Sustain lifelong learning
We advocate lifelong education as a 21st century must for adapting to change. We also invest in research and active learning initiatives that help develop new technology and solutions, to ensure knowledge and access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy for all.
Story of change
“Collaboration and knowledge sharing are key”
Biltin
For nearly seven years, Jeike Wallinga has been working with energy and determination in her Lectorate to bring together all stakeholders in the energy transition and to encourage collaboration.
“Companies, researchers and governments need each other. That is also one of the missions of my Lectorate: to bring these parties together and get them to collaborate. Only in this way can we achieve a fast, powerful and just energy transition.”
Funding helped convince others
BDR Thermea Foundation recognises this, says Jeike. “In fact, BDR Thermea Foundation provided the initial funding for the Lectorate that helped us convince others to also step in. And our relation goes beyond funding: BDR Thermea has a representative in the Advisory Board of the Lectorate, it thinks along and actively connects us to other partners, such as the University of Twente.”
Biltin’s motto appeals to the same sense of urgency and cooperation: ‘You don’t build on your own. Together, we can achieve more.’ Jeike is pleased with the innovation centre: “Here, we can really accelerate the energy transition. For example, how can we still electrify homes despite the current grid congestion? To do that, we’re looking at smart solutions that make homes so energy-efficient that a small electrical connection is enough. Saving energy is often easier to achieve and less expensive than generating renewable energy. After all, energy that you don’t use doesn’t have to be transmitted over the power grid or stored.”
Shaping the world of tomorrow
The built environment plays a key role in the research conducted by Jeike’s Lectorate. “We need to renovate homes, offices and schools now to make them future-proof. That requires close cooperation among all kinds of stakeholders: installers, contractors, architects, governments… so that the measures we take today will still be relevant in ten or twenty years. What we build and renovate today will shape the world of tomorrow.”
