Challenges

‘Rurban’ Regions appear to be underserved when it comes to leveraging modern technology to cope with typical challenges these regions are facing. In Rurban Regions typically more densely populated settlements and cities are ‘loosely’ dispersed in rural areas.
Many of these challenges are directly related to declining social, economic, and environmental well-being in combination with socio-demographic developments like a greying society and wishes of youngsters to move to larger cities.

In the Netherlands there is a widespread domestic use of natural gas, primarily for heating and cooking. This results from the fact that the Netherlands have very rich fossil gas resources which are exploited since the 1960-ies. Because of problems with gas extraction and the national ambition to reduce CO2 emissions, the national government decided that domestic use of fossil gas must be abandoned. As of 2018/2019 all communities work on a plan for sustainable and affordable domestic heating.

Innovation in health care resulted in increasing life expectancy in our society. In parallel, the number of chronic illnesses and vulnerable elderly also increases, leading to more admissions to hospital.
After treatment, people will stay some more days in hospital to recover and are then expected to return home for further rehabilitation. This process brings extra burden to scarce healthcare professionals and ever increasing costs for society.
Innovative solutions are needed to handle this.

In the Netherlands there is a widespread domestic use of natural gas, primarily for heating and cooking. This results from the fact that the Netherlands have very rich fossil gas resources which are exploited since the 1960-ies. Because of problems with gas extraction and the national ambition to reduce CO2 emissions, the national government decided that domestic use of fossil gas must be abandoned. As of 2018/2019 all communities work on a plan for sustainable and affordable domestic heating.

Inreda Diabetics is a medtech firm who invented the first multihormon artificial pancreas (AP) for diabetis type 1 patients. This high tech medical device is currently in the final prove stage. How can the adoption of this device for users be smoothened?

HaviTravel organises bus travel and day trips for groups of people. HaviTravel wants to explore new features for the new FC Twente bus. Havi’s ambition is to make this FC Twente bus future proof and leading in innovation application.

The idea is to offer sustainable energy solutions to housing corporations and private house owners. Requires at collaboration with municipalities, house owners, neighborhoods and other business partners in a context that still can be considered uncertain when it comes to long term cost/benefits calculations, pricing models, and the need for solid long-term support from the government.