Eindhoven Engine News – March 2026
In this edition of Eindhoven Engine News: Building a sustainable semiconductor industry together, two grants, each 50K for Livable region and Inclusive society & more.
What else is happening at Eindhoven Engine?
A digital twin prototype for healthy living
The Smart Cities project reached the next milestone as Veron Augustine Afonso translated earlier academic system‑dynamics research by EngD researcher Golnoosh Sabahifard into a validated and interactive simulation model. This new model shows how environmental, social, and behavioral factors shape healthy living in neighborhoods.
A practical tool for smarter urban decisions
Built in Vensim, the model turns complex theory into a clear, usable tool that allows stakeholders to explore “what‑if” scenarios. For example, how reducing noise or improving social cohesion affects wellbeing over time. It is modular, transparent, and ready to evolve into future digital twin applications across the region.
Shaping a more livable region
With Veron’s successful completion of this phase Maria Mihailova will take the project forward, focusing on designing an interactive dashboard for a broad group of municipal and regional partners. This strong foundation positions the Smart Cities project as a key enabler of evidence‑based decision‑making: helping cities design healthier, smarter, and more livable communities for everyone.
- Interested in joining or learning more? Please contact Walter Baets for more information.
Welcome our new EngD trainee: Ana Hernández Madonado
We are excited to welcome Ana Hernández Madonado, who joined the Eindhoven Engine team last year as part of the Mechatronics System Design EngD program. As an EngD trainee, Ana is contributing to an impactful in-house project focused on accelerating the transition toward a climate‑neutral Brainport region by 2040.
Ana’s project is in close cooperation with Rijkswaterstaat TU/e and Eindhoven Engine. The work began with an exploration of opportunities for water reuse and regeneration within the Brainport region. Building on these early findings, Ana is now conducting an integrated systems analysis to better understand how natural systems, regional infrastructure, and human activities interact.
Her research involves defining system boundaries, mapping key actors, and identifying critical interdependencies across the region. This integrated approach supports the development of a shared regional understanding, an essential step for effective collaboration between stakeholders.
Supporting the Brainport region’s climate-neutral future
The insights from this project will help guide the Brainport region in its transition toward climate neutrality, providing a robust foundation for informed decision-making and future sustainable solutions. By emphasizing system integration and stakeholder alignment, Ana’s work underscores the vital role of collaboration in achieving long‑term environmental impact.
We warmly welcome Ana to Eindhoven Engine and look forward to following her contributions throughout her EngD journey!
Building a sustainable semiconductor industry together
How Eindhoven Engine tackles the complex challenges of the future
The semiconductor industry is the powerhouse of the Brainport region. With global leaders like ASML and a strong high-tech supply chain, the sector delivers world‑class technology. But with this growth comes a crucial task: moving toward a sustainable and circular semiconductor value chain.
At Eindhoven Engine, Janne Brok, Managing Director and Program Manager of Sustainable Semicon, plays a crucial role in a project that aims to make exactly this difference: the Circular Business Program Semicon* project. Its approach is multidisciplinary, and above all, collaborative. “We are facing a challenge that no single company can solve on its own,” Brok says. “So we need to learn to collaborate in ways that are new for this industry.”
* The Circular Business Program Semicon (CBPS) is a regional initiative focused on accelerating circularity in the semiconductor industry in the Brainport region. Partners include Brainport Industries, ImpactX, Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij, ASML, VDL ETG, Prodrive Technologies, Neways, KMWE, ERIKS, HQ Pack, Meilink, Aalberts Advanced Mechatronics, TNO, TU/e, Eindhoven Engine, and Fontys.
We are facing a challenge that no single company can solve on its own,” Brok says. “So we need to learn to collaborate in ways that are new for this industry.”
The societal urgency: from linear to circular
Although ASML machines have a long lifespan, sometimes up to thirty years, the real challenge lies in their maintenance. Parts are replaced quickly and often out of necessity, in order to guarantee the extremely high uptime required in chip factories. Damaged or partially functioning modules are too often set aside unused, even though they still contain both material and functional value. The problem is not primarily technical. Brok explains: “Technology is something we usually can solve here in Brainport. What makes this really complex are the business models, data exchange, logistics, quality assurance, and above all: how do you distribute costs and benefits in a circular model?” This turns the issue into a systemic challenge — a complex interplay of interests, processes, business structures, and power relations within an extremely refined supply chain.
The Eindhoven Engine approach: a new way of working together
Where bilateral collaboration (ASML and supplier) has been the norm for decades, Eindhoven Engine chooses a radically multilateral approach. The CBPS project brings ASML, first-tier suppliers, Fontys, TU/e, TNO and students to the same table, as equal partners in change.
Eindhoven Engine serves as a neutral orchestrator, creating an inspiring environment where experimentation can thrive. It supports partners by jointly analyzing processes and key decision points, offering clear insights into value creation, CO₂ impact, and opportunities for reuse. This collaborative approach helps establish agreements and solutions that benefit the entire chain. Acting as an independent facilitator, Eindhoven Engine operates without commercial interests. Its focus remains on the collective good, supported by strong expertise in guiding system innovation.
Through the involvement of students, the project maps out processes, data flows, and reuse opportunities, often revealing insights that companies find difficult to uncover themselves. Currently, three students from both HBO and WO institutions are working on the project together with partners.
Our role is to create a sandbox where companies can experiment safely,” Brok says. “We set the conditions, invite the right people, and help teams move from individual interests to collective goals.”
The strength of the ecosystem: prepared for shared responsibility
That all parties, ASML, first-tier suppliers, knowledge institutions, and Eindhoven Engine, now sit together at one table is, according to Brok, already a breakthrough. “The fact that companies are willing to look beyond their own business models says a lot. It is new, exciting, and sometimes complex. But there is a shared understanding: this is necessary, and it must be done together.” The semiconductor industry moves at high speed, is driven by strong economic incentives, and operates within global geopolitical dynamics. That makes the transition challenging, but also full of opportunity. “We hold a unique position in the global semiconductor landscape. If we can demonstrate here that circularity works, it can set a worldwide standard.”
An invitation to the wider ecosystem
Eindhoven Engine invites the broader semiconductor value chain to join. Not only tier 2, 3, and 4 suppliers, but also unexpected partners: companies that can contribute value through logistics, digitization, recycling, consumer insights, or entirely different domains. “We need more perspectives to expand our solution space. Anyone who believes they can contribute is welcome. This is a system challenge, and therefore a shared responsibility.”
- Interested in joining or learning more? Please contact Janne Brok for more information.
Eindhoven Engine receives 50K grant for sustainable upscaling of Mijke the Matchbot
We are pleased to announce that Eindhoven Engine has been awarded 50K. This funding will support the sustainable upscale of Mijke the Matchbot. Mijke is our AI‑powered digital assistant. She is designed to make service delivery more accessible, reliable, and inclusive across the region.
What is Mijke the Matchbot?
Mijke the Matchbot is an AI-driven digital assistant developed at Eindhoven Engine that helps individuals find the right public or social services quickly and easily. The feasibility of the concept has already been validated: Mijke can guide users through complex information, streamline referrals, and reduce barriers to essential support. The next step is ensuring that this innovation can scale responsibly, securely, and effectively within the European context.
Focus of the new project: two core developments
1. Exploring locally hosted LLMs for European‑aligned privacy and autonomy
A key part of this project is assessing the feasibility of running large language models (LLMs) locally, rather than relying on external cloud services. This approach enables:
- Privacy-by-design, with sensitive data fully protected
- Greater autonomy and resilience for public organizations
- Predictable, controllable operational costs
- Alignment with European data governance requirements and regulations
This exploration is essential for ensuring that Mijke can be deployed widely and responsibly within public and social sectors.
2. Creating a continuous user feedback loop
To ensure long-term quality and trustworthiness, the project will design and test a structured user feedback system. This mechanism enables real-time improvement of:
- Referral accuracy
- Reliability of information
- Overall accessibility of the digital assistant
By embedding user experience directly into ongoing development, Mijke will evolve in step with the needs of residents, professionals, and service organizations.
The next step is ensuring that this innovation can scale responsibly, securely, and effectively within the European context.
In collaboration with Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) feasibility studies and pilots will be conducted within the Eindhoven Metropolitan Region (MRE). The project aims to deliver a scalable, privacy-friendly, and inclusive digital solution that strengthens accessible public and social service delivery and supports long-term regional impact.”
Media: Building the water systems of the future together
- Read more [article is in Dutch]
Eindhoven Engine receives another 50K to accelerate climate‑neutral Brainport region by 2040
We are proud and delighted to announce that our project Brainport Circulaire Waterhub – From Isolated Initiatives to Collective Water Management has been awarded a 50K Kennis‑in‑Actie grant for Collectief Waterbeheer Oost‑Brabant. This support marks an important milestone in our joint program with Rijkswaterstaat to help the Brainport region become climate neutral by 2040.
A shared challenge, a collective opportunity
The rapidly growing Brainport region faces a significant water challenge. Urban expansion, industrial demand, and the effects of climate change mean that by 2040 we must retain more water locally and extract far less. At the same time, our region is uniquely positioned to lead the way. Brainport’s strong collaborative culture, where government, businesses, knowledge institutions, and society work hand in hand, creates fertile ground for innovative solutions.
This project embraces that strength. Together, we aim to transition from fragmented water initiatives to a cohesive, future-proof model of collective water management. Our ambition is to enable the same water to be used multiple times across companies, public authorities, agriculture, and households, before returning it to nature in the highest possible quality.
Collaboration at the heart
Eindhoven Engine will serve as project lead, working closely with a diverse and committed consortium:
- Eindhoven Engine
- Kloostersland
- Sustainable Dynamics
- TU/e Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences
- TU/e Mechanical Engineering
- vanderPoll office
This powerful coalition embodies the Brainport spirit: multidisciplinary, innovative, and united by a common purpose.
Ambition in action
This six-month exploratory project started in February 2026 and brings together technical expertise, scientific insights and practical experience. Through co-creation, we will investigate the process step to create a regional circular water system with stakeholder, laying the groundwork for broader implementation across Oost‑Brabant.
The grant enables us to deepen this journey and make the lessons learned available for other locations.
Media: How can we keep Eindhoven’s air as clean as possible?
Anyone who lives in Eindhoven breathes a different mix of exhaust fumes, dust particles and fresh air every day. But where exactly the air is most polluted, and who is most affected, remained unclear for a long time. That’s why the Municipality of Eindhoven, TNO, Zicht op Data, TU/e and Fontys are working together within Eindhoven Engine on DynaPopeX: an innovative approach that shows where residents inhale high concentrations of fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide, and how the city can take targeted action.
Thanks to funding from the Regio Deal, these insights are now sharper than ever.
Source: Brainport Eindhoven
Photography: Nick Bookelaar
You can’t do this as a single organisation. The strength lies in the collaboration between the municipality, knowledge institutions and companies, which makes insights faster and more widely applicable.
Climate-neutral Brainport 2040: Circular water hubs
We proudly announce a landmark collaboration between Eindhoven Engine, Rijkswaterstaat, and a coalition of visionary partners. This agreement, officially kicked off during the Festival of Disruption 2025, marks a decisive step toward achieving a climate-neutral Brainport by 2040 through circular water hubs. Among those present at this milestone: Patricia Zorko, Deputy Director-General at Rijkswaterstaat, and Silvia Lenaerts, Rector Magnificus of TU/e.
Why does it matter?
Water scarcity is no longer a distant threat—it’s a pressing reality already impacting the Netherlands, especially during increasingly dry summers. By 2030, we will need an additional 100 million m³ of drinking water every year to meet growing demand. Without bold action, structural shortages could disrupt households, industries, and ecosystems. In the Brainport region, this challenge is even more urgent due to climate change, rapid economic growth, and fragile sandy soils.
Our solution: circular water hubs
We are building a regenerative water system that not only uses water but actively restores and strengthens the natural cycle. Our guiding principle: Every drop you receive should be returned at least as clean—ideally cleaner—so nature benefits too.
This approach connects to other societal challenges such as nitrogen, energy, raw materials, and food. It’s a wicked problem that demands integrated, multidisciplinary collaboration. Eindhoven Engine acts as the orchestrator, leveraging expertise from TU/e, Fontys, Avans, and Yuverta, alongside key partners including businesses, the Ministry of Defence, Brabant Water/Rehydro, and Waterschap De Dommel. Rijkswaterstaat contributes innovationsite Kloosters from InnovA58 and its assets—such as the Wilhelmina Canal and highways—to enable this transformation.
The commitment
The collaboration runs for four years, with the intention to extend. This agreement forms part of Rijkswaterstaat’s sustainability strategy, with Eindhoven Engine leading as regional orchestrator within the University 4.0 hub. A budget of €800,000 has been allocated to kick-start this initiative. By integrating technical, societal and organizational innovations we improve our ability to tackle complex problems.
Every drop you receive should be returned at least as clean—ideally cleaner—so nature benefits too.
Brabant invests €2 million in sustainable chip production
Brabant is known for its strong semiconductor sector. With the Innovation Coalition Circular Semicon (ICCS), the province of North Brabant will help companies in the chip industry produce smarter, more sustainably, and future-proof starting today. The province is allocating €2 million to accelerate this circular transition.
Together with leading companies, knowledge institutions, and intermediaries, the province supports businesses in gaining better access to raw materials, reducing dependence on foreign suppliers, and designing products with circular principles. “With this coalition, we are taking a significant step toward a future-proof economy,” says Martijn van Gruijthuijsen, Provincial Executive for Economy, Knowledge, and Talent Development in North Brabant.
Less waste, more autonomy
ICCS focuses on smarter use of materials, extending product lifespans, and reusing components. This contributes to strategic autonomy: companies become less dependent on scarce raw materials and international suppliers, enabling them to respond better to market changes.
In addition to initiators Brainport Industries, ImpactX, and the Brabant Development Agency (BOM), companies such as ASML, VDL ETG, Prodrive Technologies, Neways, KMWE, ERIKS, HQ Pack, Meilink, and Aalberts Advanced Mechatronics are contributing their knowledge, experience, and financial resources. Knowledge partners like TNO, TU/e, Eindhoven Engine, and Fontys also provide research and expertise.
What does this mean for Brabant residents?
A circular semiconductor sector will create more jobs in Brabant, especially in technical and service-oriented roles. Moreover, products will become more affordable and sustainable through smarter use of materials and components—good for both the environment and consumers’ wallets.
Brabant as a driving force for national and European innovation
The coalition’s circular ambitions will take shape through concrete projects. For example, a fault analysis and repair center will be established where companies can inspect and restore machine components. A digital tool will also be developed to show which parts can be reused. Furthermore, the parties will create a plan and tools to help companies adopt circular practices more easily. The first results are expected in 2026.
Source: www.brabant.nl
Original text: Brabant investeert samen met het bedrijfsleven ruim 4 miljoen in duurzame chipproductie | Brabant