Going the extra mile for the world around us

Sioux develops and makes high-value technology, for example for the treatment of cancer, life sciences research, sustainable logistics and electric vehicles. ‘Why not also use the knowledge and experience of our incredibly smart people to make a positive impact in our community?’ With that question from Sioux, some employees set up the Sioux Social Impact Programme.

In the Social Impact Programme, Sioux first brought together all kinds of existing initiatives’, says Robbert van Herpen, department manager Mathware at Sioux Technologies. ‘Think of our annual technology workshops for children, where we show youth how fun and valuable technology can be. We contribute to Project March, an initiative by students from TU Delft to build an exoskeleton that enables people with spinal cord injury to walk independently. Sioux also supports Solar Team Eindhoven, which is developing vehicles that run entirely on solar energy. This goes beyond mere financial support, the extra value lies in providing knowledge. In addition, our own Sustainability Dashboard is in the making. With this we will soon be able to map Sioux’s CO2 footprint and track exactly how we can reduce it. But with the Sioux Social Impact Programme we are also taking an important next step.’

Health, sustainability and community
The Sioux Social Impact Programme is open to anyone with a good idea for a project in which Sioux can use technology to add value in the areas of health, sustainability and community. ‘We already do this within the supply chains in which we operate as a company’, says project manager Software, Maarten Meulen. ‘With the Social Impact Programme, we are now doing the same - on a non-profit basis - for our community. For instance, a pressing question came in here about the care of a baby with epilepsy who was constantly on monitors in hospital. Our mathematicians made the observation cameras at home so intelligent that they can automatically alert parents to potentially threatening situations. This technology supports the parents, meaning the baby can now be at home more often and the parents have much better quality of life. This is something to be very proud of and a fantastic example of how we can make a difference together with the Sioux Social Impact Programme.’