'ENGAGE.EU made me even more ready for the next step in my career'
The first challenge week of ENGAGE.EU, July last year, yielded valuable results on several fronts. For Tilburg University, for the Dutch municipality of Tilburg and most of all for student Chiara Scalia. "ENGAGE.EU brought me the life lessons I need for my professional career," she says.
ENGAGE.EU is an ongoing partnership between nine European universities. Part of it is a challenge in which students from the universities work together for a week on an assignment. The first edition of the challenge week was in Tilburg - organized by Tilburg University. Italian student Chiara Scalia participated with 24 other international students. In a small group, she worked on a case for the municipality of Tilburg on the theme ‘A social and just energy transition for all’. The municipality of Tilburg considers it essential that all its residents can participate in society. Such as in the energy transition. The challenge for the ENGAGE.EU students was: how do you ensure that everyone participates in the energy transition?
Theme suits Chiara
The theme exactly matches Chiara’s interests, says the Law, Digital Innovation and Sustainability student at LUISS University in Rome. “I’m very passionate about the public sector, the energy sector and how governments can involve society in the energy transition, through innovations.”
The team Chiara was part of impressed with their creative concept called JET Tilburg and they won the challenge. They developed an energy community with a strong social component, Chiara explains. “Residents are involved in the energy transition at a community level. And specifically the most vulnerable households are provided assistance and can benefit from the financial advantages of the transition. By assisting them, they are able to participate.” Their concept is a mix of practical, technological applications and activating and motivating residents to take simple actions together.
After that one week, Chiara and the Tilburg municipality saw so much potential in the winning concept that they both wanted to take it to the next level. Chiara even wrote her thesis about it, which she hopes to successfully defend this summer.
A non-academic way of learning
“ENGAGE.EU gave me the opportunity to broaden my horizons and knowledge. To work on a challenge of private and public parties”, Chiara looks back. “It brought me more of a non-academic way of learning. ENGAGE.EU was the tipping point of understanding how to be innovative and be practical. This experience led me to become a more 360° degrees professional that is able to interact with different kind of stakeholders. And to be creative in finding solutions that could have an impact on society as well as on a sustainable future. It made me grow a lot.”
Innovative and entrepreneurial
These words make Marieke Schoots proud. She is involved in ENGAGE.EU on behalf of Tilburg University. “This is exactly what the challenges are for. We combine design thinking methodology with a framework for an innopreneurrial mindset (innovative and entrepreneurial). We ask students to come up with directly applicable ideas that make an impact on society. That aligns with what we want as Tilburg University: to bring science and society even closer together.”
Design thinking
The students use design thinking to create the concepts, says Marieke: “We start from the idea: here is a challenge, come up with concepts, make mistakes and figure out during the process where you need to adjust. For many of the participants, this is a method contrary to what they are used to, but it teaches them important skills. Skills that are essential in their professional careers, such as flexibility and creative thinking. ENGAGE.EU is a valuable additional preparation for the job market for students.”
It brought me more of a non-academic way of learning. ENGAGE.EU was the tipping point of understanding how to be innovative and be practical - Chiara Scalia
The project is catching on: for this year's challenges, over 100 students from participating universities signed up. Marieke: “They don't necessarily have to make a thesis of their challenge, like Chiara. But we do look further into opportunities for students to turn their project into a feasible business. The university and ENGAGE.EU actively supports them in that.”
Marieke: “Besides having value for students and researchers, ENGAGE.EU has a clear added value for society, including professionals, governments and companies. Through ENGAGE.EU, it is also possible for them to develop and build knowledge internationally.”
‘Ideas we didn't think of ourselves’
Guido La Rose of the municipality of Tilburg also looks back with satisfaction. “We can pose real hands-on cases to the students, and help our residents move forward with their solutions. And with JET Tilburg and Chiara’s work in particular, it also helps us meet our climate goals. The students give us creative ideas and concepts we didn't think of ourselves. In the future, I see further added value as we can expand our own network through ENGAGE.EU and learn from the approach of local governments in other countries.”
Guido, together with Tilburg University, supervised Chiara during her thesis. She spoke with numerous parties for her research, such as local residents, grid operators, officials of the municipality from the departments of energy, area development and legal, and met with Tilburg’s housing association and social work organization. Not only did it bring her the insights she needed to further develop her plan. But also new experiences she immediately recognized the value of for her future career. “Thanks to the life lessons from ENGAGE.EU, I am even more ready for the next step in my career.”