University of Groningen to become member of the 4TU Stan Ackermans Institute

The Faculty of Science and Engineering (University of Groningen) is soon to become a member of the 4TU Stan Ackermans Institute , one of the institutes in the 4TU Federation. This institute is responsible for the coordination of Engineering Doctorate (EngD) programmes across all Dutch technical universities. Through this membership, the two EngD programmes in Autonomous Systems and in Sustainable Process Design at the Faculty of Science and Engineering will be added to this partnership with the 4TU from September 2024.

These new developments will give the University of Groningen (UG) the opportunity to work together with the high-tech sector and deliver exceptional engineers. The four Dutch technical universities (TUs) are pleased with this collaboration as, besides the programmes being extended in terms of content, it will also result in better use of each other's expertise and network.

EngD in Groningen and the industrial partners

The EngD is a technical post-master degree that can be achieved after a specialised 2 year full-time training. This will be a combination of degree courses (at the UG or at an industrial partner) and an on-site design project to solve a specific company challenge.

The trainees (the so-called EngD students) will work on the design and development of new and complex products, processes and innovative solutions for chemical and high tech companies, thus filling the gap between the practical work in the companies and the academic education at university.

For these programmes, the UG collaborates with two big industrial clusters of the Northern Netherlands: the Sustainable Products & Chemicals Cluster Emmen and the Innovation Cluster Drachten. This new development will bring innovative solutions for technical problems of both large industries and SMEs and are of great interest to solve societal challenges and help with the transition to more sustainable and automated processes in the north of the Netherlands.

About 4TU.Stan Ackermans Institute (4TU.SAI)

The 4TU.SAI is a joint initiative of the Dutch universities of technology (4TUs). These are the Delft University of Technology, Eindhoven University of Technology, University of Twente and Wageningen University & Research.

The University of Groningen already collaborates with 4TU.HTM (High-Tech Materials) and 4TU.NIRICT (ICT).

Technology at the UG

The UG is a broad university in the Netherlands entering this joint initiative and offering an Engineering Doctorate (EngD).

The UG was the first of broad universities to start in 1958 with engineering degrees like chemical engineering, applied physics and applied mathematics.