​The Education Alliance Program in the Netherlands consists of over 30 innovative education projects concerning the use of Microsoft technology. See www.technologie-onderwijs.nl. Menno Smidts, partner in Envolve, is programme manager.

Innovation in education
In 2009, SURFmarket, Microsoft Netherlands, SLBdiensten and APS IT-diensten started their joint training projects to promote the use of new cloud services, virtualisation products and Microsoft software in Dutch higher education. This was done in close cooperation with education institutes. The aim was to consolidate the use of these products. It is a sizeable programme, to be further developed in the years to come. Some projects are exclusively aimed at education, others focus more on back office aspects of the four partners, or on campaigns for certain specific products.

Our job
Envolve is responsibe for programme management. His tasks are, among others, to design the programme plan, to further develop the programme, to guard the interests of all parties involved and to supervise the execution of the programme.

The result
Many of the cloud pilots have produced usable insights and materials for education. New insights are shared with education professionals on www.technologie-onderwijs.nl. Because of its success, the programme was prolonged until the end of 2014. Also, extra funding was made available.