On September 8, AISO opens the 2026/27 academic year with a panel discussion at Roeterseiland Campus. Headlining the evening is Peter Wennink, former CEO of ASML, in conversation with students and university representatives.

In December 2025, at the request of the demissionary Schoof cabinet, Wennink presented The Road to Future Prosperity, the Dutch adaptation of the Draghi Report. His conclusion: large scale investment now is what protects the Netherlands’ prosperity and competitiveness in the long run.

That conclusion raises further questions. How do we develop the talent that can actually apply technological breakthroughs? Should technical education take priority, or does AI need to become part of every faculty? And what happens to students’ freedom of study choice as education becomes increasingly demand driven?

Over the course of the evening, Wennink tests his call for talent development against a student perspective, joined by a panel of university and student representatives. The underlying question is not just what the Netherlands needs from its students, but what kind of environment and support students need to become the people who can deliver the future the country is now calling for.