Coert Bouten: Connecting technology and society
With a career spanning engineering, higher education and innovation management, Coert Bouten joins EIRES to help connect research, industry and society. His mission is to turn technological innovation into practical solutions that accelerate the energy transition.
‘Technology and society are at the heart of all my activities; only the approach differs.’ This is how Coert Bouten, who joined EIRES as a senior program manager on 1 May, 2026, summarizes his career so far. Whether it is in his professional career or in his volunteer work for SciMuse, an association that brings together scientists, technicians and musicians, Bouten is all about connecting people and possible partners to make something work.
Bouten describes himself as a true technology and engineering person. ‘As a child, I used to take TVs apart and fix anything and everything, just because I wanted to understand how things work.’ As a result of his wide-ranging interests, he holds a Dutch degree in electrical engineering, a German degree in mechatronics, and an Executive-MBA.
‘My first job was at the engineering department of a company that made film editing machines for analog films,’ he recollects when asked about the start of his professional career. ‘In that job, I worked with a wide range of clients, from laser companies that added subtitles to films, to archives, broadcasters, and artists throughout Europe. After a few years, I transitioned into education.’
Impacting society
Over the past 21 years, Bouten stayed at Fontys, albeit in a variety of positions. He has been a lecturer, a team manager, a management consultant, a program manager, a deputy director, and a quartermaster for the energy transition there. ‘In any job, my top priority is that it must allow me to make an impact on society through technology. Whether that’s by training students, setting up a new educational program, or by bringing triple helix parties together to accelerate the energy transition.’
It was in his capacity as a Quartermaster for the energy transition and Liaison for GroenvermogenNL that Bouten encountered EIRES. ‘For several years, I worked closely with EIRES in the field of research cooperation, for example on setting up energy learning communities for GroenvermogenNL in which vocational schools, universities for applied sciences, and ºÚÁϸ£ÀûÍø collaborate together with industry on educating hydrogen professionals for the future.’
Coert Bouten: My strength lies at the intersection of strategy, technology, and people. I connect technical content, organizations, and stakeholders while bridging policy, business, and innovation.
Deliberate choice
Up until then, Bouten had always been asked to take the next step in his career. ‘But the natural next step from being a deputy director wasn’t for me; it would have taken me too far away from the technical content. So I started exploring what other options were available. The work EIRES does fits perfectly with what I’m good at: My ability to quickly understand organizations, stakeholders, and complex technical challenges, and to translate ambitious visions, innovations, and strategic goals into practical realization. My strength lies at the intersection of strategy, technology, and people. I connect technical content, organizations, and stakeholders while bridging policy, business, and innovation. What sets me apart is the perspective I bring as a musician and composer: I naturally seek harmony between disciplines, interests, and people. So, when the vacancy for a senior program manager opened up here, I decided to apply.’
Currently, he is exploring EIRES’ activities to determine where he can bring most added value. ‘I am very interested in the system-level aspects of multi-commodity energy hubs and in long-term challenges such as seasonal storage or the heat transition. I am convinced that deploying high-TRL technology and connecting these technologies is the way forward. And I think that testing things in practice, both in the technological and in the social domain, is the only path to the future. All this builds upon the fundamental knowledge that our researchers advance.’
Increasing flexibility
In his role as a program manager, Bouten aims to shape collaborations, ensuring that they emerge and branch out into projects and programs that make an impact. ‘The pace of change in technology is so rapid that we can no longer rely on a traditional, linear, slow-moving approach. We must collaborate within an ecosystem and through consortia to be able to adapt quickly to changing needs and circumstances.’
From his experiences within Fontys, Bouten shares a heartfelt message: ‘When conducting research focused on commercialization and application, we need more collaboration between academia and universities of applied sciences. Research at these institutions is starting to reach a stage of maturity where they can be included as full-fledged partners. The practice-oriented research centers at vocational institutes follow closely behind, and thereby completes the knowledge and innovation value chain needed in triple helix cooperation.’
Managing at various levels
Looking ahead, Bouten hopes he can contribute to solutions and business cases for multi-commodity energy hubs. ‘I believe that managing energy at various aggregation levels is the only solution. We need a mix of energy carriers that we link at different system levels, and technology to address bottlenecks such as seasonal storage issues. I’ll be satisfied if we can achieve breakthroughs that truly accelerate the energy transition.’
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