Recently, Vera de Ruiter, manager at Saxion Centre for Entrepreneurship (SCvO), and Annemarie Penders, project leader at SCvO, were at the heart of European collaboration during the fourth Innovation Vision Action Planning (IVAP) Workshop of the EIT Higher Education Initiative in Krakow, Poland. This annual event is the place where educational institutions, companies and stakeholders come together to accelerate innovation in higher education.
The workshop marks the start of Cohort 4 of the HEI program. It is a dynamic environment with interactive sessions on Business Creation, DeepTech Entrepreneurship, Diversity & Inclusion and Sustainability. The event offers concrete tools for innovation and entrepreneurship in higher education.
Saxion’s role: from circular textiles to XR in healthcare
Saxion is not a newcomer to this programme. From 2022 to 2024, Saxion was a partner in the CITE project, in which they stimulated innovation and entrepreneurship within circular textiles. Now Saxion is taking the next step in 2025 as the coordinator of the LeapXR project. This project (a spin-off of E³UDRES²) focuses on the application of XR technology in healthcare. Together with six E³UDRES² partners, companies and associate partners, Saxion creates solutions that make the healthcare sector future-proof.
On behalf of Saxion, Vera de Ruiter was offered to participate in the panel during the opening session. As an expert, she shared her experiences and explained how these projects contribute to an entrepreneurial and innovative university of applied sciences. Saxion trains hundreds of students and staff, supervises start-ups and spin-offs, and works closely with research groups and the business community. The link with the E³UDRES² alliance further strengthens this profile.
What does the future hold?
Cohort 4 runs until 2027, but Saxion is already looking ahead: Call 5 has been launched and the first plans for participation are being made. Cooperation with E³UDRES² will also be central to this.
Would you like to know more about our projects or think about future consortia? Feel free to contact Vera de Ruiter via e-mail: v.m.deruiter@saxion.nl
📷 Header image by IDEAL / Innovation-Driven Entrepreneurship and Academic Learning for creative industries on LinkedIn.
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Article created by: Saxion UAS
