News

Media: Innovation accelerator Eindhoven Engine enters new phase

As a society, we face numerous challenges. At Eindhoven Engine, a collaborative program between companies, knowledge institutions, social organizations and citizens in the Brainport region, work has been going on for years on innovations to address these problems. Now the program is breaking new ground.

Advancing energy flexibility in buildings

Transforming building energy management with smart control systems

The BuildInFlexergy project, funded by the Dutch Mission-Driven Research, Development, and Innovation (MOOI) program, is revolutionizing building energy flexibility. This is supported by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy and the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, and managed by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO). This four-year industry leading initiative unites 10 industry partners (including Eindhoven Engine) and 2 top universities (TU Eindhoven and TU Delft).

A unified approach to innovation

Coordinated and managed by Kropman B.V., the consortium includes installation companies, energy consultants, platform developers, building owners and managers, technology providers, and other experts. The aim is to foster open knowledge exchange and drive innovation through strategic collaboration and widespread dissemination of results.

Kick-off meeting 17th June, 2025 | Kropman Nijmegen

Buildings at the heart of the energy transition

As the energy sector shifts towards a decentralized, digital, and low-carbon future, buildings—significant consumers of electricity and thermal energy—are key to providing demand-side flexibility. This flexibility allows buildings to adjust their energy use in response to external signals like electricity prices, carbon intensity, or grid constraints, without sacrificing occupant comfort or essential functions.

Kick-off meeting 17th June, 2025 | Kropman Nijmegen

The power of model predictive control

Model Predictive Control (MPC) is a cutting-edge tool for optimizing building energy performance. Unlike traditional control systems, MPC uses predictive models and real-time data to proactively manage a wide range of systems, including HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning), lighting, heat pumps, thermal storage, electric vehicles charging and other building loads It uses forecasts of occupancy, weather conditions and other relevant parameters to determine the best control actions over a future period, continuously updating the plan based on new data.

The aim of this project is to foster open knowledge exchange and drive innovation through strategic collaboration and widespread dissemination of results.

Real-time responsiveness with dynamic climate control

Dynamic climate control adjusts HVAC settings and ventilation rates based on changing indoor and outdoor conditions. This allows buildings to pre-cool or pre-heat spaces when renewable energy is plentiful or electricity prices are low, shifting loads without compromising comfort or overloading the grid.

Optimizing with key performance indicators

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are developed based on the Smart Readiness Indicator. KPIs guide decisions and balance objectives like energy cost, comfort, CO₂ emissions, and grid support. KPIs such as total energy consumption, peak load reduction, indoor comfort indices, and flexibility scores can be prioritized based on goals.

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Discover more about the BuildInFlexergy project

Eindhoven Engine News – June 2025

In this edition of Eindhoven Engine News: Oefenen.nl and Eindhoven Engine join forces, Workshop ‘The Power of Understanding Each Other’, EngD trainee Sichen Guo in the spotlight & more

What else is happening at Eindhoven Engine?

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Media: Laaggeletterdheid aanpakken: Oefenen.nl en Eindhoven Engine slaan handen ineen

On Tuesday, May 13, Stichting Expertisecentrum Oefenen.nl and Eindhoven Engine signed a cooperation agreement with a joint mission to make clever use of digital technology to reduce the gap between people with limited basic skills and society.

Read the Dutch article in Algemeen Dagblad.

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Media: Laaggeletterdheid aanpakken: Oefenen.nl en Eindhoven Engine slaan handen ineen

On Tuesday, May 13, Stichting Expertisecentrum Oefenen.nl and Eindhoven Engine signed a cooperation agreement with a joint mission to make clever use of digital technology to reduce the gap between people with limited basic skills and society.

Read the Dutch article in Eindhovens Dagblad.

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Oefenen.nl and Eindhoven Engine Digital join forces to use digital technology to bridge the gap in basic skills

On Tuesday, May 13, Stichting Expertisecentrum Oefenen.nl and Eindhoven Engine signed a cooperation agreement with a joint mission to make clever use of digital technology to reduce the gap between people with limited basic skills and society.

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Challenges for people with limited skills

Currently, millions of young adults in the Netherlands experience difficulty with language, numeracy and/or digital skills. This results in distressing situations, like not being able to understand letters from the bank or not being able to make an appointment with the doctor because it has to be done digitally. Such situations lead to all sorts of negative personal and social consequences, such as living too long with a medical complaint or incurring unnecessary extra costs due to an increase in bank fees, simply because you don’t want or dare to ask for help. With the rapid emergence of technological developments such as AI, this group threatens to fall even further behind.

Although many people are motivated to learn, they tend to seek accessible and practical ways of doing so outside formal education. It is precisely this non-formal provision that is still underinvested, also when it comes to technological innovation.

This is a great milestone and only the beginning. We aim to expand our collaboration with more partners. The more support, the faster we can extend our reach.

Lotte Geertsen
Inclusive Society Program Manager at Eindhoven Engine

Purpose of the cooperation

Stichting Expertisecentrum Oefenen.nl and Eindhoven Engine want to change that. Together, they will update and enhance the learning platform Oefenen.nl with technologies such as artificial intelligence, gamification and smart onboarding. The goal: to make learning more motivating and accessible, so that everyone can work on their language, numeracy and digital skills at their own pace and level.

Powerful combination of knowledge and reach

The cooperation is based on their complementary expertise. Successful participation in Dutch Design Week 2024 and reaching the semi-finals of an innovation award in November 2024 can both be attributed in part to: over 30 projects involving 57 students from TU/e, Fontys and Avans, two EngD trainees working on applying academic research in society and industry, and 150+ hours of co-creation with experience experts. Eindhoven Engine demonstrates how education, technology and social impact go hand in hand, bringing technological expertise, innovative strength and access to the Brainport network.

The gap in basic skills is growing and that demands action. With the reach of Oefenen.nl and the technological innovation power of Eindhoven Engine, we are building a bridge to the future.

Rashid Leonard Azimullah
Director of Stichting Expertisecentrum Oefenen.nl

Oefenen.nl offers a learning platform that has a proven reach to the target group. In 2024, more than 65,000 participants actively used the Oefenen.nl programs. The platform was visited over 1.45 million times that year and more than 35,000 certificates were awarded. Oefenen.nl works with 400 organizations throughout the Netherlands, including libraries, municipalities and educational institutions, which use its resources to support people in developing their language, numeracy, financial and digital skills. Together, the organizations aim to ensure that the learning experience of users is radically improved and the impact on society is boosted.

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Eindhoven Engine News – March 2025

In this edition of Eindhoven Engine News: Innovation accelerator Eindhoven Engine enters new phase, Transforming basic skills support with AI and more!

What else is happening at Eindhoven Engine?

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New interns

Eindhoven Engine welcomed a vibrant group of new interns in 2025. Get to know them from left to right. Additionally, four bachelor students from TU/e have started. Over the coming months, they will focus on the climate-adaptive region, working one day a week.

We wish them good luck! We hope the interns gain valuable experience and bring fresh insights to the various programs at Eindhoven Engine. Everyone can make impact on society!

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Building a Healthier Future

My Journey at Eindhoven Engine

Hello, my name is Golnoosh Sabahifard, and I am currently pursuing my EngD traineeship at Eindhoven Engine. My focus is on the Livable Region program, where I am committed to enhancing the public well-being of residents.

At Eindhoven Engine, our mission is to create a sustainable and livable Brainport region where everyone can live healthily and safely. Our goals include reducing health disparities in neighbourhoods by 20% and adding three healthy living years for every person.

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Understanding public well-being

Public well-being is influenced by eight factors: loneliness, stress, fewer years of good perceived health, lack of green spaces, noise pollution, population density, and distance to basic facilities. My research focuses on evaluating the effectiveness of current assessment tools and developing a dynamic model that visually illustrates how these factors interact to affect urban health.

Golnoosh Sabahifard

The importance of interactive and dynamic analysis

The built environment significantly impacts public well-being, influencing both mental and physical health. Traditional urban assessment tools often lack interactive and dynamic analysis, making it difficult to estimate the long-term impacts of various elements.

My traineeship aims to change this. I am using Vensim, a visual modeling tool, to provide a data-driven, visual method that helps stakeholders understand how small changes in urban planning can lead to significant health benefits. This approach is crucial for evidence-based urban planning, enabling policymakers to make informed decisions to create healthier, more sustainable cities.

Ultimately, this work will lay the foundation for future research on building healthy and sustainable urban environments.

Golnoosh Sabahifard
EngD Trainee Eindhoven Engine

Media: Technologie in de volwasseneneducatie (2)

Inclusive technology in educational pathways for adults

In an interview (in Dutch) with Lotte Geertsen (Program manager Inclusive Society) and Walter Baets (Wicked Problems officer), about technology in adult education, they explain that a different way of thinking is needed to innovate. Met Mij from Eindhoven Engine, is designed for people with lack of basic skills, is a perfect example.

𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝑡𝑤𝑜-𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤. 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑜𝑛𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒.

[Article is in Dutch]

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Eindhoven Engine News – December 2024

In this edition of Eindhoven Engine News: Innovation accelerator Eindhoven Engine enters new phase, Transforming basic skills support with AI and more!

What else is happening at Eindhoven Engine?

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