Dean Krishnan Speaks at Opening of Dutch Innovation Center
By Scottie Barsotti
Heinz College Dean Ramayya Krishnan attended the opening ceremony of the Brightlands Smart Services Campus outside of Maastricht, Netherlands.
During the ceremony, Krishnan spoke about data driven decision-making and new opportunities for problem-based research. He shared examples of projects that leverage Heinz College’s key strengths, including: the development of Scalable Urban Traffic Control system (SURTRAC) and its deployment in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood; the extraction of clinical pathways from electronic health records; and the Livehoods Project, which utilizes the social media platform foursquare to map and analyze the structure of cities according to “dynamic areas” rather than more traditional neighborhood boundaries.
Krishnan said that it was a great pleasure to attend the ceremony, not only to see firsthand the innovation and energy coming out of the region, but also to represent Heinz College to an impactful European contingent. “Brightlands is doing something truly extraordinary here. The intellectual environment they’ve created is sure to catalyze partnerships that are quite meaningful,” said Krishnan.
According to the Brightlands website, the Smart Services Campus combines “a scientific and business ecosystem with labs that merge innovation and expertise—all in a single strategic location. This will make it a unique place where innovative startups and existing corporations, forward-thinking knowledge institutes, brilliant researchers, students, and visionary investors can work together.”
During the event, the Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (Central Agency for Statistics), a government agency, also announced the creation of the Center for Big Data Statistics (CBDS), which will bring together national and international partners from education, government, and business to solve problems in areas such as data security, health care, climate change, financial services, education, and public participation.
The event was attended by Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs Henk Kamp, as well as representatives from collaborating partner companies, start-ups, and institutions.