Brabant invests in solar energy and FOM institute for fundamental energy research
With a considerable investment in the development of solar energy in South-East Brabant, this region will become the number one place in Europe for solar energy and innovation. This is the ambition of knowledge institutions, companies and government bodies. Today the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM), Solliance and KIC InnoEnergy outlined their plans at the Provincial Office. On Friday 10 December, the provincial council approved these plans worth € 48.7 million as part of the investment agenda for Brabant.
The three initiatives were developed independently but complement each other and strengthen the solar energy research and industry in the region. Thanks to the investment, leading research institutes in the area of sustainable energy will be set up in Brabant or relocate there. The knowledge will be developed at the institutes and made available for industry via laboratory and test facilities. The knowledge will also be implemented and marketed for everyday uses.
"The clusters provide a firm foundation because they further build upon the strong high-tech and manufacturing industries and knowledge infrastructure already present in Brabant", says councillor Lily Jacobs. "This yields a broad knowledge base and increases the employment opportunities for energy researchers in the region."
The Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM) is relocating most of its Rijnhuizen Institute for Plasma Physics to Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). There it will be expanded into a national institute for fundamental energy research. This institute will maintain close relations with university research in this area, and it will be given a national coordinating role.
Under the auspices of Solliance, investments will be made in solar energy technology thereby strengthening the international competitive position of South-East Brabant. Solliance is a cluster of knowledge institutions (ECN, TNO, TU/e and the Holst Centre) that are consolidating knowledge and research in the area of thin-film solar cell technology. Solliance offers strategic fundamental research, the application of this knowledge in solar cells, as well as production equipment and test facilities that regional companies can use. As part of this effort, a branch of the ECN research institute will be set up in Eindhoven for research into solar energy.
The Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) InnoEnergy will be set up as one of the six European technology centres for sustainable energy. This community will focus on the application of sustainable energy in daily life, such as smart energy-efficient buildings and towns.
All three initiatives are aiming for an active collaboration with industry to provide room for demand-driven research and to ensure that the knowledge acquired is disseminated, for example, through successful spin-offs.
Information
For further information please visit www.brabant.nl or contact:
- Province of Brabant North: Vanya van Dijk, +31 (0)73 680 86 87/ +31 (0)6 277 4 50 58.
- Solliance: Hein Willems, ECN, +31 (0)6 22 52 00 99.
- KIC InnoEnergy: Jan Blom, director, +31 (0)40 247 25 95.
- FOM: Gabby Zegers, Head of Communication FOM, +31 (0)30 600 12 22.