‘Het kabinet heeft niet goed nagedacht’

Waarom is het zo belangrijk dat ook hoogleraren de 21ste naar Den Haag gaan om te protesteren?

“Ik zou het liever een manifestatie noemen. We willen een krachtig geluid laten horen, maar we houden het wel netjes. Het is evident dat de kennisontwikkeling in Nederland onevenredig hard wordt getroffen door het kabinetsbeleid. Daarover bestaat veel eenduidigheid onder studenten en docenten. Ik snap dat de overheid moet bezuinigen, maar wat er nu gebeurt is van een ongekende snelheid en ongenuanceerdheid. Het kabinet heeft niet goed over de maatregelen nagedacht. Het is vooral de combinatie van maatregelen die hard ingrijpt. Aan de onderkant van de organisatie is dat de langstudeerdersmaatregel. Daar komt de mindering uit de innovatiegelden en de FES-gelden (aardgasbaten, red.) bij.”

De staatssecretaris vindt dat de bezuinigingen op hoger onderwijs wel meevallen. Hij snapt de commotie niet. Zullen de acties op de 21ste effect hebben?

“Ik verwacht niet dat genoemde maatregelen opeens niet doorgaan, al weet je nooit hoe het uitpakt. De plannen moeten nog door de Tweede en de Eerste Kamer en er komen verkiezingen aan voor de Provinciale Staten. Dat kan het speelveld beïnvloeden. Maar wat ik vooral verwacht is dat het kabinet in de toekomst beter naar ons zal luisteren.”

Hebben hoogleraren ooit eerder op deze manier actie gevoerd?

“Bij mijn weten niet. De ernst en de omvang van de problemen zijn dan ook groot. Het hoger onderwijs heeft jarenlang systematisch geen afdoende prijscompensatie gekregen voor de steeds toenemende kosten. Terwijl de studentenaantallen alleen maar toenamen. Al die jaren hebben we dit mondeling en schriftelijk duidelijk kenbaar gemaakt, maar we hebben weinig respons en begrip gekregen. We willen vooruit in de vaart der volkeren, en het kabinet zelf zegt dat de Nederlandse wetenschap in Europa tot de top vijf moet behoren. Maar dat is puur politiek bedrijven. Eerlijker zou zijn om te zeggen dat Nederland tot de middelmaat wil behoren.”

Weet u hoeveel Delftse hoogleraren er gaan? Veel van hen hebben moeite om de agenda leeg te krijgen. Of moeten zij toch alles uit de handen laten vallen?

“Soms kan dat niet, en andere dingen zijn ook belangrijk. Onze intentie is dat we vrijdag met duizend hoogleraren in Den Haag zijn. Het is nog te vroeg om te zeggen hoeveel daarvan uit Delft komen, maar ik merk dat er een grote animo is.”

Bent u ooit eerder de straat op gegaan voor een dergelijke actie?

“Dit wordt voor mij de eerste keer. Toen ik ging studeren, liepen de grote studentenacties net op hun eind. Maar tussen de hoogleraren van nu zitten veel zestiger-jaren-kids. Zij hebben met hun protesten destijds veel voor elkaar gekregen.”

A former student-journalist for Delta’s EnglishPages, he is now aiming to add his own chapter to the annals of YesDelft company success stories with an innovative line of body cooling therapy products.
Tarek Ghobar’s company, IcySolutions, a pioneer in body cooling therapies, were recently runners-up in the Shell Livewire Young Business Award competition. As the company’s co-founder and managing director, Ghobar (25) is hoping to parlay his adventurous spirit into business success in the exciting but risky world of entrepreneurship. From a Lebanese family, Ghobar spent his childhood in Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. At age fifteen he embarked alone on an educational adventure that took him from Norway to Canada on full scholarships. In 2004, Ghobar landed at TU Delft to study aerospace engineering. This month he will head to Vancouver Olympic Games to offer technical support to the Dutch Olympic team, which is one of IcySolutions’ latest clients.

What’s the start-up story behind IcySolutions?
“In 2007, my housemate – who would later become my business partner – and I joined the course ‘Turning Technology into Business’, in which we were supposed to find an application for a cooling patent. The brilliant idea of ice bathing hit us not when we were immersed in analysis but while watching a TV show about an American football player in an ice bath. We then developed a good business plan, won the competition held at the course’s end, and also the ‘New Venture Business Competition’ and STW Valorization Grant. Those two victories marked the birth of our ‘baby’.”

And now is the time to implement the business plan?
“Yes. I studied day and night and consulted a professor from 3mE’s process and energy section. With a €25,000 STW Valorization grant, we built our first ice bathing machine, called IcyDip. Our first customer was the Sparta football club in Rotterdam. I still remember how thrilled we were when the entire management team came to our presentation. And in the end we got the deal.”    

Where did the capital for IcySolutions come from?
“After selling our first IcyDip, we applied for and got an office at YesDelft. When we completed the second deal with the TVM skating team, we used the YesDelft network to find an investor. When we sold our fifth IcyDip, it was time to expand and hire more people. Thanks to our good performance, we managed to get the backing of an investment group and secure more financing. We now have five full-time and two part-time employees. We’ve achieved a lot so far, but we’re still far from our ultimate goal.” 

Due to the recession, venture capital is tight for start-ups. Isn’t this a bad time for potential entrepreneurs?
“I think the solution for this crisis actually lies in starting your own company based on innovation. Most innovations help improve productivity and efficiency, which means savings for customers. In crisis time, people are looking for savings. If you offer customers clear value, they’ll buy it no matter if crisis or not. So crisis is also opportunity.”

What’s your long-term goal: to turn IcySolutions into a big corporation or to collect start-ups?  
“Both. IcySolutions is like my baby, and I want to see it grow and become bigger. But I also have a dream of creating a portfolio of start-ups. Perhaps after five years I’ll sell IcySolutions, return to YesDelft and start all over again. But still, I can watch the company grow with others.”

With your student days over, what’s your working life like now?
“I usually work 50 to 70 hours per week. It doesn’t bother me that I don’t have lots of free time, because this work is my passion. I never wake up and say: ‘I’m never going to do this again’.” 

Who inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
“There are lots of people out there who inspire me, like Richard Branson, Bill Gates…. But I don’t really need to look up to them, since I always think if they can do it, I can too. I feel I was born with the entrepreneur dream. The people I really look up to are my parents, especially my Dad. He’s a hard-worker, and I always wanted to make him proud of me. That’s something that really motivates me.”

You’ve lived in five countries. How does that experience benefit your work today?
“I left my family really young, at age 15. I was completely alone in Norway, and that experience shapes my character. You don’t wake up with breakfast prepared or come home to tell your parents how your day was. You also have no one to tell you what and what not to do. With absolute freedom, I could’ve been partying everyday, barely passing my exams. But I realized quite early that that wasn’t what I wanted in life. Since I had my dream, I could see what wouldn’t take me there. Following your dream is also the best way to practice self-control. The dream keeps us straightforward.”

During your student days, you were a freelance writer for Delta. What did that experience do for you?
“It was an interesting experience. I started writing articles and interviews, and then had my own column. Mostly I wrote about social issues, like girls, parties…. I learned how to open up and express myself. And writing is still my interest. I keep a diary.”

Lastly, what advice would you give TU Delft students wishing to start their own companies?
“First, you definitely need to have ambition and passion. Find something that you don’t just like but love. Then find the right team. Surround yourself with the right people who can help you move forward.”