Fontys, Holst Centre and TU/e sign LoI with High Tech Campus to develop Workplace Vitality Hub

The Workplace Vitality Hub will be located in a new High Tech Campus building in Eindhoven (HTC 85), which is due to be finished in June 2021. Construction of this ‘smart and sustainable office building’ recently reached its highest point.

The Workplace Vitality Hub will be the basis from which the FITT partners, Fontys, imec, TNO and TU/e, will work together with large enterprises as well as start-ups in order to increase vitality on the work floor. Through smart technologies, data and artificial intelligence (AI), they aim to create the workplace of the future in which vitality and a pleasant working environment make all the difference.

A system of sensors, for instance, that can detect that a meeting room is too crowded, causing more fresh air to be blown in. Or a smart desk chair that detects the way you sit behind your desk and starts to vibrate to correct your posture. Or maybe the lighting in your office that adjusts to incoming daylight and your specific needs at that moment, creating an optimal working environment. Steven Vos, lecturer at the Fontys Sports Academy and connected to EAISI in his capacity as professor at the TU/e shares his vision on vitality: "The core of what we aim to achieve through the Hub is a working environment in which intuitive technology invites people to get up and move around, supports everyone in being the best they can be and connects people, preventing health problems and increasing productivity."

The workplace of the future

The new building is located on the water, at the heart of the campus. Jean-Paul van Oijen, Commercial Director High Tech Campus: "At the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven, over 12,000 professionals work on the latest technologies for the world of tomorrow. Therefore, we do not only focus on the sustainability of our buildings , but we also have the best interests at heart of our employees. A healthy working environment is very important in lifting innovation to a new level." In addition to the Workplace Vitality Hub, multiple technology enterprises will take up residence in the new building, including Etteplan, an originally Finnish provider of technical services and solutions.

Collaboration with the local ecosystem

The Workplace Vitality Hub is built within a strong local ecosystem of large enterprises, SMEs and knowledge institutes. The Hub is exploring the possibility to cooperate with PSV and the Brainport partners. Through this collaboration with PSV, all partners aim to improve their employees' vitality. The region has long been known for its strong cluster of sports and technology on the one hand and medical technology on the other. Both clusters come together in vitality.

On 16 December 2020 the FITT partners signed a collaboration agreement with the High Tech Campus during an online event. This is the first time that the four largest knowledge institutes of the region come together in a shared initiative. The parties collaborating in the Hub will work together with (regional) business partners and local governments in researching, developing and testing technologies that make employees healthier. "Kathleen Philips, General Manager of imec at Holst Centre: "The Workplace Vitality Hub offers a unique environment for Holst Centre, a partnership between imec and TNO, to test our innovations and develop new applications. The collaboration with academic partners and commercial enterprises will inspire all parties involved to develop new technologies."

Steven Vos concludes:

"Together, we can set up a unique place to test, develop, meet and experience while working on innovative technologies and interventions for the workplace of the future, with the ultimate goal to significantly improve people's vitality in their working environment within the next five years."