Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) is located in a highly industrialized region, known as ‘Brainport’. This region is internationally recognized as a top technology area with a special focus on the integration of design and technology.­

When TU/e started discussions with the­ creative industries in 2000, they­ expressed the wish for a new type of­ academic engineer.­ These engineers should combine insights ­into different fields of knowledge, as ­integrators of visions and ‘problemfinders’. ­In essence they should be the­ designers of Intelligent systems, products­ and related services, addressing aspects­ such as adaptive behavior, context­ awareness and highly dynamic­ interaction. These systems meet the ­needs of today’s users or, even better,­ offer new, breakthrough possibilities­ leading to societal transformations.­

For these reasons the new Department of ­Industrial Design (ID), the ninth at TU/e,­ chose a specific new field within­ Industrial design matching the ­development, expertise and interests of­ the surrounding and international ­industries: the Design of Intelligent Systems, Products and related Services in a Societal Context. Related to this an innovative educational approach was­ developed for students in this new field,­ based on competency-centered learning,­ with integration of education and­ research as one of the fundamental­ starting points of a university program. ­Research was gradually built up from­ 2002 onwards, resulting in four well­ established research groups integrating­ their expertise.­ The Department has set up a valuable ­international network, with staff and ­students originating from more than­ 25 different nationalities worldwide.­

Since the ambition of the department is to create systems and product that have an impact in society we cannot do this alone. The current (and future) Grand Challenges are too complex to be resolved by a single department in a single university. Strong collaboration will be necessary to not only create new combinations of Products and Services but also to analyze their impact in society. In CRISP we see an invaluable link not only to our partner universities but also to industrial and societal partners where we can align our research and education agenda’s and jointly further develop this highly promising field. 

Participating in project: