Cost-cutting techniques to build wind farms, innovative batteries and more effective drugs to cure cancer are examples of inventions by scientists in the Netherlands that improve our lives. Over the next seven years, Minister Bruins is allocating 19.39 million euros to the Faculty of Impact to offer scientists a tailored guidance program to get their innovations to market quickly. Scientists can apply starting today.
Minister Bruins (Education, Culture and Science): “We have world-class scientific research in the Netherlands. But converting research into a product, starting a company or seeking funding to take your innovation further is an entirely different ballgame. With this programme we ensure that more research is of immediate value to people and companies. Science can thus contribute to our future welfare.''
This Faculty of Impact exists for two years now. The idea for this programme came from Berkeley and was taken up by Prince Constantine of Techleap, UNL and NWO, among others.
From an idea to practice
The two-year Faculty of Impact programme holds the middle ground between a tailored business administration course and actually founding a company. Scientists receive hands-on training on such topics as founding a company, marketing, patents, financing opportunities, presentation skills that are taught by people entrepreneurs, investors, lawyers and patent experts. During those two years, under the guidance of those people, the scientists also explore the market, funding opportunities and thus actually take steps towards realizing and putting their idea into practice.
NWO is conducting the selection process. The first ten scientists have completed the programme, and 14 others are now almost a year in. The results are good, which is why Bruins is now making funds available for seven years. Universities are also contributing. It is expected that in that time about 100 scientists will be able to follow the program. They can register annually. Only the innovative ideas with market potential and impact are selected. A committee of experts, set up by NWO, reviews the plans. The idea behind the program is to make more use of the potential of science. Especially now that there is less money for research and science, it is a waste if good research remains on the shelf. The program is designed so that more scientists can be supervised in the future, if there is money to do so.
First results promising
Initial results look promising. Some examples of scientists moving towards an application of value to society:
- Building offshore wind farms smarter
Offshore wind turbines are vital for generating green energy. But their construction is now often done by driving them hard into the ground, using large machines. This generates a lot of noise and is bad for the environment. Stas Verichev, from TU Delft, has invented a way to vibrate wind turbines into the ground with a rotary motion. Less nuisance, cheaper, and better for the environment. The first trials with limited-diameter tubes have now been successful. - Batteries without rare metals
We increasingly use batteries, including for storing renewable energy. Problem: these are made of lithium, and other rare metals. Aytac Yilmaz of TU Delft invented a battery made of iron, air and water, components that are much cheaper and easier to extract. He is now in talks about first pilots of his batteries in the Netherlands and Germany and plans are in place for an initial pilot factory to start producing the batteries. - Lung cancer better detection
Of all types of cancer, lung cancer claims the most deaths. This is partly because it is often detected late. Joric Oude Vrielink of TU Eindhoven has developed robotic technology that allows much more precise biopsies to be taken from suspicious spots. Cancer can thus be detected earlier, with a greater chance of cure. He has conducted first successful tests of parts of the technology and is now working on integration into scanners.