PDEng News

In September 2011 CC-Benelux will start a two years third cycle programme on Smart Energy Buildings and Cities. 

Where large companies with an own fundamental research tradition are moderately interested in (co)financing PhD projects, medium and small scale companies in the Netherlands prove to be more interested to invest in 2‐year (post MSc) designer programmes. The innovative programme: PDEng Smart Energy Buildings and Cities starting September 2011 in the co-location Benelux responds to this industrial interest.

In the Netherlands, Sweden, the UK, and also in the USA third cycle degrees in engineering (i.e. post‐masters) are offered. The need for these degrees is similar: society needs engineers at a higher level than the second cycle engineer (i.e. MSc‐ level). The third cycle programs differ from first and second cycle programs in the sense that in the third cycle it is required that the student delivers a real contribution to science or technology in the form of scientific publications or innovative artefacts. Whereas the PhD is a third cycle degree that can be considered as the passport to an academic career, the third cycle engineering degrees are actually the passport to a top‐level engineering position in industry. They should be the driving force of industrial innovations.

Where large companies with an own fundamental research tradition are moderately interested in (co)financing PhD projects, medium and small scale companies in the Netherlands prove to be more interested to invest in 2‐year (post MSc) designer programmes. The programme typically consists of dedicated preparatory year necessary to successfully fulfill an extensive eight to twelve months design
project in a company. This design project targets product or process innovations that have economic value for the company. Industry sees, as an important second advantage, that they also have the opportunity to accelerate the development of their own academic talents who will contribute in enhancing the innovative growth of the company after their completion of the two‐year program

This project has three goals:

1. To respond to the articulated need of the Dutch industry to offer also a two years designer programme in the area of energy, particularly in the area of smart and efficient energy buildings and

cities;

2. To offer the possibilities of these type of programmes also to companies connected to InnoEnergy

also in other countries

3. To act as a pilot for the other co‐locations to see whether this can be a programme that is able to fulfill a clear need of the medium and small scale industries that often are in a better place to boost innovation.

Meanwhile the CC's for InnoEnergy ICTLabs in the Netherlands and in Sweden and the Association of EngD's in the UK are making efforts to come to a European certified and recognized degree for which programmes will start in those countries that already have comparable programmes. New programmes will be started in those countries that are interested in such a third cycle engineering programme.

Main themes of the programme

1.Developing Multidisciplinary, Smart Energy concepts for the Built Environment on the scale of components, buildings and districts.

2. Design an innovative artefact relevant for the industry and related to smart energy. Essential herein is to valorise new research knowledge from the universities and design innovative products for introduction in the markets .

3.Writing a business plan to introduce and promote this artefact.