a large initiative in the Dutch educational landscape: ten educational institutions in Brabant are joining forces to make student teams widely accessible to all students. Four MBO, four HBO, and two WO institutions have signed a covenant outlining their shared ambitions, in the biggest collaboration on student teams in the Netherlands. This collaboration is led by BOOST, the Brabant-wide development agency for student team innovation, developed by five students. Together, they are building a regional network for innovation and talent development across North Brabant. Thanks to this broadly supported covenant, over 100,000 students in Brabant will now have the opportunity to participate in student teams.

Education as a spectrum, not a hierarchy

There has long been a call to move beyond labels like "lower" and "higher" education. Instead, education should be seen as a spectrum of talents and perspectives, both practical and theoretical. Making this vision a reality requires breaking through traditional boundaries. With this covenant, the ten institutions are taking a meaningful step to realize this vision. Over the next five years, they will work together to establish a province-wide ecosystem of student teams. The most well-known student team example is Solar Team Eindhoven, multiple-time world champions in Australia with their self-developed solar cars.

This structural collaboration makes it possible to engage the full range of student talents, regardless of their field of study or educational level. Whether students specialize in marketing, design, healthcare, engineering, law, or another domain, and whether they study at an MBO, HBO, or WO institution, they can now contribute to and benefit from student teams across Brabant. In the coming years, students will be able to, for example, join teams at other institutions more easily, or complete minors and internships within these teams as part of their regular studies. Student teams can also act as challenge owners for students at other schools and participate in joint recruitment events organized between these institutes. The aim is to create lasting connections between institutions, better equip educators to support student teams, and continuously invest in cross-disciplinary collaboration.

At BOOST, there is a strong belief in the power of cross-institutional collaboration. “The future of education lies in blurring the lines between MBO, HBO, and WO,” says Ewout Hulscher, Education Manager at BOOST.

“Students should meet, collaborate, and learn from each other. This covenant lays the foundation for a growing ecosystem of multidisciplinary teams in Brabant, where the talents of the future are shaped.”

A province-wide network

What began at Eindhoven University of Technology is now growing into a province-wide movement. The ten institutions that signed the covenant are: Summa, SintLucas, Ter AA, Koning Willem I College, HAS green academy, Breda University of Applied Sciences, Avans University of Applied Sciences, Design Academy Eindhoven, Eindhoven University of Technology and Tilburg University. Over the past two years, these institutions have worked closely with BOOST to make this collaboration possible. The covenant marks the foundation for further expansion: more student teams, more diversity within those teams, and a stronger connection across the full educational spectrum in Brabant. This leads to more world-class educated students, and on the side more innovations developed by these teams.

"Unique in the Netherlands"

“In Brabant, we develop smart solutions for the challenges of today and tomorrow. Our MBOs, universities of applied sciences and research universities are full of talent and innovation. As a province, we’re proud to support this brainpower and the entrepreneurial spirit of our students,” says Deputy Martijn van Gruijthuijsen (Economy, Talent Development, and Finance).

“It’s fantastic that BOOST is supporting all students from all institutions in Brabant. This level of collaboration is unique in the Netherlands. Every student now has the opportunity to join or start a student team. Together, we’re building the talent and economy of the future.”

BOOST shares this enthusiasm. Over the past two years, the student-led organisation has worked closely with the institutions involved to bring this covenant to life. “It’s amazing to see our efforts come to fruition in the form of this shared covenant,” says Hulscher. “We’ve agreed to work together structurally to strengthen student-driven innovation, by lowering barriers for cross-institutional collaboration, appointing a coordinator as a permanent point of contact, and co-developing a shared vision for talent development. We look forward to involving even more institutions in this unique partnership in the years ahead.”