The Delft University of Technology, also known as TU Delft, is the oldest and largest Dutch public technical university. Located in Delft, Netherlands, it is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in the Netherlands, and as of 2021, it is ranked by QS World University Rankings among the top 15 engineering and technology universities in the world. With eight faculties and numerous research institutes, it has more than 26,000 students (undergraduate and postgraduate) and 6,000 employees (teaching, research, support, and management staff). TU Delft offers about 16 BSc programmes and 40 MSc programmes. In addition, TU Delft offers Ph.D. and PDEng (Professional Doctorate in Engineering) programms.
The almost 40 technological and scientific disciplines together with their many specialisms are accommodated within TU Delft’s eight faculties. TU Delft’s many different disciplines are a key factor in the success of its multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary thematic cooperation. Researchers of TU Delft contribute globally recognised research in fields as diverse as quantum nano, chemical engineering,bio-nanotechnology, civil engineering, maritime technology, architecture, transport, water management, aerospace technology, and robotics.
“Impact for a better society” is the motto of the Strategic Framework of the TU Delft. TU Delft realises this impact by arranging its vast research potential to address major societal themes. The research questions emerging from these problems are often so complex that they can only be answered by joining forces: sometimes through cooperation with researchers from within a variety of disciplines, sometimes by collaborating with colleagues from the business community or with community partners. This is done in consideration of national research priorities, as formulated in the National Science Agenda or the Top Sector policy, as well as the international research priorities, including the EU Horizon2020 programme and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
TU Delft fosters open education through three main instruments:
- TU Delft OpenCourseWare provides free and open educational resources of high-quality university‐level, organised as courses.
- DelftX is the MOOC platform of TU Delft offering over 150 online courses via close collaboration with EDX.
- TU Delft Open Textbooks is a platform that contains freely accessible textbooks produced by TU Delft teachers and used in bachelor and master courses at TU Delft.
TU Delft is pursuing many strands of AI research, both ‘into AI’ and ‘with AI’. The role of AI technologies is also growing across our education and innovation activities. The TU Delft AI Initiative coordinates various activities and functions, providing a central platform for AI, data, and digitalization-related research, for education and innovation. It allows eight TU Delft faculties to collaborate intensively with multiple partners.
Many different researchers and lecturers at TU Delft work on activities related to AI, data, and digitalisation. Given the increasing role of these technologies in urgent scientific and societal challenges, it is TU Delft’s ambition to double the budget for these research and education activities to 70 million euros annually.
Subjects related to AI, data & digitalisation play a central role in TU Delft’s education programme. They are part of our core bachelor and master programmes – education in AI, data & digitalisation. Our education also combines research foundations with subject-related scientific and societal challenges: here we are helping to advance different subjects with AI, data & digitalisation. TU Delft also offers cross-programme training and continuing education in AI, data & digitalisation-related subjects for its staff, PhDs, alumni and professionals.
A regional knowledge coalition for AI, data, and digitalisation has been set up by Erasmus University Rotterdam, Leiden University, TU Delft, and the university medical centers Erasmus MC and LUMC. Together, we are working on a large-scale education program aimed at strengthening the combined skills of all partners, potentially reaching 85,000 students. The coalition also joins forces in the field of research and innovation.
Artur M. Schweidtmann is an early career researcher who started as an assistant professor at TU Delft in April 2021 after finishing his Ph.D. in March 2021. He is the director of the “Chemical Engineering and Medical Imaging” (CHME) AI lab at TU Delft (funded with 2 Million by the AI Initiative) and the head of the “Process Intelligence Research” group at the Chemical Engineering Department. He conducts interdisciplinary research on AI and chemical engineering, biotechnology, and chemistry. He is currently supervising a team of 1 PostDoc, 6 Ph.D. students, and about 9 MSc students. Through this project, Mr. Schweidtmann will set up a new course on AI in (bio)-chemical engineering at TU Delft which will be offered to over 200 students each year.