Jitske Hirs’ Post

We offer Logistic companies to participate in our AINed AI innovation lab for the logistic sector to develop innovative solutions for the sector. The first project is developed and will focus on more digital handle border crossing of logistic traffic by the use of AI tech norm engineering. More project need to be defined for the coming t years. See: https://lnkd.in/etDpmFkE

This is what real powerhouses do: they invest in their future potential. While there may be a hidden agenda behind it, the students stand to gain significantly from this collaboration between a leading company and a top university. This union creates a bridge between the future workforce and the boundless potential of young minds who will enter the field in three to four years. It’s a strategic move that benefits everyone involved, driving innovation and preparing students for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow.

This week, I was in the city of Hasselt to join and wrap-up the inspiring ESNI meeting perfectly organised by Niels Hellings, Bieke Broux, Kim Pannemans and the amazing team of BIOMED-UHasselt/ UHasselt/ University MS Center (UMSC)! The amazing line-up of speakers gave huge amounts of inspiration to speculate in the wrap-up on the future of neuroimmunology: 🔬Increasing resolution and precision to analyse cells and tissues due to technological developments and conceptual advancements. 🧩 Growing number of diseases where neuroimmunology can help to understand its disease (inflammatory) process or come up with smarter therapeutic solutions. 👥️ Better understanding of disease subgroups and overarching phenotypes by more precize and granular 🩻 clinical, 🧬genetic and 🧪 immunological phenotyping of people with neuroimmunological diseases. 🌍 More connections between researchers worldwide to synergise and address the most important questions! #weareneuroimmunology ISNI International Society of Neuroimmunology Nederlands Herseninstituut Erasmus MC - MS Center ErasMS

"Patients are waiting"... This speaks to me so much & is why I work! Since 2004, 19 researchers have received this prestigious recognition, five of whom later won the Nobel Prize for their innovative breakthroughs! Learn more about how this award drives innovation and advancement in biomedical research, and continues the legacy of Dr. Paul Janssen. https://bit.ly/3WSuS9u

Digitalisation, sustainability: museums encounter many challenges. A great initiative by the Museumvereniging: here is a tool to check out relevant possibillities for subsidies and loans for museums in the Netherlands. This saves museums a lot of time, so they can concentrate on actually writing applications which could work!

Spin-off eXia Belgium was cited by Prof. Peter Schelkens, vice-rector elect Innovation & Valorisation, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), as “an excellent example of serendipity and out-of-the box thinking” Great words to summarise 15 years of academic research, translating fundamental and application-oriented contributions in electric field sensing and imaging into a unique life-saving product with tangible societal impact. It was indeed quite a winding course into largely unchartered research territory, addressing a vast range of very diverse and sometimes surprising applications, that eventually lead to Active Sideguard, the world’s first ruggedised blind spot collision avoidance system pioneering low-frequency electric field sensing. However, we could not have done this without the unwavering support of the research group ETRO.RDI, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, imec.istart, and PMV. A big thank you also to all eXia team members, former members, and friends.  We built this success on your passion, relentless efforts, and sacrifices. #vub #etro_rdi #imec #imecistart #pmv #exia #activesideguard #blindspotaccidents

Well-deserved and much-needed! ERC Consolidator Grant worth €1.9 million awarded to Pieter Paul Verhaege and Nikos Deligiannis for their groundbreaking research focusing on enhancing collaboration between smart machines and addressing persistent social inequalities.

Yesterday I had the pleasure to represent our LanDO network of university diversity officers at the symposium of the diversity and inclusion network of the Vereniging Hogescholen, the netwerk of Dutch universities of applied sciences. For several reasons, all of us have a joint interest in tearing down the walls that separate the silos of the different 'levels' of tertiary/higher education. To begin with, especially first generation students, students with a migrant background, and students facing extra obstacles - e.g. with chronic disorders - are 'stacking' their education: after having completed a first year in one of those 'silos' they continue their educational journey at the next silo. Another reason to create more collaboration and traffic between the silos is that we know that all our students will eventually work in an interprofessional context, working with colleagues with a different background and study. However, our educational system is not making it easy for them to meet and work with each other across those silos. Finally, I'm convinced it would be ideal if we could together with different HE institutions in a particular city/region present a shared outreach program. Instead of all institutions approaching high schools and their pupils separately and potentially overwhelming these pupils with our representatives and information, we should together develop a program and package and help schools and pupils to find their way in the information package/market we're jointly offering to them. A joint 'pre-university program' that we would offer high schools in Amsterdam together with the two A'dam universities, multiple uni's of applied sciences, and professional art/music institutions. So our Dutch network of academic diversity officers is looking forward to working with the colleagues of Vereniging Hogescholen! University of Amsterdam #centraldiversityoffice #diversityequityinclusion

Last week I visited my US based CM.com colleagues in Detroit, it’s great to see how things are progressing here. All our new messaging channels and AI powered Software is really taking off here and make our respected clients, like U-Haul, very happy. I also got the chance to meet many of our investors in Chicago, New York and Boston. It’s great to be able to disscuss our latest developments in real person with them. Especially our ‘one stop shop for conversational commerce strategy’ was very well received. This week I’m spending time with a delagation from Breda to discuss the future value proposition of our hometown. Amongst others I’m here with the mayor, the deputy mayor, the deputy commander of the Dutch defence academy, the GM of Amgen Netherlands, the CEO of the regional development organisation BOM (Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij), the CFO of the Amphia hospital, the CFO of Breda University of Applied Sciences, a board member of Avans Hogeschool, a cofounder of Handpicked agencies, and other great and inspiring entrepreneurs and people from Gemeente Breda and other officials. We’re visiting many businesses, developers, coworkingspaces, manufacturers, incubators, governmental organisations, in Boston and New York, in order to get inspired for a new and compelling economic vision for Breda; the formation of a true Innovation District for Breda. My personal mission is to sell the idea of transforming the CM headquarters into CM Campus, an open, inspiring and vibrant place, with ample facilities like a restaurant, a gym, a conference center, open for not only our valued CM colleagues, but also for related business (including professional services, like accountants and lawyers) and startups in Breda, a truly ecosystem for attracting and retaining talent for the region, I was born and raised and hope to be able to live in much longer. I really believe that CM Campus, together with others, can be great Anchor for the new Innovation District development in Breda. It’s still a long shot, because the city of Breda can be sometimes very restrictive in terms of rules and regulations, but I believe Boston and New York are the best places to be inspired about how ecosystems of thriving companies around leading universities can really work. My first insight is that in the end we all want the same. To make Breda a green and inclusive city without borders, where tech companies can apply technology to really solve problems in a creative way. Regardless if they are in Gaming, Robotics, AI, Software, Life Sciences or any other technology.

To all infectious disease diagnostics start-ups (active or looking to be active) in the Netherlands: The P3Dx program (TNO) is looking to provide support for companies that are solving challenges around: 1. New assay/methods for POC pathogen detection (biochemical/molecular/biophysics) 2. Platform technologies such as lab-on-a-chip. 3. Data sharing solutions that can supercharge metadata transfer between national repositories and locations of care (at-home, POC). The goal of the program is to provide a financial push into solving a specific innovation challenge you are facing and to provide in-kind support (experts, mentors, workshops, etc.) Interested in learning more? Reach out to me or visit: https://lnkd.in/e9ybRFRA