Building European impact together: Marieke Schoots on the power of ENGAGE.EU
Tilburg University is one of the partners in the ENGAGE.EU alliance. Every day, many staff members work towards the mission of ENGAGE.EU: supporting a new generation of Europeans in facing the challenges of tomorrow. Program Manager Marieke Schoots is responsible for societal impact and collaboration with societal partners. Her ambition? To connect the different networks of the partner universities. Here is a special interview with Marieke Schoots by Marlies de Brouwer:
What is your role within ENGAGE.EU?
“I coordinate the work package for societal impact and collaboration with societal partners. This includes, among other things, setting up Open Innovation Labs at each ENGAGE.EU partner and establishing a Work-Integrated Learning Program (Lifelong Learning). The partners are jointly responsible for achieving these goals.” Marieke is the one who sets and safeguards the direction and course. She emphasizes the value of the staff within ENGAGE.EU who work daily on societal impact. “These are people who dare to stick their necks out and step off the beaten path. I am proud of the team, the relationships among us, and the trust we have in each other.”
ENGAGE.EU adds color to Europe. We have been working together within the European Union since 2020, thereby developing a European perspective
Why is it important that we are part of ENGAGE.EU?
Marieke: “ENGAGE.EU adds color to Europe. We have been working together within the European Union since 2020 and are developing a European perspective. It starts with students who meet, work together, and study together. For researchers and partners, who are often already internationally active, ENGAGE.EU deepens that collaboration and brings new networks and perspectives together. In this way, we stimulate an EU mindset: looking beyond your own country in education, research, and teams.”
What sparked your passion for societal impact?
“Academic institutions are rich in knowledge, but this valuable knowledge does not automatically find its way into society, even though it is urgently needed for today’s major challenges. That is why we work together with societal partners: to explore in co-creation what is needed and to jointly develop new knowledge and insights.” According to her, collaborating with society involves trial and error. “It is not ‘you ask, we deliver,’ but rather: what are the major societal issues? We explore these together with societal partners to see where our scientific knowledge can truly add value.”
This way of working is not yet self-evident for many researchers. “Fortunately, there are researchers who believe in it and work incredibly hard. They dare to take risks in their careers, because societal impact still needs more recognition in the academic world. Programs such as Recognition and Rewards are very important in this regard.”
Valuable academic knowledge does not automatically find its way into society, even though it is urgently needed for today’s major challenges. That is why we work together with societal partners: to explore in co-creation what is needed and to jointly develop new knowledge and insights
What are you proud of?
Marieke answers immediately: “That every university within the ENGAGE.EU alliance has a lab in which collaboration with society takes place. At Tilburg University, we already have considerable experience with this, for example through the academic workshops within the Broad Prosperity program. Within ENGAGE.EU, the labs do not all operate in the same way, and that fits well with the flexibility that ENGAGE.EU offers. Some labs focus more on entrepreneurship, others more on societal impact.”
Various activities are organized within these labs. For Marieke, Expedition Week+ stands out, having grown into a fixed component within ENGAGE.EU. During this week, students work together with partners and mentors on solutions to societal challenges through a challenge-based approach. Marieke: “The idea was to bring the academic world and external partners together in a lab. What gives me the most satisfaction is the enthusiasm among students. They are passionate about the issues and want to make a meaningful contribution, even if they do not receive study credits for participating.”
What gives me the most satisfaction is the enthusiasm among students. They are passionate about the issues and want to make a meaningful contribution, even if they do not receive study credits
Expedition Week+ has since been expanded to include researchers, with a specific focus on the participation of PhD candidates and postdocs. “We see that young researchers have a strong interest in societal impact. In this way, we ignite the spark for impactful research.” Other European alliances are very interested in these expeditions. Marieke: “I was invited to talk about this within other alliances. It is wonderful to see that they now recognize this as a distinctive element of ENGAGE.EU.”
What do you still want to achieve?
Researchers often work one-on-one with societal partners. The goal is to create broader ecosystems around the ENGAGE.EU labs, enabling structural collaboration. Marieke continues: “We want to connect these partners to ENGAGE.EU. It becomes even more interesting when we can also connect different labs and their ecosystems with each other. That is still a dream, but one we are working towards step by step.”
Connecting ecosystems is still a dream, but one we are working towards step by step
That movement is already visible. During the annual ENGAGE.EU conference, all municipalities and regional organizations of the affiliated partner universities are invited. “This allows them to engage with one another about shared challenges, setting up projects, exchanges, and sharing knowledge. Many regions struggle with similar issues, such as the impact of AI on the labor market. The European perspective helps to see that these challenges are bigger than just your own city, organization, or country.”