Before the start of the new academic year the University of Twente organizes the summer school CuriousU. This year they offered the course Leaders of Innovation and Impact, where students worked in cases that enabled them to develop critical reflection and multidisciplinary collaboration, among other skills.

Knowing that students from all over the world will join to the course, the think tank was interested in the experiences or insights that international students in other regions could propose to facilitatewelcoming in the region. Students were challenged with the following research question:

How might regions engage and attract talent to explore and come to study, live, and work in the region in order to ensure educated, professional workforce supply for growing business and sustainable development of the region?

The team worked for two days in the assignment. Applying the methodologies and tools they learned during the summer course, they presented a prototype of their idea to leaders in the city and think tank members. Their proposal and main insight was the importance of places (e.g. the University) for socializing and connecting with others. After University such connections are lost. Therefore they made a proposal for investing in a place for people that are “in between”. That is, after graduating from school; between younghood and adulthood; or between the Netherlands and their countries of origin. Such a place would be a place to meet and create together and would be located between the city and the University in Hengelosestraat.