Three years earlier than originally planned, the chairmen of the executive boards of the three technical universities signed the Common Regulation 3TU Federation on February 7. Now the collaboration of the three TUs of Delft, Eindhoven and Twente is a fait accompli.
The signing took place in Delft, attended by Maria van der Hoeven, Minister of Education. The federation will give the three universities a `bigger voice' in The Hague, says Anne Flierman, chairman of the UT Executive Board. `If the 3TU says something about innovation, for instance, it will have greater authority,' says Flierman. `To The Hague, I say: you wanted a European top player, now treat us like one.'
The three TUs have thus far been promised 56 million euros by the government for the federation. That's just over a quarter of the amount the universities estimate they need for the integration process. Flierman thinks there will be more. `We must show that the federation works. If we succeed, we can claim more money.'
His counterpart in Eindhoven, Amandus Lundqvist, also expects more government funding in the future. `In five years, we will talk with the government again, with a new proposal. I expect the government will want to invest again.'
The universities will not promote themselves exclusively as the 3TU. `For the moment, we will use our own brand for marketing purposes,' says the chairman of the Delft Executive Board, Hans van Luijk. According to Lundqvist the `brand' 3TU will be used primarily in contact with the Dutch government and businesses. `You should only pose as 3TU when it is useful and advantageous.'
Trans. Henriëtte van Dorp
