On Tuesday, 2 December 2025, KIVI, together with the four Dutch technical universities (4TU’s), announced the winners of the KIVI EngD Award and the KIVI EngD Public Award. The ceremony, held at KIVI’s head office in The Hague, celebrated EngD trainees for their ability to translate complex engineering challenges into practical solutions that benefit industry, research, and society.
The finalists were assessed on three main criteria:
- Innovation – creating smart and useful engineering solutions that break new ground.
- Impact – delivering measurable benefits for industry, research, or society.
- Leadership & Collaboration – showing strong teamwork, professionalism, and clear knowledge sharing across disciplines.
Well-deserved KIVI EngD Award winner
From a competitive pool of 19 candidates, the jury selected Elze Swinkels as the recipient of the KIVI EngD Award 2025 after careful deliberation. The award was presented by Jacolien Eijer, Jury Chair and President of the KIVI Awards Committee, and includes a trophy, €1,500, and flowers. Jacolien Eijer described Elze’s project as outstanding and impressive, calling her a well-deserved winner of the award.
Elze’s EngD project addressed the underdiagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) in low-resource healthcare settings. By developing an AI-assisted handheld ultrasound tool with a simplified scanning protocol and offline mobile application, Elze enabled faster, more accessible TB screening. Her work combined technical innovation with practical understanding of healthcare environments, demonstrating adaptability, teamwork, and leadership across international contexts. The prototype has already gained interest from health workers, research organisations, and policymakers, highlighting its potential to improve early TB detection and outcomes globally.
Elze’s work demonstrates how engineering innovation can connect technology and societal needs, embodying the core values of the KIVI EngD Award: innovation, impact, and leadership & collaboration.
Audience selects KIVI EngD Public Award Winner
The KIVI EngD Public Award 2025, voted by the audience, went to Shachi Marthu Shanbhag, who focused on reducing energy consumption in industrial food drying processes. By evaluating multiple airless drying technologies and developing a MATLAB model to guide decision-making, Shachi created practical recommendations for energy-efficient, sustainable production. Her work not only supports climate-conscious food processing but also translates scientific innovation into real-world industrial solutions, demonstrating strong problem-solving, analytical rigor, and collaborative skills.
What a great turnout and successful first edition of this event. We are pleased to provide a platform to such bright and talented young professionals and are excited to see the impact they will continue to make in the future.
To thank all applicants for their participation, they each received a free one-year KIVI membership. The organisation also extends its gratitude to everyone who helped make the first KIVI EngD Award ceremony a great success. The organisation of the event looks forward to next year’s edition!
