What is Quest?

In the third year of the Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering and Management degree programmes at HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, groups of 4-6 students work together in a multidisciplinary project named “Quest”. These projects are set up around “authentic” assignments from the industry in collaboration with companies and/or institutes. The company or institute is given the role of principal/client.

The duration of a Quest project is six months (one semester). During the teaching weeks, the students work twelve hours a week and during the last exam week in each of the two periods, they spend 24 hours on the project. In the case of a project group of, for example, five students, this amounts to approximately 1200 hours. This is comparable to at least one student trainee for half a year.

Quest projects

Quest covers a very extensive variety of projects. The basic principle is that the project must include research elements for at least two of the three degree programmes: Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or Industrial Engineering and Management. This often revolves around issues related to new (industrial) business processes, challenges in the field of digitisation, and new innovative techniques.

Examples of Quest projects include projects in the field of new image scanning techniques, Internet of Things, smart sensors, robotics, 3D printing technology, sustainable energy use, blockchain applications and medical technology.

Working in companies

The HU, working in consultation with various companies, develops new assignments every six months. The students then enrol in those projects. Once all the students have been matched with the projects, each Quest project group can start working on the applicable company’s project. Once every six months, approximately 50 project groups of an average of 4-6 students per Quest project start working at a wide range of companies.

If your company is interested in collaborating with our students on a Quest project, we would like to contact you and your company.

For participating companies

What can a Quest project do for your company?

• A fresh look at a problem by uninhibited (young) eyes
• Obtaining a multidisciplinary design and possibly a prototype
• Contact with a number of students from higher technology education

A Quest project requires (at least) the following input from participating companies:

• Holding an introductory meeting in which the assignment is explained and agreements are made.
• Providing the students with information and answering questions in the role of principal/client.
• Supporting the students in the implementation of the project.
• Assessing the students by means of so-called company assessments. This involves recommendations to the lecturer and examiners.
• Attending/co-assessing a final presentation and report.

Our company is interested in participating

Themes of the Institute of Engineering & Design

The Institute of Engineering & Design, which includes the Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering and Management degree programmes, offers a number of subject-specific focus themes that it focuses on. They are:

• Medical engineering
• Sustainable energy technology
• Rapid prototyping
• Asset management