‘Studententeam Twente’ status gives technical talent room to grow
A new step towards attracting, educating and retaining technical talent in the region. On Friday, 11 September, representatives of Saxion University of Applied Sciences, ROC van Twente and the University of Twente presented the Studententeam Twente status to eight student teams. Under the approach associated with this designation, students are not given a predefined assignment, but are given the space to learn, develop entrepreneurial skills and innovate. “You can see this beautifully reflected in these student teams, which also bring value to our regional companies and partners,” says Karin Verschoor, member of the Executive Board of Saxion.
In practice, a student team can be thought of as a small business. The students involved establish a foundation and are responsible for putting their own team together. They also secure sponsors, involve industry partners and take care of their own communications.
Within a year, the team must then develop something tangible with an innovative technological character. This could be, for example, a robotics solution that can compete in an international competition. Throughout this process, collaboration between students from vocational education (MBO), higher professional education (HBO) and university education (WO) is central; everyone brings their own unique knowledge and skills. One student, for example, may perform calculations on a design, while another actually builds it.
Students at the helm
Since a regular educational project typically lasts around ten weeks, there is often too little time to work on something like a solar-powered car, a fully functional hydrogen powertrain or a smart robot. That is why the student teams in Twente are now given up to a year and a half to develop their solutions and projects.
ROC van Twente, Saxion University of Applied Sciences and the University of Twente have jointly formalised the approach behind this initiative for the first time. The agreements explicitly state that the student teams remain in charge. Experience has shown that teams that take their own initiative tend to perform best internationally.
Interest from industry
Various companies from the region are ready to provide practical support and guidance. The student teams gain access to practical knowledge and materials, while the participating companies, in turn, may receive a prototype or a fresh perspective on the technologies they themselves work with. Ideally, companies also get the opportunity to meet their future employees at an early stage.
Karin Verschoor, member of the Executive Board of Saxion, explains the approach behind the new status: “Student teams give students the space to learn, develop entrepreneurial skills and innovate. Not everyone needs to be able to do the same things. It is precisely when different talents come together that you can create something special.”
Photography: Frans Nikkels
Alignment with the Talent Strategy
In July 2026, the Dutch government presented a Talent Strategy, one of whose four policy priorities is more structural cooperation between education and industry. Four domains have been identified as the focus of the Talent Strategy: digitalisation and AI, security and resilience, energy and climate technology, and life sciences and biotechnology.
In Twente, student teams are working on topics within all four domains. The ‘Studententeam Twente’ status should primarily be seen as a valuable, concrete agreement that, for example, gives students access to laboratories, workshops, professional advice or financial support.
The teams in which Saxion students participate are: DroneTeam Twente, Electric Superbike Twente, HyDriven, RoboTeam Twente, Solar Team Twente, Surge Twente, Esports Team Twente and RISE.