities in Medan, Yogyakarta and Mataram they have given workshops about the collaboration between knowledge institutions and the business community. Van Schijndel: “Usually small entrepreneurs are not connected with the scientific circuit. They do come up against problems, but do not know who to turn to. Mediation is required, then.”

From their own background as chemical engineers these two gentlemen focus on sustainable energy in particular. Rising energy costs and exhausted sources call for innovative solutions - not only in the Netherlands, but worldwide. “There is no escaping collaboration between businesses and knowledge institutions. Ideas are generated through interaction; that awareness we want to convey,” says Van Schijndel. The reactions are surprising. “Universities thought that entrepreneurs had no questions, whereas the latter did not know where to take their questions in order to get answers. Meanwhile the first steps towards cooperation have been made.”

There is a project about to get started at Anton de Kom University in Surinam as well. Together with engineering firm Ingenia the Innovation Lab is helping to set up an expertise center for sustainable energy. “Take the rice plant. The grain is just an element. It is a waste not to use the residual waste. In the expertise center people research how it can be converted into usable energy”, Van Schijndel explains./.