The plan strives to start operations of a training institute in the academic year 2009/2010, and its main focus will be concentrated on deepening and broadening all aspects of scientific research. Flierman expects that the training institute will be able to offer places for around seven to eight hundred PhD students and three to five hundred students, who choose to follow a research master's program.
The UT thinks the institute will increase its attractiveness and visibility, especially to international students. This step is needed to be able to compete with foreign universities. The number of international students on campus is now only ten percent of the total population of eight thousand. That percentage, according to the Executive Board, still needs to substantially increase.
The Graduate School was only one of the items that were discussed at the strategic deliberation meeting. Another topic of discussion was with representatives of the strategy and communication company Boer & Croon, who will place the UT's profile on the market when that has been clearly defined.
