Prince Constantijn opens new TU/e building Neuron for AI and education

March 27, 2023

Completely renovated building serves as home to the AI Institute EAISI, new teaching spaces and hundreds of additional study areas.

Constantijn van Oranje (left) opens Neuron with robodog Spot. Photo: Bart van Overbeeke

Constantijn van Oranje is opening the new Neuron building on the TU/e campus on Tuesday, March 28. Neuron is a completely renovated building for the Eindhoven Artificial Intelligence Systems Institute (EAISI), and with new educational facilities. The prince's opening act is part of a packed festive program to mark the inauguration of Neuron.

Neuron is the completely renovated building formerly known as the Laplace Building, which housed the Faculty of Industrial Design until some years back. The building currently accommodates the Eindhoven Artificial Intelligence Systems Institute (EAISI), which uses about a third of the floor space. There are also 14 small lecture halls, 22 student workspaces and 400 individual study spaces.

Hanging right in the middle of the atrium is a 9-meter-high artwork Loom Room by one of our country's leading designers, Hella Jongerius. The hand-woven textile cube connects the two floors in the center of the building.

Inspiring place

TU/e vice president Nicole Ummelen: "Neuron has been transformed into an impressive building. EAISI has found a perfect place to grow further, while students can develop into the engineers of tomorrow in this inspiring environment. We can be proud of this, my great thanks go to everyone who has contributed to this."

Prince Constantijn van Oranje, Special Envoy at Techleap.nl, sees the importance of an educational building like Neuron: "AI is an essential component for the design, control and further development of new systems. That's why EAISI and the Neuron building are important additions to the Eindhoven ecosystem."

Text continues below the photos. Photo credit: Bart van Overbeeke / Norbert van Onna

Aftermovie official opening Neuron

The official opening of the Neuron building

Program

EAISI kicks off the official opening of Neuron at 12:30 in the atrium with an AI symposium exploring the intersection of AI and neuroscience. Carlo van de Weijer, General Manager of EAISI, will deliver the opening speech, followed by lectures on brain stimulation techniques, building a computer with living brain cells and the ethical issues surrounding the use of artificial intelligence, among other topics. See the full symposium program here.

This will be followed by the official program at 3 p.m., at the same venue, starting with opening remarks by TU/e Board Chairman Robert-Jan Smits. Then there will be contributions from architect Do Janne Vermeulen, designer Hella Jongerius and comedian Lieven Scheire, followed by a panel discussion with Prince Constantijn, Professor and Dean Bachelor College Ines Lopez Arteaga, Carlo van de Weijer and TU/e Vice President Nicole Ummelen. The official opening ceremony by Prince Constantine and student Juliette Passariello-Jansen will follow at 3:55 p.m.

The festive closing will follow from 4 p.m. and last until 11 p.m. Students and staff are welcome to join the many activities. Among other things, there are escape rooms, student team challenges, a photo exhibition about the early days of Neuron (when it was used as the TU/e computing center), performances by TU/e cultural associations and a show by DJ Robabilly. See the full program of the opening here.

Interested in attending this festive day? Sign up here.

AI-INSTITUTE EAISI IS NEURON'S NEW RESIDENT

The opening of Neuron is the moment to put its new occupant in the spotlight; the AI institute EAISI is four years old and got off to a flying start. Time for an interview with director of operations Patricia Jaspers, scientific director Wim Nuijten and chief executive Carlo van de Weijer. A story about growth, applications and the future of AI: "The TU/e AI community now consists of almost nine hundred researchers, including PhD students, postdocs and EngD students."