Last Wednesday marked an important milestone for us

We had the honor of hosting a high-level delegation, including Marc Lemaître, Director-General for Research & Innovation at the EU, Feite Hofman, Director-General of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, and Tjerk Opmeer, Acting Director-General at the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Their visit to the Erasmus University Rotterdam marked a significant step forward in the enhanced R&I Dialogue between the Netherlands and the European Commission.

This event gave us a unique opportunity to showcase our commitment to driving societal impact with data, AI and immersive experiences through research, education & lifelong learning , and innovation at the Erasmus Centre for Data Analytics.

Together with Annelien Bredenoord, President of the EUR Executive Board, and Jantine Schuit, Rector Magnificus at EUR, we guided our distinguished guests through our Immersive Xperience Lab in the Erasmus Data Collaboratory | House of AI, where we demonstrated our focus on transdisciplinary, human-centric research and innovation in collaboration with regional stakeholders such as Gemeente Rotterdam and Port of Rotterdam.

Our Executive Director Marcel Van Oosterhout presented an overview of ECDA’s vision and the research agenda. Our Director of EDC Jos van Dongen highlighted the opportunities that the Erasmus Data Collaboratory brings. Ilyaz Nasrullah on behalf of Gemeente Rotterdam shared insights on SHINE—the regional learning community and innovation ecosystem for immersive experiences. The team members of Peter J. van der Spek, Academic Director of bioinformatics at ECDA and Professor at Erasmus MC, explained the use of AI for diagnostics in healthcare. Our Academic Director and Professor of Digital Business at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University , Ting Li, showcased the opportunities of Smart Glasses for the hearing impaired, highlighting the critical role of digital inclusion.

Our Executive Director Marcel Van Oosterhout presented an overview of ECDA’s vision and the research agenda. Our Director of EDC Jos van Dongen highlighted the opportunities that the Erasmus Data Collaboratory brings. Ilyaz Nasrullah on behalf of Gemeente Rotterdam shared insights on SHINE—the regional learning community and innovation ecosystem for immersive experiences. The team members of Peter J. van der Spek, Academic Director of bioinformatics at ECDA and Professor at Erasmus MC, explained the use of AI for diagnostics in healthcare. Our Academic Director and Professor of Digital Business at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University , Ting Li, showcased the opportunities of Smart Glasses for the hearing impaired, highlighting the critical role of digital inclusion.

 Key reflections shared during the visit included:

– Tackling grand societal challenges requires a transdisciplinary approach.
– Lifelong learning & reskilling are essential to equip individuals for the future.
– A European Identity & Governance in tech is vital for ensuring Europe’s competitiveness in global R&I.
– Substantial investments in R&I are needed for the European industrial and societal competitiveness.

A big thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to making this day a success!