ENGLISH SUMMARY

SUMMARY

In 2021, the University of Twente (UT) celebrated its 60th anniversary. Thanks to the total commitment of our staff, we were able to maintain our excellent education. We achieved outstanding results in our research fields in the second year, in which COVID-19 left a strong mark on our institution. Our institutional strategy, Shaping2030, drives us to prepare for the society of the future whilst cherishing the core values that we adopted at our foundation in 1961, a University that has elevated its societal impact in its lifetime. Our ambition is to contribute to developing a fair, sustainable, and digital society. Despite the constantly changing conditions for work and studying in 2021, we kept working on achieving our ambitions. In the constant battle with workloads, the Executive Board set priorities for 2021: ECIU University, the VU-UT and Apeldoorn hubs, personal development, lifelong learning, strengthening the master programmes, and digital transformation. This annual report also includes some of the dilemmas that we have faced: admissibility to our programmes, the element of growth, and the issue of threats from individuals that some of our academics are facing after contributing to the public debate.

SHAPING SOCIETY

Shaping society requires a multi-disciplinary approach to empower people and thus create a true impact. One of the means with the most significant impact is the availability of high-quality academic education. In 2021, we continued to provide small-scale education at a high level, training our students to become leaders of change who think out of the box and understand the interaction between science, technology, and society. Our new master’s vision aims to increase the number of master’s students and strengthen our position as a research University. Focusing on master programmes will reinforce the synergy between education and research and contribute to enhancing those programmes on the one hand and delivering the highly qualified academic and technical talents that the labour market is asking for on the other hand. As of 2019, we are building a European University with thirteen partner universities. Through this ECIU University, as it is called, we can experiment and ultimately implement new innovative concepts of research and education, such as Lifelong Learning, Challenge-based Learning, and microcredentials. In 2021, at least 19 out of our 33 master programmes included a Challenge-based Learning component. Our research is driven by academic curiosity. The resulting fundamental knowledge and techniques are used for the benefit of addressing societal challenges. We embrace Open Science, which is reflected in an increase of 279 published datasets in 2020 to 361 in 2021. Our research is also aimed at being translated into applied technologies and knowledge. Citizen science reinforces the challenge-based character of our research. Collaboration between researchers and citizens opens the academic process and improves the application of knowledge and technology in society. We also pay attention to the entrepreneurial component in our educational programmes and beyond. By our outward-looking perspective, we support the possibility of connecting our education and research to external needs.

SHAPING CONNECTIONS

Shaping connections is about networks. One of the most cherished networks is our alumni community. Together with our students, current employees and former employees, our alumni form a community of more than 70.000 people who connect us to the innovative companies, governments, and knowledge institutions across the globe. As a campus University, we are a valuable link between academia and society in the region, the Netherlands, and the world. UT scientists and more than 350 companies are active in the Artificial Intelligence hub in East Netherlands. These connections create an appealing business climate for new companies, bind researchers and digital talent to the region, and offer opportunities for acquiring funds. One of UT’s spearheads is its cooperation with Amsterdam’s Vrije Universiteit (VU). This co-operation aims to train more technical talent with a strong social drive. In addition to joint bachelor’s and master’s programmes, we are working on joint appointments for academics. We endeavour to connect and strengthen our ecosystems in the north of the Randstad and the east of the Netherlands. Various dossiers have been on the table in our collaboration within UNL, the

association of research universities in the Netherlands; many are linked to the pandemic, but on top of these: well-being, funding instruments, knowledge transfer, and knowledge safety. Through 4TU, the Federation of the four Dutch Technical Universities, we actively contribute to society’s demand for more technicians. In 2021, the new 4TU health centre was launched, aiming to become a strategic discussion partner and point of contact when it comes to the technical side of issues regarding healthcare and health. On an international level, the ambitions for developing as a truly international University were confirmed and strengthened in the ‘International Dimensions’ white paper, stressing the international composition of our student and staff body. Besides this, the networking in research education and innovation with our ECIU partners building a European University and the close collaboration with academia, governments and industry with a focus on our International Strategic Partners and countries.

SHAPING INDIVIDUALS

Shaping individuals is about putting people first and contributing to a fair, sustainable, and digital society. UT as a ‘people first’ University means providing a safe and inspiring work and study environment for our staff and students, and empowering individuals and organisations within society. An essential prerequisite for a safe and inspiring environment is integrity. In 2021, our policy of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) was developed. DEI is an essential aspect of our strategy. It touches on gender equality, the acceptance, recognition, and appreciation of the LGBTIQA+ community, and threats toward academics in the public debate. Our student numbers are increasing, and various activities have been organised to set them up for a successful time at UT. Besides top-notch education, we stimulate students to develop themselves in a broader sense through student activism. This truly sets the University of Twente apart from other Dutch universities. The basis of our organisation consists of professionals who add value, who are intrinsically motivated, and who move flexibly in a continuously changing environment. As a small University in the periphery of The Netherlands, it is a challenge to attract talented staff. In 2021, a new website was developed to increase visibility in the dynamic and tight labour market. Overall, the number of employees has increased. To realise the target figure of 25% of female professors in 2025, we started a new Hypatia campaign, and a Gender Equality Plan was set up to close the gender gap. Our ambition is to become known as the University where all individuals and teams flourish. At UT, we invest in sustainable employment through health and well-being programmes and developing talent. To increase the opportunities for academics with interest in teaching, we offer career prospects to foster educational talent.

FINANCES

The University concluded 2021 with a consolidated result of € -0.4 million. COVID-19 significantly impacted the financial results in 2021, as it did in 2020. This is reflected in higher government contributions from the National Education Programme (NPO) funds, compensation for the halving of tuition fees, and lower costs related to the ongoing travel restrictions and other limits caused by COVID-19. This increased income is offset by an increase in personnel costs, which is caused by the fact that we were able to fill our vacancies, which resulted in a rise in our workforce and one-off personnel costs.