Newsletter MSc & PhD Education NL
January 2015
Happy 2015 to you all! We hope you had a great and relaxing holiday time during Christmas and New Year. A new
year has started and this brings many new exciting opportunities. At Climate-KIC Education Netherlands we are
already busy with the planning and organization of new initiatives for the coming months.
We would like to remind you to keep a close eye to our monthly newsletter, the HUB and our website (www.climatekic.nl) as we communicate to you via these means.
In this newsletter you can find updates of upcoming events, the Greenhouse, EIT, our team, vacancies/volunteer
opportunities, a climate related TEDx talk and a student showcase.
We are looking forward to seeing you soon!
The Dutch Education Team
Agenda January/February 2015:
* 28 January (10:00 to 17:00): TEDx Zwolle 2015
For more information see the article in this newsletter.
* 12 February (18:00 to 21:00): Greenhouse meeting
Location: Wageningen and Research Centre. ATLAS, Building 104, room B107. Droevendaalsesteeg 4. 6708 PB
Wageningen.
* 19 January (9:00 to 17:30): PhD Day
For more information see the article in this newsletter.
* 19 January (17:30): Next SPARK! lecture (Utrecht)
For more information see the article in this newsletter.
SPARK! lecture
19 February at 17:30 in Utrecht
For the upcoming SPARK! lecture we are excited to welcome Ulrich Goluke, a world
renowned expert in scenario-planning and system dynamics. Scenario planning is a potent
tool in almost every field of study and business, but is particularly relevant to
entrepreneurs as it can help you to deal with the uncertainty that start-ups inevitably encounter. The SPARK! lecture
will consist of a short presentation after which you will get a chance to try out scenario planning for yourself with an
interactive workshop.
Ulrich Goluke studied systems dynamics with Dennis Meadows of Limits to Growth fame and let the scenario
planning unit for the WBCSD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development) for many years. Currently he
lectures and consults with Fortune 500 companies, universities and foundations on creating value in an abundant
world.
To make it easier for everyone to reach, the SPARK! lecture will take place in Utrecht on Thursday 19 February at
17:30 at In De Ruimte. For more information, please click here or go to https://www.facebook.com/inderuimte
The address is: Oudegracht 230 a/d Werf, 3511 NT in Utrecht. To give us an idea of attendance, please register
when you receive an official invitation in the coming days.
PhD Day
19 February in Utrecht
On 19 February we will organize the yearly PhD Day. The aim of the day is to strengthen our community and to
support our PhD’s in the translation of their research into societal value. In the morning, trainer Jochum Jarigsma will
give a workshop on involving stakeholders and potential customers/funders in your project. In the afternoon we will
have peer-to-peer sessions. The location is in Utrecht and we will close the day with the SPARK! session. More
information will follow soon. Safe the date in your agendas!
Team Update
Utrecht University
Our local coordinator at the Utrecht University, Matthijs Prinzen ended his job in December. At the moment the
University is looking for a replacement. In the meantime, Nies Springer is taking care of his activities, so if you have
questions on electives and/or mobility you can contact Nies.
Greenhouse update
Five new projects joined the Greenhouse
On 8 January the first Greenhouse meeting of the new year took place. For the
new entries it was the first meeting with the other Greenhouse participants and with the teams that are half-way
through the program. In pitch format, the team captains introduced their project to one another. The new Greenhouse
projects are the following:
* Sustainable Surfboard Manufacturing: Julian van Vliet has been making surfboards for some time and brought
one he had made recently. This surfboard uses new materials and techniques to make it completely bio-based and
biodegradable.
* IchBin: They allow households to reclaim their waste and separate it an innovative bin that can be adapted for any
number of material fractions on the same small footprint.
* Blue Energy: Focuses on a new way to make electricity from sunlight without the use of rare, toxic or energyintensive materials.
* CaffeInk: They want to extract the pigments inside coffee grounds to make ink and what is left can be still used as a
mushroom feedstock for example.
* Scalable Solar Microgrids: Uses current wind and solar technologies to leapfrog conventional energy in areas
where electricity is still scarce.
The Greenhouse projects that have already started last year are: Smart Farming (crop advice to farmers),
HydroAlgae Power (algae as a source of energy), Viti (waste treatment) and Aggri (wastewater treatment).
This year the Greenhouse has a new manager, Bram van der Grinten, who has coached on The Journey. Together
with the Greenhouse participants he outlines the topics of the pre-incubation program until the summer break: making
a minimum viable product, securing intellectual property, doing lifecycle analysis and identifying project related legal
issues.
New KICs designation
EIT Health and EIT Raw Materials
The European institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) has designated two new KICs
(Knowledge and Innovation Communities): EIT Health (“Innovation for healthy living and active ageing”) and EIT Raw
Materials (“Raw Materials: Sustainable exploration, extraction, processing, recycling and substitution”). The aim of
these new KICs is the creation of a Pan-European partnership of business, higher education and research to combat
Europe’s societal challenges and boost the EU’s innovation capacity.
Climate-KIC is one of the three Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) created in 2010 by EIT. The EIT is a
body of the European Union whose mission is to create sustainable growth and competitiveness by reinforcing the
innovation capacity of the EU. They facilitate transitions: from idea to product, from lab to market, from student to
entrepreneur. Climate-KIC supports the mission by addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation.
For more information please click here or check the EIT website: http://eit.europa.eu/
Vacancies
Internship at Deltares and Akvolution
Deltares is looking for a MSc intern for business development of salt water application. Akvolution (Germany) is
seeking a Market/Business Analyst for their sustainable water treatment business. For more information please click
here or check our website: http://www.climate-kic.nl/vacancies/
Volunteer opportunity
Cleantech Forum Florence (27 – 29 April)
Are you an enthusiastic student interested in the world of cleantech, innovation,
entrepreneurship, venture capital, sustainability and/or energy? The Cleantech Group is recruiting volunteers to help
out in the execution of the European Forum in Florence (Italy) from 27 to 29 April. For more information please click
here or http://events.cleantech.com/cleantech-forum-europe-15/
For eleven years, the Cleantech Group has hosted Cleantech Forums and Focus events where corporate executives,
international policy makers, investors, entrepreneurs and industry thought-leaders gather to examine trends, develop
clean technology strategies, and make deals happen. This year the Forum will go to Italy for the first time. Attendees
make high-level contacts, get exclusive insights from the latest Cleantech Group research, and participate in thoughtprovoking discussions.
In return for your help, you will have free access to the Forum and its sessions. This is a great opportunity if you are
interested in a career related to cleantech. To apply, please send a CV and a cover note detailing interest before 2
February to Luisa Maerevoet at luisa.maerevoet@cleantech.com
TEDx Zwolle 2015
Theme: Climate, Active, Cities
On 28 January 2015, the second edition of TEDx Zwolle will take place in the Nieuwe Buitensocieteit Zwolle. It will
start at 10:00 and finish at 17:00. The theme of TEDx Zwolle is Climate, Active, Cities. Using a wide variety of
themes, TEDx Zwolle inspires people to think about moving towards sustainable cities of the future. One approach is
climate change and the effect of this on our cities. Some say the probability of weather extremes, such as drought
and flooding is increasing.
For more information please click here or have a look at: http://www.tedxzwolle.nl/
Student showcase: Kaushik Rangarajan
My experience at Climate-KIC
My interest towards becoming an engineer was seeded by my grandfather
who was a mechanical engineer. During my childhood he used to tell me
stories of how the railways started functioning, its influence on societies and its role in unification across boundaries.
My father nurtured this as he worked in a petrol refinery and took me often there. When the engineers explained how
crude oil is being drilled, stored, processed and utilized, I was left speechless as to how engineers are changing the
way people live.
During high school, this quest turned into passion which was motivated by teachers who explained about the
significant contributions done by scientists on creating a Green and White revolution in India, to protect the country
from food scarcity. This directed me towards the thought of becoming an engineer in the field of biotechnology and
serve mankind. That is why I secured an admission for a degree in Engineering (Industrial Biotechnology) in a top
notch private school for Biotechnology.
As I got accepted at Wageningen University to pursue my Master Degree in Biotechnology, the strong international
community of students amazed me. The Masters programme was challenging and exciting and Wageningen had lots
to offer, both professionally and personally. During one of my usual university days, while I was walking around in the
Forum building, one of the display screens projected a question for students. The question was: “Would you like to
innovate for Climate Change?”. This left a lasting impression in my mind that kept lingering on throughout the day.
I applied and I passed a very friendly interview by the selection committee for the Climate-KIC Master label. I became
enrolled in the mandatory courses, attended some innovative lectures on climate change and went on to travel to
Germany, Switzerland and the Netherland for the summer school. I realized that this programme changed me from a
naïve graduate student into a well-equipped professional and a conscious human being regarding sustainability.
During each of the phases of the Master label I learnt a lot. The mandatory courses brought out the entrepreneurial
spirit and managerial skills within me. In one of the courses I developed a business plan for an innovative meal
delivery system in hospitals. It was a refreshing experience to learn to think as a start-up, write a business plan and
pitch our idea for funding in front of investors.
Being in the summer school was one of the best things that happened to me as it inculcated the importance of
networking and interdisciplinary coordination. And actually two of the teams I am part of, have secured funding from
Climate-KIC. One of the ideas carries the brand BlueGold for the company H2Oasis, while the other is Hydroalgae
Power for the company Korche. The former idea’s focus is on providing the most sustainable drinking water, while the
latter is to provide energy and hydrogen in the Mediterranean and tropical regions of the world.
After graduation I would like to work full-time on these two initiatives and have my own start-up. I would also like to
enroll at the Climate-KIC accelerator programme and get coaching on running a start-up. I am looking forward to the
new challenges ahead during the rest of the Climate-KIC program and make a real contribution to mitigate climate
change!
(Photo: Kaushik Rangarajan is second from the right)