{"id":48955,"date":"2025-11-10T12:06:47","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T10:06:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.turner.nl\/uncategorized\/vinod-subramaniam-university-of-twente-we-need-to-stop-thinking-small\/"},"modified":"2025-11-18T14:26:44","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T12:26:44","slug":"vinod-subramaniam-university-of-twente-we-need-to-stop-thinking-small","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.turner.nl\/en\/education\/vinod-subramaniam-university-of-twente-we-need-to-stop-thinking-small\/","title":{"rendered":"Vinod Subramaniam (University of Twente): \u201cWe need to stop thinking small.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Vinod Subramaniam (University of Twente): \u201cWe need to stop thinking small.\u201d<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The University of Twente\u2019s mission is to connect technology with society, says Vinod Subramaniam, President of the Executive Board, during Turner\u2019s Masterclass on Strategic Education Portfolio Management. In its education portfolio, the university aims to bring these two domains together\u2014through its faculty of behavioural and social sciences, and by actively seeking collaboration with other institutions. \u201cWe\u2019re not competing with each other, but with Shanghai. You have to optimise your local context to contribute to the global agenda,\u201d he states.<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Turner provides its clients with timely, relevant, and forward-looking insights<\/strong> into their sectors and the strategy execution challenges they face.
This blog is a report of Turner\u2019s Masterclass on Strategic Education Portfolio Management, exploring the implications of portfolio decision-making for effective strategy execution.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\"We\u2019re not competing with each other - we\u2019re competing with Shanghai.\"<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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  • \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tUniversities need to stop thinking small - regional optimisation is essential to pursue a global agenda.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
  • \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNational and regional collaboration across the entire educational spectrum is crucial: institutions strengthen each other rather than compete.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
  • \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStrategic portfolio management requires clear choices in focus and positioning.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
  • \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMaking choices also means stopping what no longer contributes to the strategy.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
  • \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGood governance means less talk, more action \u2013 actually following through on decisions.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    During his undergraduate studies at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, Vinod Subramaniam witnessed something that left a lasting impression. Nobel Prize winners considered it an honour to teach first-year students. A telling example, says the President of the Executive Board of the University of Twente. \u201cThe core business of universities is education,\u201d he states. \u201cOf course, research is important. But the fundamental purpose of universities is to educate young people. And as a regional university, we also have a responsibility to our region. That is something we tend to lose sight of. The problem we face in the Netherlands is that we simply do not educate enough technically trained people. Only a limited number of Dutch students choose a technical degree programme.\u201d<\/p>

    Like many institutions, the University of Twente is therefore forced to look abroad. But even that can no longer be taken for granted, now that the Dutch government has decided in 2024 that Dutch will become the default language in higher education. \u201cThen I\u2019m inclined to say two things: put your money where your mouth is \u2013 and we need English-taught programmes. Companies say: if everything has to be in Dutch, they\u2019ll look elsewhere. We\u2019ll have to go where international talent is both available and welcome.\u201d<\/p>

    The low enrolment in technical programmes is not just a university issue, Subramaniam continues. \u201cIt affects all levels of education. In North Holland, only 11 percent of students choose a technical programme; across the Netherlands that figure is just 22 percent. We\u2019ll need to address this collectively. That will require either horizontal integration between universities, or vertical integration \u2013 and the latter can only be realised regionally. We already work closely with Saxion University of Applied Sciences and the local vocational college. When three knowledge institutions join forces, you can truly make a difference in the region.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    \u201cWe need to broaden our perspective\u201d<\/strong><\/p>

    Subramaniam immediately sets the tone during the Masterclass on portfolio management for universities when he remarks: \u201cWe\u2019re not competing with each other, but with Shanghai.\u201d He later clarifies: \u201cAs institutions, we shouldn\u2019t act out of self-interest. We need to broaden our view. The Netherlands has 18 million people, and I grew up in an Indian city with 25 million inhabitants. We need to stop thinking small. We need to optimise the local context in order to serve a global agenda.\u201d<\/p>

    He also puts this into practice at the University of Twente, as he elaborates on how his university seeks collaboration. He expresses genuine concern about the challenges faced by Saxion University of Applied Sciences, which directly impact the University of Twente. \u201cThe Civil Engineering programme is struggling at the university of applied sciences, but civil engineering is vital to the region. That\u2019s why Saxion and we are exploring ways to join forces, such as combining the first year of the programme. Other institutions are exploring this too. The advantage for students is that they can decide later whether to continue at a university of applied sciences or a university. We want to move forward together. Our worlds are not separate. In that sense, we aim to be pioneers of the regional agenda.\u201d<\/p>

    \u201cThis university has always been a pioneer. Public Administration didn\u2019t exist in the Netherlands until we launched it fifty years ago. Now it\u2019s offered at many universities. Technical Medicine is another example. It\u2019s our way of responding to the needs of today\u2019s generation.\u201d<\/p>

    In Subramaniam\u2019s view, Dutch universities could do much more to respond to societal change. “We\u2019re still offering degree programmes designed twenty, thirty, or even forty years ago, based on the thinking of that time, while today\u2019s students are looking for something completely different. They ask me: where is the climate? Where is sustainability? Where are the energy partnerships? You have to move with the times and consider what society truly needs. Of course, you need a classical foundation – physics and chemistry – but you don\u2019t need to do everything. You have to make deliberate choices. We no longer focus on traditional process technology – others do that. We\u2019ve chosen different focus areas: membranes, sustainable process technology, mesoscale systems. This is a strategic decision to set ourselves apart.”<\/p>

    That naturally goes hand in hand with fundamental scientific research. “Research and education are intrinsically linked,” says Subramaniam. While research is not solely regionally focused, it is always in service of a larger purpose. “We conduct a lot of fundamental research, but it\u2019s driven by real-world problems. We have outstanding researchers inspired by the challenges at ASML and other companies. These are our Spinoza and Stevin Prize winners. Take Detlef Lohse, a theoretical physicist working in fluid dynamics. He\u2019s won every prize you can win – except the Nobel. He\u2019s worked with Oc\u00e9 on inkjet printing, with ASML on tin droplets, with Philips, and many others. You can\u2019t say he doesn\u2019t do fundamental research, but his work is sparked by the questions these companies face.”<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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