Accelerate IT: Data Driven Business Lab
- 5 months
- 09-02-2026
- Eindhoven
- EUR3,105
Discover the power of data in your work.
You don’t need to be an IT specialist to make smart improvements. In this program, you’ll learn how to use data to make better decisions, optimize processes, and create real value. Bring your own challenge and get hands-on experience working with today’s data and tomorrow’s solutions.
About this course
In the Data Driven Business Lab, you will learn about the many facets of working with data. You will discover how to clean up, process, and translate raw data from business applications, business processes, machines, and other hardware into valuable insights.
During this 18-week program, you will work one day a week with mainly students, but also researchers and professionals, on real data sources from the business community, manufacturing industry, government agencies, and other organizations. This will allow you to experience how data can be the driving force behind innovation, efficiency, and sustainable growth.
You will tackle your own practical issue and collaborate on a project from a partner company. This will raise questions that will help you learn step by step how to work with data in all phases, from source to decision-making.
Why choose the Data Driven Business Lab?
- Combine theory and practice by working closely with real companies and industrial partners
- Work on tangible data projects that impact production, logistics, sustainability, or business strategy
- Develop your own practical project and discover how data adds value in your organization
- Learn alongside professionals from diverse fields, from engineering to business
- Build immediately applicable skills that help your organization use data smartly
- You conclude the process with a concrete Proof of Concept that creates immediate value for your organization
In short, this program lets you experience firsthand the beauty and complexity of working with data, the challenges it presents, and the value of turning raw data into actionable insights.
Click here for all courses within Accelerate-ITWho is this course intended for?
This course is intended for professionals who want to use data to make processes smarter, more efficient, and future-proof. Examples include:
- Project leaders and professionals who want to make their organization data-driven
- Production and operations managers
- Maintenance and process engineers
- Quality and supply chain managers
- Finance and control professionals
- Logistics managers
- Sales and marketing professionals
- HR professionals
You don’t need to be an IT specialist. What matters most is curiosity, analytical thinking, and a willingness to collaborate with people from different backgrounds.
You will work in a shared learning team alongside a diverse group of students, with or without IT-knowledge, researchers, and professionals from various disciplines, gaining valuable insights from each other and each other’s projects.
Video
In this video lecturer Rob Verhoeven tells you more about the course.
“Before you can do anything with data, you first need to understand, unlock, process, and analyze it. All these aspects are covered during this process.”Rob Verhoeven, Instructor, Data Driven Business Lab
What will you learn during the course?
You will develop skills such to:
- Clean and prepare data for analysis using tools such as Python, SQL, and Power Query
- Model and visualize data with platforms like Power BI or Tableau
- Apply practical knowledge in areas such as Business Intelligence, Cloud, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT)
Practical examples:
- Analyzing sensor data from a production environment to improve process yield and efficiency
- Exploring open weather and climate data to determine the most sustainable energy solutions for data center locations
- Development of a financial project management dashboard to provide insight into costs, progress, and performance.
A key part of the program is working on your own project. You select a challenge from your organization—such as improving machine efficiency, reducing downtime, or predicting customer demand—and directly apply data analysis techniques in that context.
What Does Smarter Data-Driven Work Deliver for You and Your Business?
Working with data helps you make decisions based on facts rather than gut feeling, delivering tangible benefits:
Better decisions: gain faster insights into what works and what doesn’t, for example in marketing, customer processes, or production
Efficiency and cost savings: optimize processes, reduce waste, and align resources more effectively with demand
Customer focus: better understand your customers and offer personalized solutions, leading to higher satisfaction and loyalty
Innovation and new opportunities: uncover trends and hidden possibilities to develop new products, services, or business models
Risk management: detect and mitigate risks such as machine downtime, customer churn, or payment issues earlier
Competitive advantage: respond faster to market changes and leverage valuable knowledge that others have yet to use
Example:
A retailer uses customer data to optimize product assortments and targeted offers, increasing revenue while reducing waste. In manufacturing, data-driven work can enable predictive maintenance, preventing costly downtime.
Video: Student experiences
In the videos below, course participants Jolijn and Lianne share their positive experiences of the 18-week Data Driven Business lab course.
Agenda
Information session Microcredential: Accelerate IT - Data Driven Business Lab | Online
20 Nov 2025
19:00 - 20:00 CET
Programme
Information session Microcredential: Accelerate IT - Data Driven Business Lab | Online
20 Nov 2025
19:00 - 20:00 CET
Programme
During this online information session you will be introduced to the Accelerate IT's courses. Find out all about the content, structure and ask all your questions. Practical matters will also be discussed. There is a chat team ready to answer your questions.
Practical information
- Costs
- EUR3,105
- Length
- 5 months
- Start date(s)
- 09-02-2026
Duration:
18 weeks (1 day per week + self-study)
Start date:
February 9, 2026, and a kick-off, the week before
Location:
Eindhoven (Fontys ICT InnovationLab, Strijp TQ)
Fee:
€3,105 (VAT exempt)
Language:
English
Level:
Higher professional education (HBO+)
Format:
practice-oriented learning, teamwork in Shared Learning Teams (with a diverse group of students, researchers, and professionals from various disciplines), and real-life cases from companies and the manufacturing industry
Certificate:
Microcredential (8 ECTS)
Class Days: You can choose to take the course on Mondays or Thursdays.
Self-study: In addition to the class day, approximately 4 hours of self-study per week is expected.
IT experience is not required to participate in the course. We do expect you to have a college level of work and thinking, several years of work experience and an analytical mindset.
Do you doubt whether your profile fits? Then send your resume to accelerate-IT@fontys.nl. We will contact you to see if you can participate in the course.
You will work one day a week at the Fontys ICT Innovation Lab, where the Shared Learning Team is also active during the rest of the week. You will work on your own research question and contribute to a project with students. This collaboration facilitates rapid knowledge exchange and provides hands-on assistance from students and coaches. This offers a rich learning environment and a broad learning experience.
Accelerate IT's courses do not offer the possibility of a visa or residence permit. More information on this can be found on the IND site: Information on visa or residence permit
Some industries have stipulated the reimbursement of your training costs in a collective bargaining agreement. In addition, many employers have their own schemes for training. So always talk to your employer to find out what the possibilities are. More information about government subsidies and schemes can be found here: https://www.fontys.nl/Studeren-in-deeltijd/Subsidieregelingen.htm
Please indicate this immediately upon registration so that the coordinator and coaches can start thinking along with you and helping you from the very beginning. A suitable issue can always be found.
Register
Below you will find the start date of this course and a link to register.
Is there no start date and registration button displayed here?
Then registration is not possible at the moment (yet). Please feel free to contact us for more information about the course. We are happy to help! All contact details can be found at the bottom of this page.
You can register until a few weeks before the start date of the course or as long as there are places available. We advise you to register in time because of limited capacity.
Yes, please contact us at accelerate-it@fontys.nl for a free quote.
For content questions, please contact the course coordinator at accelerate-it@fontys.nl. Or call the student desk at phone number 0885081437