ICAI Day 2025: Translating academic research into practical impact
The ICAI Day 2025, at Booking.com focuses on translating academic research into practical impact. We will showcase success stories and share best-practices where research collaborations have directly contributed to solving industry challenges while also addressing future challenges. Through keynotes, case presentations, interactive sessions, and workshops, we aim to inspire and connect researchers with industry.

Get your ticket here
Agenda
12:00 – 13:00 | Arrival & Lunch
A welcome lunch to network and connect
13:00 – 13:15 | Welcome by Booking & ICAI
Maarten de Rijke (ICAI) & Thomas Dohmen (ICAI) & Onno Zoeter (Booking.com)
13:15 – 13:45 | Presentation: Tackling fraud with AI
- Speakers: Onno Zoeter (Booking.com) & Philip Boeken (PhD student, Booking.com
Topic: How a collaboration between academia and industry led to solving a critical problem on fraude detection.
13:45 – 14:15 | Presentation: The Police AI Lab Uncovered: What It Really Takes to Build Intelligent Systems
- Speaker: Bas Testerink
- Topic: Beyond the Algorithm: What Works (and What Doesn’t) in the AI Police Lab
14:15 – 14:30 | Presentation: Research in Action: Collaborating for Impact Beyond Academia
- Speaker: Kim van den Houten - AI4B.io lab
- Topic: Making practical impact with your research as a PhD
14:30 – 15:15 | Poster Session & Networking Break
A chance to explore posters showcasing other PhD projects and ongoing research collaborations.
15:15 – 16:15 | Workshop & Roundtable Discussions (Parallel Sessions)
- Workshop (PhD's): How PhDs can ensure their research contributes effectively to business challenges.
In this workshop, former PhD researchers who successfully turned their research into real-world impact share their journey. They reveal how to translate complex findings into business value, align with company goals, and communicate effectively with decision-makers. A practical session for bridging research and industry—with stories from those who’ve done it.
- Roundtable Discussions (for those not joining the workshop)
Table 1: What are the main barriers to implementing research in a business setting, and how can they be overcome?
Table 2: What metrics should be used to measure research impact in a business context?
Table 3: How to balance fundamental research with applied business-driven goals.
Table 4: What are the key challenges in using proprietary and sensitive data in research collaborations, and how can they be effectively addressed?
Table 5: How do you get the most out of the collaboration between PhD candidates, academic labs, and companies? What practices help ensure mutual benefit, knowledge transfer, and long-term impact — both for the organization and the researcher?
16:30 - 17:00 | Wrap - up
17:00 - 17:15 | Awards & Closing words
17:15 - 18:15 | Informal Networking borrel
Opportunity to continue discussions over drinks.
Get your ticket here