Strong boost for fundamental energy research
Eindhoven University of Technology and FOM signed contract for collaboration within the FOM Institute DIFFER
Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and the FOM Foundation will collaborate closely in the area of energy research. On Monday 7 April they signed a partnership agreement at the Hannover Messe trade fair. A key aspect of this is a new research group that TU/e will contribute to the Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research (DIFFER) in Eindhoven. The two parties have also made agreements about intellectual property and the joint use of large-scale facilities. The group is under the leadership of FOM workgroup leader and TU/e professor René Janssen. In addition, another top international scientist in the area of energy research will be recruited.
In 2015 DIFFER will be relocated with its 140 employees and all of its research facilities from the current location in Nieuwegein, to a new, sustainably-built laboratory at the TU/e campus. The new group that TU/e is contributing will be part of DIFFER and will eventually consist of about twenty senior researchers, PhDs and postdocs. The DIFFER-TU/e group will study solar fuels and storage of sustainable energy. By jointly recruiting international top talent, the partners want to improve the excellence in education and fundamental research on sustainable energy.
Focus and mass of the fundamental energy research
With their signatures, Rector Magnificus of TU/e professor Hans van Duijn and FOM director Dr.ir. Wim van Saarloos are giving "a powerful boost to fundamental energy research in the Netherlands," says Van Duijn. Van Saarloos adds: "Our ambition is to enable the energy research to acquire a leading national and international position. The new group that TU/e will contribute to DIFFER will strengthen the connections between this research institute and university education in this field. At the same time the group will provide extra focus and mass for the scientific mission of FOM Institute DIFFER."
Shared facilities
At the TU/e campus DIFFER employees will gain access to all the university's facilities, emphasises Van Duijn. "The institute will remain independent with a national role but will have the same access to university services as the university faculties do." Conversely researchers from TU/e will also have access to DIFFER's research facilities such as the large-scale plasma experiment Magnum-PSI for research into wall materials for fusion reactors. The planned appointment of scientific group leaders at DIFFER as part-time professors and agreements about the shared intellectual property arising from the research results will ensure a further strengthening of the collaboration between DIFFER and researchers in Eindhoven.
More information
Gieljan de Vries (communication FOM Institute DIFFER), +31 (0)30 609 69 02
Barend Pelgrim (spokesperson TU/e), +31 (0)6 28 78 27 89
Gabby Zegers (communication FOM), +31 (0)30 600 12 08
Take a look at this short YouTube film about FOM-instituut DIFFER