Can you introduce yourself and MindLabs? 
I am Petra van Dijk, manager Ecosystem at MindLabs. I graduated in Utrecht on the functioning of our brain. After that I was a researcher, organizational consultant, policy maker, manager and ecosystem developer. The latter fits like a glove and all my previous experience comes in handy.
We are developing a beautiful ecosystem in the Spoorzone in Tilburg. Our mission is to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to work on new solutions for social challenges. How do we keep healthcare accessible, what can we organize smarter, how can we make learning more fun, how do we get talents in the right place, how do we increase safety? These are questions to which we devise solutions. Our innovation projects are always about the interplay between people and technology.

What do you do in your role as ecosystem manager?
I work on MindLabs as a whole and with all the people who want to move MindLabs forward, to create an ecosystem in which launching innovation projects is easier. I do that not only with direct colleagues but with the whole befriending network. You could see my role as one of the spiders in that web. With MindLabs we are building something lasting and promising. If we do well and innovations get off the ground better in our ecosystem, that offers enormous opportunities for all partners. The municipality becomes more attractive to companies, partner companies modernize and create new business, employment grows, well-educated people like to stay in the area, the attractiveness of Tilburg education increases, etc. And then we also contribute to solving social issues! But these are dots on the horizon. 

Can you explain to those who don't know MindLabs what it is and how MindLabs differs from other ecosystems? 
As in other ecosystems, we have diverse partners working together on innovation. Unique to MindLabs is the topic of what is nicely compactly referred to in English as "human-centered AI." We have had research carried out into who else is working on the same mission and it turns out that we are fairly unique throughout Europe. Another aspect: we are not aware of any other ecosystems in which universities, colleges and vocational education seek structural cooperation. Our knowledge institutions are the University of Tilburg, Fontys Hogescholen, BUas (Breda University of Applied Science, ed.) and ROC Tilburg. In our view, smart solutions to social issues always require a combination of thinking and doing, so smart minds and golden hands.
And something else unique. In Tilburg there is a very attractive Spoorzone with many starting companies, good accessibility and nice restaurants. Also very important is the municipality that takes bold steps. As a result, MindLabs will soon be able to move - together with its partners - to a beautiful building, a second flagship in the Spoorzone, right next to the LocHal. 

How did corona affect your way of working last year? 
At first, our partners were completely engrossed in crisis management. Normal work came to a halt at first. We quickly decided to take up internal matters for which there had previously been no time. Setting out a sharper profile through a bold corporate identity, innovative website, showcasing partners and projects through social media, etc. During 2020, regular work did start to turn around. While not always fun, it is incredibly efficient that online meetings are now so widely accepted. Tomorrow I can include a professor and someone from the province in a conversation, where previously there was easily a week (or maybe two) between the appointment and the meeting.

To what extent has this changed the role as a living lab? 
Our role has not changed but we have had to do meetings and events online since March. We occupied a studio at our partner Fontys Hogeschool Journalistiek. It was a nice experience, also for our startup partners who introduced themselves there to our wide network. And instead of demonstrations at meetings, we had a MindLabs film crew shoot footage of what we are doing and what our partners want to achieve. We even did a complete broadcast of five major Region Deal projects. Beautiful footage of the Port of Rotterdam and the Air Force, for example. You can find it on our website.

Do the projects you carry out also take into account the efects of corona? If so, how? 
What we see is that the felt urgency for innovation is higher here and there, especially in the healthcare sector. Healthcare partners want to explore with us the possibilities of data and AI, to organize care smarter. But also to be able to respond to a crisis such as the one we are currently experiencing. And we are going to collaborate with care networks in Brabant to share knowledge about the possibilities of AI in healthcare.
Another example. Marel supplies machines for meat, poultry and fish processing worldwide. Maintenance workers normally fly around the world but this was no longer possible due to the lockdown. They solved this by offering local people helmets with cameras and microphones so that the technical specialists in the Netherlands could watch them and direct maintenance and repairs remotely. It had been tried before, but then this development stagnated. Now there was no escape. Marel is now working with us in a project to ensure the best possible connection between the technology and the employees. Nice development. Of course, this is going to make a huge difference in air travel, time and costs.

What will be the focus in 2021?
Making the ecosystem even more interesting. We will do this by binding more partners to us. Large organizations with some prestige, which need others to pioneer new ideas. Young companies developing new technology who would like to collaborate with the well-established companies. There may even be a launching customer for them. That mix alone creates momentum. What we are also going to do is to speed up the setting up of projects. Collaboration is still relatively new and systems and structures at knowledge institutions and companies are often not yet so focused on working with "outside". But we do need that basic attitude to work together. This year we are also deploying specialists to arrive at good subsidy proposals so that we can supplement business investments with public funds.

What are your goals in 2021?
Happy partners, more partners and lots of great new projects. And to make that happen, with the small part-time club that we are, we need to divide and automate the work as best we can.

What would you like to give the entrepreneurs reading this about MindLabs? 
Check out our website to see what we're all about. And follow us on social media. If it's something for you, let us know!

This article is from www.makeitintilburg.com