DEPARTMENT OF HIGH-TECH BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP (HBE)

The High-tech Business and Entrepreneurship (HBE) department positions itself at the interface between business, technology and the social sciences. We conduct cross-disciplinary business research, supporting organizations in innovative and entrepreneurial management practices and decision-making. HBE is responsible for all business education at UT.

How are today’s technologies – from artificial intelligence (AI) and data science to the latest fintech innovations – affecting the ways in which we do business? How do they fundamentally change our companies and the often international environment in which we do business? How can we use them to improve our performance in business modelling, marketing, finance, entrepreneurship, or supply chain management, in order to create real value for employees, people and society? What technologies that are still on the horizon may disrupt markets, and how can we prepare for these changes? And how can we apply innovative technologies in our research methods, so as to offer students, entrepreneurs, professionals and the wider corporate world the best possible science and applicational support? These are some of the key questions we deal with as researchers, educators and societal problem solvers at the HBE Department. By merging business, (high) tech and social sciences, we support organisations with innovative and entrepreneurial management practices and decision-making.

Erwin Hans, professor Operations Management in Healthcare:

"HBE’s mission is to make an impact on responsible transformations of industry and society. Our vision is to achieve this through impact-driven interdisciplinary education and research activities."

Our education

HBE is responsible for all business education at UT, which primarily takes place within our award-winning bachelor and master programs (International) Business Administration (IBA/BA), Business Information Technology (BIT), and Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM). Next to that, we contribute to many other UT programs such as Health Sciences, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Advanced Technology, CreaTe, Honours Programs, PLD Public Management, and PLD Risk Management. We aim to educate multi-disciplinary business professionals with a curious, entrepreneurial, and problem-solving mindset.

  • Get an impression of programmes and modules in which we are involved
    • HBE hosts the award-winning Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes (International) Business Administration (IBA/BA), Business Information Technology (BIT) and Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM)
    • We contribute to many other UT Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes, including Health Sciences, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Advanced Technology, CreaTe, and Honours Programmes
    • We are involved in UT’s Professional Learning & Development (PLD), particularly the part-time dutch-taught Master’s in Risk Management and Public Management (content in Dutch). 

Our research and researchers

The world we live in today, the research we engage in at our department crosses many scientific disciplines and societal domains. Here are some exemplary research topics and activities: 

Creating value for society

Our latest news

Our board members

Chair
prof.dr.ir. E.W. Hans (Erwin)
Full Professor
Secretary
dr.ir. P. Hoffmann (Petra)
Assistant Professor
Member
dr. M.L. Ehrenhard (Michel)
Associate Professor Strategy & Responsible Entrepreneurship
Member
prof.dr.ir. M.R.K. Mes (Martijn)
Full Professor
Member
prof.dr. L. Spierdijk (Laura)
Full Professor of Financial Engineering & Management

Our departmental sections