As innovation manager/business developer AI you take a leading role in creating and managing relationships between scientist from three universities and two university medical centers and outside partners (businesses including start-ups and scale-ups, other societal-,governmental- and academic partners) on the topic of Artificial Intelligence and Data. You will be embedded within Erasmus Research Services but will work in a team of business developers form the other universities working over the boundaries of the institutions.

Your take ownership to develop (research) projects and -programmes with impact and to attract funding for this. Your focus will be on one or more of the following AI themes: AI for Health and Care, AI for Energy and Sustainability, AI for Port and Maritime, AI for Peace, Justice and Security, AI for technological Industry. You proactively interact with possible partners in the region, in the Netherlands and internationally to identify common interests. You actively look for opportunities in the academic community, which can be further developed with companies and/or other societal organizations.

Your main responsibilities will be to:

• Connect (proactively) business- and other societal partners with researchers from the three universities and/or two university medical centers;
• Coordinate the collaboration between researchers, business- and societal partners in building, identifying, exploring and establishing collaborative research trajectories, research projects and research programmes.
• Find funding opportunities from societal and business partners, where needed via strategic usage of regional, national, European or other subsidies.
• Build and maintain a broad network within the university, with other academic institutes, societal partners, start-ups and corporates;
• Proactively connect the research agenda of Erasmus University, TU Delft and Leiden University with regional, national and international knowledge and innovation agenda’s.

Required experience and skills are:

• Academic education, at least Master degree;
• A minimum of 10 years working experience in relevant environments;
• Demonstrable experience in working as an intermediary between research and business.
• Affinity with Artificial Intellligence
• The capability to act as a trusted sparring partner for top scientists and decision makers from corporate and societal partners;
• The ability to understand and deal with complex problems quickly;
• An affinity with research and the relation between excellent fundamental research and large societal challenges;
• The capability to quickly identify the essence of research projects and research ideas and match them with the potential interest from businesses or societal partners;
• A relevant network in private sector and public institutions and proven ability to activate and expand this network for the purpose of building public private partnerships;
• Knowledge of European, national and regional research & innovation funding landscape.
• A proactive, entrepreneurial, hands-on, flexible and open attitude;
• A good set of people skills, a keen eye for different interests/motivations;
• Excellent communication skills (Dutch and English).

An internationally oriented and varied job in an enthusiastic team, with good working conditions in accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU).

The successful candidate will be offered a full-time, one year contract with Erasmus University Rotterdam. The contract can be extended in case of a positive assessment or turned into a fixed employment contract.

In accordance with the conditions applied at Erasmus University Rotterdam as indicated in the Collective Labour Agreement (CAO NU) of the Dutch universities, the salary is dependent on the candidate’s experience and is set at a maximum of CAO NU scale 13 with a minimum of € 5.275,- and a maximum of € 6.421,- gross per month, on a fulltime basis. In addition, EUR pays an 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year payment of 8.3% and offers excellent secondary benefits, like a very generous leave scheme. Furthermore, EUR is affiliated with ABP for the pension provision and we offer partially paid parental leave. Employees can also use EUR facilities, such as the Erasmus sports center and the University library.

Erasmus University Rotterdam offers a Dual Career Programme (DCP) to assist the life partners of new academic staff (on pay-roll) in finding employment in The Netherlands. The programme is offered in close cooperation with nearby universities of Delft and Leiden.

Erasmus University Rotterdam aspires to be an equitable and inclusive community. We nurture an open culture, where everyone is supported to fulfill their full potential. We see inclusivity of talent as the basis of our successes, and the diversity of perspectives and people as a highly valued outcome. EUR provides equal opportunities to all employees and applicants regardless of gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, age, neurodiversity, functional impairment, citizenship, or any other aspect which makes them unique. We look forward to welcoming you to our community.

Erasmus University Rotterdam

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is an internationally oriented university with a strong social orientation in its education and research. Our scientists and students work in close collaboration with internal and external parties to solve global, social challenges, inspired by the always dynamic and cosmopolitan Rotterdam. Our mission is therefore "Creating positive societal impact". Our academic education is intensive, active and application-oriented. Our research increasingly takes place in multidisciplinary teams, which are strongly intertwined with international networks. With our research impact and thanks to the high quality of education, EUR can compete with the top European universities. The Erasmian values ​​function as our internal compass and make Erasmus University recognizable to the outside world: engaged with society, world citizen, connecting, entrepreneurial and open-minded. www.eur.nl

Erasmus Research Services (ERS)

You will become part of the Business Development and Knowledge Transfer team within Erasmus Research Services (ERS). Other support provided by ERS to individual researchers and research groups include support in the areas of grants, ethical reviews, legal advice, research data management, open science and research intelligence. The ERS services are for the benefit of all faculties and. ERS operates in a complex stakeholder landscape. Innovation, acquisition of financial (subsidy/sponsor) funds, connection with society, companies and other (external) stakeholders are the most important tasks at its core. You will report to the head of Business Development and Knowledge Transfer.

Setting: Convergence Alliance

The urgent and complex societal challenges of our time call for convergence; the crossing of boundaries between institutes and disciplines to create new perspectives and solutions. For this reason, TU Delft, Erasmus MC and Erasmus University Rotterdam are joining forces in the Convergence alliance. AI, Data and Digitalisation is one of the topics that the convergence alliance focusses on. For more information see:

Convergence - Crossing Boundaries (convergencealliance.nl)