Who we are 

FRAIM is a transdisciplinary research and innovation centre, which aims to understand and shape a future of physical work that is meaningful, just and viable – with and for workers.  

We are organised as a learning network: a core group that interfaces with a committed community of academics, innovators, and practitioners, configured so we can engage effectively with organisations and their workers. This is a growing community that is open to anyone who is willing to jointly take responsibility for shaping the future of work.  
The community currently comprises active members from our six founding partners: an academic consortium from 5 Dutch universities, and innovators from fieldlab RoboHouse. A core team of FRAIM staff nurtures the community, integrates knowledge across projects, and recruits and supports transdisciplinary task forces for specific projects.  
Together with this growing community, we have developed a shared vision and a pragmatic methodology for transdisciplinary research and innovation, further refined in practice in several projects.  

In 2024, for his leadership in codeveloping these key elements to create change on the workfloor, FRAIM scientific director David Abbink received the highest Dutch recognition for science: the Stevinpremie, which particularly recognises scientific excellence with societal impact. 

FRAIM researchers that work across projects 

• Olger Siebinga (postdoc robotics) 

• Alessandro Ianiello (postdoc design) 

• Atula Jadhav (product designer) 

• Soon to hire other core members 

Our founding academic partners: 5 Dutch universities 

Our academic expertise has its homebase in the so-called Worker-Robot-Relations Consortium. This interdisciplinary consortium from five different universities learned how to deeply work together, and developed together the WRR research agenda, research toolbox, and ideas to monitor intended and unintended outcomes on the workfloor. See below for the involved researchers. 

Our founding innovation partner RoboHouse

Partners in support roles  

• Impact and Innovation Centre 

• Bas Vennemann (business development) 

• Lisa van der Lugt (beleidsmedewerker) 

• Paul Althuis (strategic advice) 

• Chantal Alleblas from ArboUnie (ergonomics expert) 

• Sonja Nollen-Smith (communication strategist) 

• Recess College (personal training & development) 

Project-specific transdisciplinary teams 

Ongoing:  

Nursing at Erasmus MC (2 years) 
Principal Investigators: David Abbink, Iris Wallenburg (EUR), Monique van Dijk (EMC) 
A network of contributors: of academic faculty, innovation practitioners and experts from Erasmus MC, RoboHouse, TU Delft, and TU Eindhoven 
TD postdoc team for Nursing project  

• Seethu Christopher (Engineering - Robotics) 

• Benedetta Lusi (Interaction Design)  

• Paulien D'Huyvetter (Work and Organisational Psychology) 

• Ellen Algera (Organisational Science) 

• Lihui Pu (Nursing Science) 

Nurses 

• Myrthe van der Zanden 

• A team of nurses at the Oncology Department  

Brightsky (KLM) Engine Repair (4 years) 

• Principal investigator: David Abbink 

• Promotors and Supervisors: Luka Peternel, Micah Pendergast, Eva Verhoef, Deborah Forster, Dave Murray-Rust 

• Cognitive Robotics, TU Delft: Nicky Mol, Ernst Lock, Thijs Exterkate,  

• Industrial Design Engineering, TU Delft: Alessandro Lanniello, Sara Muscolo, Tosca Horstink 

• RoboHouse: Auke Nachenius, Denis Zatyagov, Stephan Balvert 

Alumni 

Erasmus MC pilot (6 months, 2023) 
TD taskforce: 

• Stefan Balvert (robotics) 

• Anne Arzberger (interaction design) 

• Steffi Menten (organisational change) 

• Tim Korteland (nursing science) 

• Counterpart team of nurses 

• Nurses: Ricky Hu, Femke Remis, Simone Slappendel, Sabrina Rikkers, Margit van der Bijl, Ingeborg van de Vorst, Ada-Sietske Mourik and Janno Wouters 

• Nursing team leads: Pascale Thielemans, Petra Toet-Zevenbergen, Sophie Kreling-Kleinherenbrink, and Daniëlle Kooijman

Schiphol/KLM baggage handling pilot (8 months, 2023-2024) 
TD taskforce: 

• Lilly Filthaut (interaction design) 

• Tom Coppelmans (work and organisational psychology) 

• Halithan Çetin (operations research) 

• Camille Sallaberry (robotics) 

• Stijn Verlaak (organisational change) 

• Counterpart team of KLM employees 
  
  Network of academic mentors, and innovation experts from both Schiphol Innovation Hub and KLM baggage services 

Origins of FRAIM 

FRAIM started in spring 2021, when FRAIM was initiated at the Delft University of Technology, between David Abbink and then-time RoboHouse director Jaimy Siebel. David brought together an academic consortium to submit a 10-year funding proposal (NWO Zwaartekracht) around the future of work, submitted in 2021. It was not granted although well-reviewed, but was an important step to forge our academic consortium. We kick-started the Brightsky project, allowing our academic consortium to visit the workfloor of KLM Engine Repair Services, where we could start experimenting with transdisciplinary practices. At the same time impact strategist Joost v/d Loo was working at RoboHouse, helping towards a pragmatic vision around workplace attractiveness for FRAIM. In 2022 RoboHouse and academic consortium started to really integrate academic and innovation practices, while the WRR consortium prepared for resubmitting the NWO Zwaartekracht grant in 2023, as well as an 8-year Nationaal Groeifonds proposal. At the same time, we started our first pilot project at Erasmus MC around nursing work. In the summer 2023 we received notice that both big grants were not granted, but managed to land a pilot project with Schiphol and KLM around baggage handling. The two pilot projects led to a two-year collaboration with Erasmus MC in 2024 and 5-year partnership with KLM and Schiphol around baggage handling work.