Koray Karakaya

Koray Karakaya

“You don’t have to go to Silicon Valley to truly experience open innovation. Just visit Brainport!”

At Holst Centre on High Tech Campus Eindhoven, Koray is involved in the development of ultra-low power sensors. These are tiny sensors designed to measure things like temperature and humidity, and which only need a minimal amount of energy, which is harvested from their surroundings. Once fully developed, they will last for decades and can even be used in concrete constructions for the early detection of fatigue. Thanks to their very small dimensions, they also have found a large potential application in health monitoring, which is a major concern in an aging society. All in all, a prime example of a super-technology. “This is something that was discussed during my studies, but seemed really futuristic at the time. In Brainport it’s already becoming a reality.”

Sharing knowledge at the highest level

Holst Centre offers Koray a unique and challenging working environment. “I’m not just fascinated by the contents of the job, but also by the way we work in teams. I work together with knowledge workers of all kinds of high-tech organisations. There is no sense of ‘keeping information to yourself’. We share knowledge at the highest level and complement each other. It’s the perfect example of open innovation. Many people think of Silicon Valley when they hear ‘open innovation’, but I don’t think you’ll find any innovation more open than here. All of course, supported by well regulated contracts and IP agreements.”

Name
Koray Karakaya
Company
Holst Centre
Function
Researcher
Country
Turkey
City
Education
Materials science
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special

“I like the lifestyle in Brabant. Wanting to make time for your private life is widely accepted here.”

Koray’s ideal weekend is a mix of culture and relaxation: going on a city trip for example. Eindhoven is an excellent base for this. “I recently visited The Hague with my wife. We went to see the Mauritshuis: a 17th-century building with a wonderful collection of paintings. I also took the opportunity to try out a couple speciality beers in a local pub. I’m always interested in speciality beer varieties.”

At first, while studying in Enschede (eastern Netherlands), Koray missed his hometown of Istanbul but he has now started a life in the Netherlands and has fully settled in Eindhoven. “Home is really here. Now when I visit family in Istanbul, I soon start longing for Eindhoven.”
One of the main reasons for settling down in the south of the Netherlands was the possibility for his wife to find an equally interesting job. She works as an Office Manager in an international company.“It’s not just about my own career. My wife has a career too and job opportunities in the area are more suitable”

Working to live

While everything seems to be going smoothly career-wise, Koray explains that his private life comes first. It’s no surprise he really feels at home in Brabant, where the lifestyle rests on the principle that ‘you don’t live to work, but work to live’. “This is why I want to stay here in the end. I’m not expected to work endless hours a day and I can take plenty of holidays, so I have more time for my social life and my hobbies: writing short stories and going on city trips. I’m also a big music lover. You’ll often find me in music venue De Effenaar, their programming is excellent!” Koray also likes to wind down in a pub in the Dommelstraat, maybe before or after a concert. “Wherever you go, it’s always easy to make contact with people. The people of Brabant are very open and sociable.” 

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