It is forty years since the University of Twente began to offer courses in socially relevant, non-technical disciplines. Over the years, the curriculum has expanded to include Social Sciences and Health Sciences. These programmes now fall under the auspices of the Faculty of Management and Governance, which itself has grown to offer six distinctive programmes while also conducting high-quality research.

This special anniversary will not go unmarked. On Friday 21 November 2008, a semi-academic symposium will be held in De Grolsch Veste, Enschede, The Netherlands. The topic will be:

‘Open Innovation and Creativity in Management and Governance’

The faculty is proud to announce that two internationally renowned experts on Innovation and Creativity have agreed to come to the Netherlands to speak at this event. They are Prof. Henry Chesbrough and Mr Charles Landry.

Henry Chesbrough is a professor at the University of Berkeley's Haas Business School (USA). He coined the term 'Open Innovation' and is seen as a leading authority in the field. Chesbrough has abandoned the traditional idea of innovation taking place entirely within the walls of a given organization. Innovation, he contends, can begin anywhere and is not restricted in its outreach.

Charles Landry is the founder and director of Comedia, a renowned British consultancy which advises cities throughout the world on culture and creativity as the catalysts for urban development. Landry is credited with coining the term 'the Creative City'.

Between the two keynote presentations there will be two series of six parallel sessions, during which we shall highlight the faculty's research as it relates to the symposium's topic. These sessions will be moderated by senior faculty staff, assisted by noted alumni of the Faculty of Management and Governance who will describe the practical relevance of our research output.

The latest information about the programme, together with a registration form, can be found on the seminar webpage.
Cost for the seminar including lunch and dinner will be 50 euros.