TECHNOVATION HUB CELEBRATES INNOVATIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP

NIEUWS UIT DE FACULTEIT

Technological innovation, community building, and entrepreneurship are the key values of Technovation Hub. During the annual Innovation & Networking Evening, they literally come to life and inspire future engineering entrepreneurs to keep surpassing themselves. The event on 17 May 2022 provided a true explosion of youthful enthusiasm and creative energy.

The expressive architecture of the brand-new Quadrivium on Arenberg III Campus provided the perfect setting for the annual high mass of innovative entrepreneurship at the Science, Technology & Engineering Group of KU Leuven. All student teams that belong to Technovation Hub turned up with an animated workshop.

From established names such as the Agoria Solar Team, Formula Electric Belgium, Core and iGEM and newcomers such as Aether, Circl-E and Neurotech Leuven, to start-ups in the making. “It was a great opportunity for the large audience to get to know the full range of young, organised entrepreneurial talent within the faculty,” says Ellen Demarsin, day-to-day manager of Technovation Hub. “And the teams, they enjoyed sharing their passion with the guests and each other”.

Breeding ground

Hannah Gunsch, a student of the Postgraduate Tech Innovation In Ventures & Teams (TechInVenT) and in the start-up team herself, immediately set the tone. "We have all been looking forward to this event. Not only to show off our progress, but also to learn from each other. Technovation Hub is a breeding ground for creative engineering and entrepreneurial talent. Here, new ideas are hatched and nurtured into mature business plans. At events like this, the expertise of seasoned teams is injected into newcomers, creating a cycle of sustainable cross-fertilisation. Events like this are an example of circular entrepreneurship of, for and by engineers”.

© Filip Van Loock

Role model

Visibly impressed by Hannah's enthusiasm, Prof. Gerard Govers, Vice-Rector Science, Engineering and Technology, officially opened the evening. The Vice-Rector called the student teams that operate within Technovation Hub and the post - graduate TechInVenT role models for current and future engineers. “They show how essential engineering skills can be acquired outside the lecture halls and classrooms. And for the younger generation, they are living proof that engineering is quite fun”.

In his speech, the Vice-Rector expressed his concern about the ongoing shortage of engineers. “People talk about the future of society and the world, but hardly ever ask questions about how it will happen, what it will cost and especially who will do it and ensure that know-how is built up and disseminated. Then you inevitably end up with the engineers. If it turns out that there are too few of them, you have to put your ambitious plans on hold”.

Convergence

Keynote speaker Xavier Werbrouck, CEO of software company Infinite/CadCorner and partner of Technovation Hub, also talked about the engineering shortage. He called it one of the major threats of the moment along with the scarcity of goods and rising prices. The keynote itself dealt with the convergence of the physical and digital worlds, one of the important consequences of the digital transformation. “Those who hesitate to adapt to the digital reality will soon see their customers leave for the competitors. Because the customer is not waiting anymore. Companies that do not evolve with them will suffer the same fate as Kodak, which disappeared from the scene ten years ago”.

Concrete examples of the physical and digital convergence, according to Xavier Werbrouck, are the applications of augmented reality (AR) in product development, service and training and the use of digital twins. Infinite/CadCorner is currently working with the Agoria Solar Team on the optimisation of parts of the Blue Point Atlas solar car. Through digital twins, the forces to which the suspension is subjected are determined. According to Ellen Demarsin, the project can serve as a model for partnerships with high-tech companies. “This involves both setting up innovation challenges and initiatives, that are beneficial to all partners”.

Yves Persoons

www.technovationhub.be