Millions for Gaslab
For a moment last month all eyes were on Innovation Space; in our own dear Gaslab our good friends from The Hague committed to spending 130 million euros. Together with a regional purse of 240 million euros, this creates a fund of 370 million for (among other things) educating technical talent and realizing innovation with social impact in the Brainport region. Well, if that's the aim, I hear you say, that check might as well stay right here in Gaslab. Bring on those millions!
It is great to see that increasingly Gaslab is being discovered. Not only by students and lecturers, but also for all kinds of events and happenings. So it's time to delve into the numbers. For example, we are already hosting 16 different part-time teams, comprising some 125 students, and in the coming quarter we'll be running another four courses, themselves good for a small army a hundred strong. And next year, too, Gaslab will be a happening place; in total 18 courses have already been confirmed for the 2018/2019 season.
Cool shizzle
All this is grist to the mill, especially given that the coming academic year will see the doors of the fully renovated and much bigger Matrix building flung open wide. Construction is now in full swing and will be complete in just a couple of months' time. The specs look promising; there will be more than 1,000 m2 for students who, according to the official description, are working on ‘the realization of innovations with social impact’ or simply cool shizzle.
It's a bitcoin-like growth that is the stuff of dreams for many a cryptocurrency enthusiast. As long as it doesn't become a bubble … As the Italians say, ‘chi ha fretta vada piano’. In order to go fast you must go slow.
To keep Gaslab abuzz with activity and innoSpace in the spotlight, it would be good if every student could be enticed inside, but at the end of the day the higher purpose is to educate students (oh yes, here it comes again!) to become hands on, interdisciplinary and entrepreneurial. There's no lack of that last quality among the teams, but the first criteria is not being met by some teams, and nor as yet are all the courses being attended by students from a range of departments. While that is certainly not a problem, we do eventually need to get to that stage. But that takes creativity, perseverance and time!
From the ground up we are building a new organization, a new building, a community, a business case, and our own team. A building process like this obviously requires both time and money. So: bring on those millions! But remember: quality before quantity!
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