Get ready to be inspired – join us at the Festival of Disruption!
We are excited to share that we are entering a new phase—an era where we initially focused on identifying technological innovations to solve societal challenges. Now, we are diving deep into the complex challenges our society faces. Bring your expertise and collaborate with us to turn multifaceted, complex, and ever-changing ‘wicked problems’ into sustainable, impactful solutions.
Keynote
The balance between the technical and social dimensions of energy transition
Heleen de Coninck, professor of Socio-Technical Innovation and Climate Change at Eindhoven University of Technology
As a leading climate expert, Heleen will demonstrate how technological innovation must go hand in hand with an understanding of societal dynamics to create real progress in the shift toward sustainable energy systems.
Disrupt your Mind workshops
Get ready for disruptive, thought-provoking workshops that will empower you to tackle wicked problems head-on. We are excited to announce our first workshops:
System thinking x design thinking
Chiara Treglia (Tini studio)
An interactive workshop on the integration of System and Design Thinking methodologies, designed to help you learn and work towards creating sustainable solutions with significant impact.
Wicked problems & the role of academia: the 4th generation university
Maarten Steinbuch, Marcel Bogers & Miko Balthaus (TU/e)
How can the university contribute to solving the complex problems of modern-day society? Is its current form up to the task? Do we need to look at new forms of academia? Come find out at this interactive workshop on innovation models, the knowledge society, and the 4th generation university!
Embracing Complexity in Transitions
Amber Geurts & Marlien Sneller (TNO Vector)
In an era of multifaceted societal challenges, the quest for disruptive solutions is more critical than ever. However, the dispersed efforts are not able to create the right environment for complex changes. For this to change, we need to embrace complexity in transitions and develop our collective capacity to act for innovative sustainable solutions to develop and become dominant. This workshop invites you to explore the intricate web of solutions and stakeholders, and their interconnections, in crafting effective transition pathways that disrupt conventional markets. Join us in recognizing the complexity of this challenge to drive meaningful change.
Intro to CSRD: Building Sustainability Impact
Sahar N. Soudani & U.J. Chiang (Impact X)
Gain insight into a basic introduction to the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and its importance in driving sustainability impact.
Managing sustainability performance of companies in the context of circular and sustainable transitions
Yvonne van Lith (Fontys)
In this workshop, we will outline the ecosystem for circularity in Brabant from the viewpoint of Fontys as an educational institute engaged in applied research. We invite you to share your insights into the main questions around three central topics: collaboration in the value chain, regulations and directives that help or hinder circularity, and awareness and engagement in society.
‘Aahh ik snap het niet!!’
Bridge builders team (Eindhoven Engine)
Experience the complexity of having a lack in basic skills in our society and take action together with us! Discover your perspective and help build an inclusive society.
Livable region: What’s on our mind?
Walter Baets (Eindhoven Engine)
In this experience-based workshop, we co-create with you a common understanding of a livable region. We aim to challenge current visions of the livable region in order to co-create a more systemic understanding.
Join the circular café – Co-creating a circular society
Institute 4 a Circular Society (EWUU Alliance)
The need to move from a “take, make, waste” approach to a sustainable, circular society has never been more urgent. Our current habits of production and consumption are draining resources, driving climate change, polluting the environment, and threatening biodiversity. We believe the solution lies in transdisciplinary research—bringing together researchers, stakeholders, and society to tackle these complex issues collaboratively.
In this relaxed Café-style workshop, you’ll work in small, transdisciplinary groups to explore key circular dilemmas in water, food, and land use. Over several rounds of discussion, you’ll co-create ideas, insights, and solutions. In this interactive format, your unique ideas count, whether they come from your personal experiences or professional work. We want to show you how collaboration with others from diverse fields can spark new, innovative ideas!
You’ll also learn how the institute for a Circular Society, part of the EWUU alliance, can support your circularity journey. We’ll introduce our programs and resources like seed funding, research support, and “pressure cooker” sessions—all designed to help turn your ideas into action.
Envisioning Futures with Dementia: Exploring Aesthetics and Ethics of Personalized Agents
Adhi Raja & Rucha Khot (TU/e)
As technology like chatbots and social robots becomes more personalized and woven into daily life, their potential to create inclusive, empathetic, and compassionate social experiences for people with dementia grows. We invite designers, engineers, caregivers, ethicists, and anyone interested in learning about these fields to join us in a hands-on, multidisciplinary exploration aimed at shaping empathetic, dementia-friendly technologies using roleplay and generative AI techniques. Adhi Raja
Program
| 11:30 – 12:30 | Walk-in – Sandwiches & drinks |
| 12:30 – 12:50 | Welcome – Maarten Steinbuch & Janne Brok, Directors Eindhoven Engine Wicked problems demand impactful solutions – Walter Baets, Wicked Problems officer Eindhoven Engine |
| 12:50 – 13:30 | Keynote: The balance between the technical and social dimensions of energy transition Heleen de Koninck, professor of Socio-Technical Innovation and Climate Change at TU/e |
| 13:30 – 14:00 | Break |
| 14:00 – 14:45 | Disrupt your Mind workshops round 1 |
| 14:45 – 15:15 | Break |
| 15:15 – 16:00 | Disrupt your Mind workshops round 2 |
| 16:00 – 16:45 | Wrap-up theater |
| 16:45 – 17:30 | Network | drinks & bites |
Our focus areas
Currently, Eindhoven Engine focuses on the following four wicked problems:
- Inclusive Society
Bridging the gap for the 2.5 million people in the Netherlands who lack basic skills. - Livable Region
Tackling the energy transition and ensuring access to electricity for everyone. - Future-Proof Care
Rethinking healthcare with an emphasis on prevention and vitality. - Sustainable Semicon
Innovating in circularity and reducing CO2 emissions in industries.
We start by making these problems understandable and then transform them into sustainable, impactful solutions. We always use technology with a purpose, and our solutions are co-created with those experiencing the problems.
What you will gain
- First hand learning from the experience of Eindhoven Engine
- Learn how we co-create solutions with the very people who live these problems, using tech as a tool for meaningful change.
- Enhance your awareness around impact, meaning and the positive role that tech can play
- Develop your agile innovation skills and business model innovation
- Become comfortable in the complexity of our current world, in order to develop your capacity to solve wicked problems
Get ready to be inspired. Get ready to disrupt. Sign up now and see you on November 28!
“Wicked problems demand impactful solutions—let’s co-create a future where innovation meets purpose.”
