Research profile
TU/e
Science and Engineering of
• Biomedical Technologies
• New materials
• Adaptive Systems
Contents
5 Foreword
6 Summary
10 The prioritizing process
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12
Need for choices
External influence
Internal steering
14 Strategic choices of the departments
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Research strengths
Description
• Biomedical Engineering
• Architecture, Building and Planning
• Electrical Engineering
• Chemical Engineering and Chemistry
• Applied Physics
• Technology Management
• Mechanical Engineering
• Mathematics and Computer Science
• Industrial Design
26 Interdepartmental cooperation
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Research priorities
Description
• Biomedical Engineering Sciences
• Nano-engineering of functional materials and devices
• Dynamics of Fluids and Solids
• Catalysis and Process Engineering
• Polymer Science and Technology
• Broadband Telecommunication Technologies
• Science and Engineering of Embedded Systems
• Business Process Engineering and Innovation
• Ambient Intelligence
• Comfort Technology and Design
70 The research profile of TU/e
70
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The profile: strengths + priorities = 3 clusters
Strategic research policy
Foreword
With this document we present the research profile of Technische Universiteit
Eindhoven. The core of our strategic plan is our choice of selected research areas for
investment and growth.
The process of focusing started within the departments, where research concentrates
on the departmental strengths. The driving force in this context is the pursuit of
excellence.
In this bottom-up process interdisciplinary cooperation leads to interdepartmental
research priorities. Our research priorities can be clustered into three research areas:
biomedical technologies, new materials, and adaptive systems. In each of these areas
of priority, a unique approach distinguishes us from other universities. At the same
time, we realize the need to maintain strength in core disciplines and to support the
research priorities with those disciplines.
It must be emphasized that focusing on departmental research strengths and
interdepartmental research priorities is a dynamic process—it is in continuous
motion. This document presents a tour of our university for discussion. Firstly, this
document will be discussed by the University Council. Secondly, research teams,
particularly the team leaders, will be invited to debate with the Executive Board and the
Deans on our strategic plan. Furthermore, our research strengths and research
priorities must be in tune with the other Dutch universities of technology in the joint
Institute of Science and Technology. Last but not least, we will also seek external
advice. We will ask chief executives of technology from industry for their opinions
about our research profile. At the same time, a selected group of top researchers from
the Netherlands and abroad will be asked for their comments.
We intend to present our policy conclusions in the summer of this year.
Amandus H. Lundqvist
Chairman of the Executive Board
Prof. dr. Rutger A. van Santen
Rector
For further enquiries, please contact Ton Langendorff, Head Research Policy TU/e:
[email protected]
5
Summary
The choice of three research clusters—biomedical technologies, adaptive systems and
new materials—is the outcome of a lengthy and drastic prioritizing process. It was
started with a bottom-up process within the departments so as to arrive at research
strengths. Breakthroughs may be expected especially in the border regions of
departments. That is why a decision was made for interdepartmental research
priorities. This profile of research strengths and research priorities encompasses the
research and education at TU/e. TU/e considers the interrelation between education
and research of paramount importance.
Need for choices
TU/e is a relatively small university: 6,800 students, 3,100 employees, including 120 fulltime professors, 110 part-time professors, 450 doctoral candidates and 230 design
engineers. Our total ‘turnover’ is approximately € 220 million. There is a strategic
necessity to occupy a distinct position within the domain of engineering science and
technology. TU/e cannot respond to all scientific developments and social needs. It focuses
on those areas of expertise in which it wants to play and can play a role of consequence in
the international scientific world. The areas of expertise are managed by nine departments:
• Biomedical Engineering
• Architecture, Building and Planning
• Electrical Engineering
• Chemical Engineering and Chemistry
• Applied Physics
• Technology Management
• Mechanical Engineering
• Mathematics and Computer Science
• Industrial Design
Increasing international competition also compels us to make choices. TU/e intends
to play a leading national and international role in attracting top researchers, Master
students and research funding in a number of strategically selected research areas. It
is against this background that the Executive Board decided several years ago to focus
TU/e concentration on a limited number of research areas, selected on the basis of
research strengths within the Departments. Subsequently, the profile developed, via
research strengths, to include interdepartmental research priorities.
This Eindhoven model is used for internal steering by the departments. Through
central resources the Executive Board can support the policy choices made at a
decentralized level.
The research profile is introduced into discussion with the other Dutch universities of
technology in the joint Institute of Science and Technology.
Strategy
The departments are vitally important in shaping the research profile. The Executive
Board ensures that choices are made at decentralized levels, but does not decide what
is chosen. Thus, the point of departure in the TU/e research strategy is the central role
of the departments. They determine the research profile and bring research and
education together. In this process the Executive Board provides steering at two levels:
departmental and interdepartmental.
Departmental research strengths
At departmental level a limited number of research strengths have been selected; in
Summary
7
most cases there are three. Together they encompass education and research at TU/e.
Research programs falling outside the areas of strength have been terminated and the
chairs involved have not been reoccupied. This has resulted in distinct departmental
research profiles. The driving force in this context is the pursuit of excellence.
Even though not every department has, as yet, an equally distinct profile, significant
progress has been made. The current situation is as follows:
Summary
Department
Research strengths
Biomedical Engineering
• biomechanics and tissue engineering
• molecular bio-engineering and molecular
imaging
• biomedical imaging and modeling
Architecture, Building and Planning
• comfort technology and design
• building design and engineering
• design & decision support systems
• urbanism and management
Electrical Engineering
• broadband communication technology
• mixed-signal embedded architectures
• adaptive systems
Chemical Engineering
and Chemistry
• molecular catalysis and reaction design
• macromolecular and organic chemistry
• polymers and functional materials
• process and product engineering
Applied Physics
• (nano-engineering of) functional materials
• plasma and radiation
• physics of transport in fluids
Technology Management
• technological change, innovation policy
and management
• operations management
• human-technology interaction
Mechanical Engineering
• computational and experimental
mechanics
• dynamic systems design
• thermo fluids engineering
Mathematics and Computer Science
• quality software
• interactive information systems
• industrial and applied mathematics
Industrial Design
• designed intelligence
• user-centered engineering
Interdepartmental research priorities
The Executive Board found further focusing necessary, notably on interdepartmental
as well as specific areas of research where breakthroughs can be expected. They can be
related to existing research schools.
The intention is via the research strengths of the departments to arrive at a number of
cooperation areas. These are expected to contribute significantly to education, in
Summary
particular to the Master’s programs. The internal consultation resulted in ten new
cross-department research themes. These are called "research priorities." They are
partnerships in which three to five departments make contributions. The chosen
research priorities are listed below and in square brackets we list the leading
department.
• Biomedical Engineering Sciences [Biomedical Engineering]
• Nano-engineering of functional materials and devices [Applied Physics]
• Dynamics of Fluids and Solids [Mechanical Engineering]
• Catalysis and Process Engineering [Chemical Engineering and Chemistry]
• Polymer Science and Technology [Chemical Engineering and Chemistry]
• Broadband Telecommunication Technologies [Electrical Engineering]
• Science and Engineering of Embedded Systems [Mathematics and Computer
Science]
• Business Process Engineering and Innovation [Technology Management]
• Ambient Intelligence [Industrial Design]
• Comfort Technology and Design [Architecture, Building and Planning]
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Research Strengths
This new situation creates new responsibilities and obligations for the departments
with respect to chairs, joint publications, career policy and such. Indeed, the
departments must strike a balance between their own research strengths and the
interdepartmental research priorities. The departments consult each other about this.
The research profile of TU/e
The combination of departmental research strengths and interdepartmental research
priorities yields the research profile of TU/e. It must be emphasized that this is a
dynamic process, for it is in continuous motion.
The profile features three research clusters:
departments
• Biomedical technologies
• New Materials
Biomedical Engineering Sciences
Parts of Nano-engineering, Dynamics of Fluids and
Solids, Catalysis and Process Engineering,
Polymer Science and Technology
Nano-engineering of functional materials and
devices
Dynamics of Fluids and Solids
Catalysis and Process Engineering
Polymer Science and Technology
• Adaptive Systems
Broadband Telecommunication Technologies
Science and Engineering of Embedded Systems
Business Process Engineering and Innovation
Ambient Intelligence
Comfort Technology and Design
Strategic research policy
The profile must become visible in the strategic plans of the departments. These plans
describe the departmental vision of future developments within their fields of expertise
and the consequences thereof for the research strengths and the research priorities.
This in turn results inter alia in a policy for chairs and investments. Furthermore, the
departmental research policy must be in tune with the other Dutch universities of
technology in the joint Institute of Science and Technology.
The plans cover a four-year period and are adjusted annually. The Executive Board
checks the strategic plans of the departments and will be guided by considerations of
quality and strategy in doing so. This may lead to extra resources for research
priorities. It may also lead to adjustments to the plans. At a central level the research
priorities are supported with extra resources. At a decentralized level the departments
find a balance between the research strengths and the research priorities to which they
contribute. Our goal is to realize a full intrinsic innovation of our research profile over
a period of twenty years. The departments themselves decide on the reinvestments,
giving preference to the research strengths and research priorities.
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The prioritizing
The areas of expertise are managed by nine departments:
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Technische Universiteit Eindhoven regards its mission to be a research-driven and
design-oriented university of technology with the primary task of giving (young) people
an excellent academic education in engineering science and technology. TU/e does not
cover the whole domain of engineering science and technology. It focuses on those
areas of expertise in which it plays or wants to play a significant role in the
international scientific world.
Need for choices
TU/e is a relatively small university: 6,800 students, 3,100 employees, including 120
full-time professors, 110 part-time professors, 450 doctoral candidates and 230 design
engineers. Its total "turnover’ is approximately € 220 million. There is a strategic
necessity to occupy a distinct position within the domain of engineering science and
technology. Given its limited size, TU/e cannot respond to all scientific developments
and social needs.
This implies that choices must be made, even more so in the light of increasing
international competition. TU/e intends to play a leading role in a limited number of
research areas, thereby strengthening its attraction towards (foreign) top researchers,
(foreign) Master students and (inter)national research funds.
Against this background a prioritizing process was started. Choices were made as steps
in a continuous process of prioritizing and quality improvement. Thus, during the past
decade the departments have been following a fairly rigid research policy that has
limited the number of research strengths. The process was by no means simple, as it
brought about major shifts within departments.
Subsequently the research strengths have led to a profile that includes interdepartmental
research areas. This memorandum provides detailed insight into the research strengths
and the resulting interdepartmental partnerships.
External influence
This Eindhoven model is related to external influences, influences that limit
universities’ freedom to make research choices. In particular, external sources of
funding (NWO, FOM, STW, Bsik, EU/KP etc.) have had a steering effect. Today the
resources from the majority of these funds are still acquired by competing on quality,
but by working with programs and projects the influence of the funds is tangible in the
thematic areas as well. University research is increasingly steered by external
programs. One should not underestimate the impact of this. The extent of indirect
funding (by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, NWO, or the
Technology Foundation, STW) and especially the third party funded projects (contract
basis) has grown considerably. Through the requirement of matching the impact on
direct funding (from the government) is doubled. As a result, the freedom for
universities to steer research internally has been strongly reduced. For TU/e indirect
funding and third party funded projects amount to approximately 25% of the total
income for research. It is estimated that for each euro from the secondary and tertiary
Chapter 1
process
chapter 1
• Biomedical Engineering
• Architecture, Building and Planning
• Electrical Engineering
• Chemical Engineering and Chemistry
• Applied Physics
• Technology Management
• Mechanical Engineering
• Mathematics and Computer Science
• Industrial Design
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flow, one euro is paid from the primary flow (direct funding) due to matching. This
implies that approximately 50% of the primary flow is steered externally.
In reality the external effect on the research agenda is even greater, for in the internal
TU/e allocation model a smaller part is allocated to research than in the payment
model of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. Thus, the primary flow is
actually smaller than the research component in the lump sum, which makes the
impact of the secondary and tertiary flow of funds greater than 50%.
To prevent the free space from crumbling away further, a university can waive external
funds and only submit applications to funds fitting it’s research strategy. However, this
is not a realistic presentation in view of the cutbacks on direct funding and the growth
of external funds.
Internal steering
The departments are vitally important shaping the research profile. The Executive
Board ensures that choices are made at decentralized levels, not what is chosen. In
doing so the Executive Board guards the mission of TU/e and the implementation of
policy processes. Starting point in the TU/e research strategy is the decisive role of the
departments in determining the research profile. In this process the Executive Board
provides steering at two levels: departmental and interdepartmental. Naturally,
attunement is sought with the other Dutch universities of technology in the joint
Institute of Science and Technology.
As stated, in the past few years the departments have concentrated on a limited
number of research strengths, typically three per department. Together they
The prioritizing
encompass education and research at TU/e. Research programs falling outside areas
of strength have been terminated and the chairs involved have not been reoccupied.
This has resulted in distinct departmental research profiles. The driving force in this
context is the pursuit of excellence.
Following on the departmental research strengths a choice has been made for further
prioritization that extends beyond single departments. It concerns a limited number of
research areas between the departments, which involves multidisciplinary research. At
the same time the strengths of the basic disciplines must be preserved and a balance
must be struck between the cross-departmental areas and research within the
disciplines. Therefore, the point of departure will continue to be the departmental
structure and the research strengths per department.
Chapter 1
process
chapter 1
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Strategic choices of
Research strengths
As has been noted before, choices have been made to arrive at departmental research
strengths. Research programs falling outside the areas of strength have been
terminated and the chairs involved have not been reoccupied.
Although not every department has, as yet, an equally distinct profile, significant
progress has been made. The current situation is as follows:
Department
Research strengths
Biomedical Engineering
• biomechanics and tissue engineering
• molecular bio-engineering and molecular
imaging
• biomedical imaging and modeling
Architecture, Building and Planning
• comfort technology and design
• building design and engineering
• design & decision support systems
• urbanism and management
Electrical Engineering
• broadband communication technology
• mixed-signal embedded architectures
• adaptive systems
Chemical Engineering
And Chemistry
• molecular catalysis and reaction design
• macromolecular and organic chemistry
• polymers and functional materials
• process and product engineering
Applied Physics
• (nano-engineering of) functional materials
• plasma and radiation
• physics of transport in fluids
Technology Management
• technological change, innovation policy
and management
• operations management
• human-technology interaction
Mechanical Engineering
• computational and experimental
mechanics
• dynamical systems design
• thermo fluids engineering
Mathematics and Computer Science
• quality software
• interactive information systems
• industrial and applied mathematics
Industrial Design
• designed intelligence
• user-centered engineering
Chapter 2
the departments
chapter 2
Strategic choices of the departments
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Description
• Biomedical Engineering
Molecular bioengineering and molecular imaging
Advances in molecular biology enable the detailed investigation of the pathophysiology
of many diseases, as well as their treatment. Critical parameters in this research are the
ability to synthesize new supramolecular systems and to manipulate proteins. These
capabilities enable biomolecular imaging, using for instance confocal microscopy at
the cellular and tissue level and MRI or PET, to examine molecular events in the whole
body. Treatment involves the design of new drugs and site-specific drug delivery
systems. Furthermore, our synthetic capabilities foster the design of new materials in
which biological systems are mimicked or expanded in order to obtain materials with
new functions or properties. Applications are found in the field of biosensors and
regenerative medicine and tissue engineering.
Research programs:
- Biomedical Chemistry;
- Biomedical NMR
Strategic choices of
Biomechanics and tissue engineering
The rapidly emerging field of tissue engineering aims to reconstitute functional tissues and
organs, either in-vitro or in-vivo. We have chosen to focus our research effort on loadbearing tissues with emphasis on cardiovascular tissues. The prime challenge is to create
living, autologous tissues that can sustain physiological loading, adapt to functional demand
changes and grow. The key biomechanical questions are how biological structure relates to
biomechanical properties, how mechanical loading modulates the microstructure
(mechanotransduction), and what biochemical and mechanical environment should be
created inside bioreactors for optimal function tissue formation. These questions are closely
related to the in-vivo remodeling response of biological tissues. Various pathologies in bone
and cardiovascular diseases are directly related to the mechanical loading of these tissues. A
fundamental understanding of mechanotransduction pathways, the advance of
computational methods in combination with functional imaging and image analysis, will
enable patient-specific diagnostics and intervention planning.
Research programs:
- Soft tissue biomechanics and tissue engineering
- Cardiovascular biomechanics
- Bone and orthopedic biomechanics.
Biomedical imaging and modeling
A variety of imaging modalities exist today, e.g. MRI, PET, ultra-sound. Rather than
designing new imaging hardware, our focus is on using hardware for functional
imaging and on enhancing image analysis capabilities by using techniques from
mathematics, computer science, physics, electrical engineering and medicine.
Furthermore, our capability to manipulate biomolecules will advance MRI and PET
functional imaging. Computational modeling of, for instance, the cardiovascular flow,
the mechanical response, and events at the cellular level, will also advance the
functional performance of MRI and PET.
Chapter 2
Furthermore, our focus on computational modeling at the molecular and cellular levels will
enhance our fundamental understanding of cell metabolism and transport mechanisms in
and between cells and lead to the design of new drugs and drug delivery systems.
Research programs:
- Image analysis and interpretation
- Biomodeling and bioinformatics.
• Architecture, Building and Planning
Comfort Technology and Design
Comfort technology focuses on improving comfort, health and productivity of people
in a sustainable built environment. The research is directed at generating a better
understanding of the needs of people in the built environment and designing
innovative and sustainable buildings that meet these needs.
Building Design and Engineering
Building Design and Engineering focuses on innovative integral design, engineering
and construction of buildings based on scientific research. It concentrates on
architectural, structural or related disciplines and is founded on a general background
the departments
chapter 2
in building science. The research takes place within the Structural Engineering
Research School and research program Uso-Built. BD and E obtains its input from the
following groups: architecture, building technology, structural design, construction
technology, design systems and building physics.
Design & Decision Support Systems
The DDSS program brings together the researchers in the Department of Architecture,
Building and Planning who share an interest in developing computer-based tools to
support design and decision processes in architecture and urban planning. The
program reflects the fact that design decisions in both architecture and urban planning
are becoming increasingly difficult and involve an increasing number of participants. At
the same time, there is an increasing amount of knowledge from many disciplines that
is potentially relevant in architecture and urban planning but still largely unexplored.
We believe that intelligent design and decision support systems can potentially support
decision-making processes in architecture and urban planning and allow architects and
urban planners to make better informed decisions. In the light of these developments,
the mission of the DDSS program can be formulated as follows:
1. to develop innovative and improve existing (components of) design and decision
support systems for applications in architecture and urban planning
2. to actively disseminate information about such progress to architectural and
planning organizations.
Urbanism and Management
The mission of the Urbanism and Management Program is to develop concepts,
strategies and tools for the design and programming as well as the reprogramming
and management of the built environment. This environment consists of the
dispersed urban territory of the postindustrial landscape, both in the Netherlands and
Europe and in other parts of the world, that witnesses rapid urbanization and
transformation processes. The aim is to gain insight into and develop strategies
towards sustainable urban development and environments.
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Cleanroom
• Electrical Engineering
Broadband Communication Technology
Within this research strength a strong focus is on digital and mobile communication
and on the reinforcement of the interaction between optic and wireless
communication. Specifically, the focus is on: "inter-working" between inter alia glass
fiber and wireless-LAN technology, compact antenna systems, relevant tools for EM
field synthesis and analysis; very-high-frequency, and accurate and power-efficient ICs.
Mixed-signal Embedded Architectures
Research within this research strength will concentrate on the design of integrated
circuits and architectures, starting from high-level functional specifications, resulting
in physical realizations with a strong link to the properties of modern submicron
technologies. The optimal combination of analog/digital hardware and digitally
programmable software constitutes a formidable challenge.
Strategic choices of
Adaptive Systems
Within this research strength the focus is on using mathematical knowledge and
techniques for the analysis and design of optimal systems, whereby adaptiveness,
robustness and mixed domain descriptions are linked with time-dependent, nonlinear
and hybrid systems.
The synergy between the research strengths
The three research strengths have a strong synergetic link. In Broadband Communication
Technology the very high frequencies and time resolutions form an important aspect, both
on the optical, the RF and the IC layers. This also has a strong effect on EMC problems in
embedded systems where enormous quantities of digital hardware must work together
with sensitive analog hardware. Building competence to deal with EMC problems is also
of vital importance in the pulsed-power activities that take place in the Electrical Power
Systems department (broadband spectrums). Optimal control of telecommunication
networks also has a strong synergy with optimal control of intelligent networks for electric
energy supply. Although these cases have large variations in demand and ambient factors,
they all require adaptive control, the overlap with the research strength of Adaptive
Systems. Furthermore, at the micro-level adaptiveness plays an identical role in the MixedSignal Embedded Architectures of ICs, which must become more intelligent in their
response to changing ambient factors and to wider process distributions that come with
the ever-smaller dimensions in technology. Then again, Mixed-Signal Embedded
Architectures is of crucial importance for Broadband Communication Technology in order
to arrive at efficient receivers. Here, the communication-front-ends must be combined
optimally with the information-processing electronics. And the work on optical devices
strongly stresses their embedding with electronics.
• Chemical Engineering and Chemistry
Molecular Catalysis and Reaction Design
This program focuses on the molecular basis of heterogeneous, homogeneous, and
electro-catalysis, as well as molecular surface chemistry, based on the classical disciplines
in chemistry, together with methods from inter alia spectroscopy, computational
chemistry, surface science, and chemical technology. The research aims at describing
catalysis at the molecular level, predicting catalytic reactivity, and designing reactions.
Research programs
- Molecular Heterogeneous Catalysis
- Physical Chemistry of Surfaces
- Homogeneous Catalysis and Coordination Chemistry.
Chapter 2
Macromolecular and Organic Chemistry
This program focuses on design, synthesis, characterization and possible application
of complex molecules, as well as on macromolecular assemblies and materials with
special functionalities including supramolecular architectures and organic materials
for electronics. The research aims at introducing innovative molecular concepts into
polymer, material and organic chemistry.
Research programs:
- Macromolecular and Organic Chemistry
- Functional Molecules and Molecular Materials
- Macromolecular Chemistry and Nanoscience.
Polymers and Funtional Materials
Relationships between the (micro-) structures of polymers and multi-materials and
their structural and functional performance. This includes the control of structures
and morphology as well as interfacial phenomena. The research aims at developing
the departments
chapter 2
advanced materials with special functionalities such as conducting polymers, solar
cells, and displays. The research also aims to develop innovative production concepts
such as new catalytic routes to produce existing polymers in a cheaper and more
environmentally friendly manner, using renewable resources.
Research programs:
- Polymer Chemistry
- Polymer Technology
- Materials Chemistry of Interfaces
- Coating Technology.
Process and Product Engineering
The cluster Process and Product Engineering focuses on new process concepts for
performance products, small-scale processes for specialties, pharmaceuticals, etc. An
important research theme is process intensification, aiming at the design of flexible
and sustainable processes with optimum productivity. This is achieved through the
development of new process concepts (e.g. pipeless plants), through improvement of
existing processes and through application of precision reactor technology, based on a
fundamental knowledge of underlying phenomena.
Research programs:
- Chemical Reactor Engineering
- Separation Processes and Transport Phenomena
- Environmental Technology
- Process Development
- Process System Engineering.
• Applied Physics
Nano-engineering of Functional Materials: engineering and application of
semiconductors, and magnetic, molecular and polymer structures with increasing
emphasis on nanostructures.
The ambition is to realize new materials and device structures of a desired functionality
via specific atomic and molecular manipulation on a nano-scale (nano-engineering). This
functionality may be photonic, electronic, spintronic or magnetic, and it is achieved
through the use of a wide range of materials such as metals, oxides, organic molecules
and polymers. An intrinsic part of the research is the development of the necessary
nanotechnological tools and theoretical modeling.
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Research programs:
- Physics of Nanostructures
- Semiconductor Physics
- Polymer Physics
- Molecular Materials and Nano Systems.
Plasmas and Radiation: physics and application of plasmas, plasma-assisted material
processing, generating radiation and generating fields for particle acceleration.
In the research on plasmas prominent roles are played by structuring and ordering,
transport of charge and matter, the generation of electric and magnetic fields and non
equilibrium phenomena, and chemistry. Plasmas are the most strongly excited form
of matter and thereby cause nonlinear phenomena. This makes the prospects for
plasma research challenging. The specific properties of plasma mediums make it
possible to exploit these properties in, for instance, nanotechnology (plasma-assisted
growth of new materials), acceleration technology (the table-top acceleration of
charged particles) and biomedical engineering.
Research programs:
- Equilibrium and Transport in Plasmas
- Elementary Processes of Gas discharges
- Physics and Technology of Accelerators
- Experimental Atomic Physics and Quantum Electronics.
Strategic choices of
Physics of Transport in Fluids: turbulence, gas dynamics, aero-acoustics and
atmospheric physics.
The ambition is to attain a better understanding of physical transport mechanisms and
processes on a wide range of scales, varying from nano-scales and micro-scales (e.g.
nucleation processes) to global scales (transport processes in the atmosphere). In largescale transport processes, the mixing and dispersion of tracers is significantly and
essentially influenced by the effects of rotation and density stratification. In contrast,
transport at the nano-scale and micro-scale, as in flows with phase transitions, are
influenced by thermodynamic processes. There are countless applications of the
research, both in industry and in the environment (meteorology, water management).
Research programs:
- Gas Dynamics and Aero-acoustics
- Vortex Dynamics and Turbulence
- Low Temperature Phenomena.
• Technology Management
Technological change, innovation policy and management
This research strength focuses on the organization and management of innovation
within enterprises as well as international networks of enterprises (micro level). From
a meso and macro perspective the stress lies on innovation policy and the yield of
national and international innovation incentives. Within this research strength, a
technological line of approach is important and, therefore, our university-oftechnology environment offers a decided advantage.
Operations management
This research strength focuses on the continuous need of organizations for improved
performance of business processes. Improvement may be achieved via a redesign of
the (technical) management or a new arrangement of (networks of) organizations.
Performance criteria are economic results, time and quality, but also the desired
innovative capacity. Within this theme quantitative modeling is combined with
knowledge of product and process technology on the one hand, and knowledge of
Chapter 2
organization innovation and the functioning of people in labor organizations and
economic viability on the other hand.
Human-technology interaction
This research strength focuses on attuning the design of technical products/systems
to the needs, skills and restrictions of users. The user, the user situation and the social
context of products and systems occupy center stage in this. Human-technology
interaction is a multidisciplinary theme that combines technical knowledge with
knowledge from the human and behavioral sciences.
• Mechanical Engineering
Computational and Experimental Mechanics
In this cluster the aim is to bridge the gap between science and technology in the area
of materials processing and design, through the use of computational tools to model
the full thermo-mechanical history of materials (elements) during their formation,
processing and final design, in order to be able to quantitatively predict product
properties. Two issues prove to be crucial. First, the different relevant length scales
the departments
chapter 2
involved require solutions to jump from the atomic or molecular, via the microstructural, to the macroscopic level and vice versa. Second, advanced modeling of
complex deformation histories is required to obtain quantitative predictions of
properties and to provide the tools to optimize process and product design.
Research programs:
- Polymer Technology
- Mechanics of Materials
- Micro-scale and Nano-scale Engineering.
Dynamical Systems Design
The Dynamical Systems Design division focuses on the design and analysis of highperformance mechanical systems. This covers the following applications: industrial
motion systems, robotics, automotive components and systems, and modern
manufacturing systems. The research focuses on: design of the construction,
modeling and analysis of dynamic behavior, controller synthesis and performance
analysis, including the embedded nature of state-of-the-art mechanical systems.
Wherever possible, practical and experimental validation is part of the research.
Research programs:
- Dynamics and Control
- Control Systems Technology
- Systems Engineering.
Thermo Fluids Engineering
The main goal of the Thermo Fluids Engineering Division is to contribute to the
development of new equipment in which fluid flow, mass transfer, heat transfer and
chemical reactions play a prominent role. However, the design of such equipment is
impossible without proper insight into the relevant physical phenomena. Therefore,
special attention is given to heat transfer in transitional flows, the description of
turbulence in particle-laden flows and the efficient treatment of complex reaction
mechanisms. The ambition of the research is to develop improved experimentally
validated models for the detailed structure of turbulent and/or chemically-reacting
flow systems on a small scale and to translate this detailed knowledge into models and
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design rules for large-scale systems, with a special focus on renewable energy systems,
process equipment and internal combustion engines.
Research programs:
- Combustion Technology
- Energy Technology
- Process Equipment.
• Mathematics and Computer Science
Quality Software
The main research goal of this cluster is to study the realization of high-quality software
systems. This will in part, but certainly not exclusively, be achieved through research
performed in the Laboratory of Quality Software. Specifically, the focal point of the
Laboratory for Quality Software research is to effectuate the link with industry.
The goals of this cluster will be achieved through a focus on algorithms and software
components as the basic building blocks of software, as well as their mutual
interactions. Specifically, this cluster aims to study the workings of software
components, the specification of relevant interfaces and the configuration of larger
systems; the foundations of object-oriented programming, in particular design patterns
and the underlying theoretical reasoning; the efficiency of algorithms (researchers
Strategic choices of
Laboratory Biomedical
Engineering
design new and more efficient algorithms for a variety of applications) in particular,
applications involving spatial data, pattern matching (structured and unstructured, in
text, genomics and network traffic) and finite state techniques (in computer security,
natural language processing). Through its research studies, this cluster also aims to
classify and taxonomize algorithms for particular domains in order to investigate
commonalities and variances in the correctness of arguments and to observe the
interaction of software systems with the environment, for instance the study of large
business information systems, where the environment is the company the system
operates in, but also embedded systems, where the environment is the hardware in a
machine, with sensors and actuators. Ultimately, the goals are to develop a sound
theoretical reasoning about such systems, thereby establishing properties and ensuring
correctness and to realize such systems in an efficient way.
Research programs:
- Software Construction
- Formal Methods
- Algorithms
- Architecture of information systems
- Design and analysis of systems
- System architecture and networks.
Interactive Information Systems
This cluster looks at software systems that enable users to interact with information. It
studies how insight into large data sets can be obtained through interactive
visualization. For the access to structured or unstructured information adaptive
hypermedia methods and techniques that offer users personalized interaction with the
information are researched.
Research programs:
- Databases and hypermedia
- Visualization.
Industrial and Applied Mathematics
The cluster Industrial and Applied Mathematics is comprised of three sub clusters,
namely Analysis, Stochastics and Discrete mathematics:
Chapter 2
a. Analysis
The Analysis sub cluster is concerned with AMS: Analysis, Modeling and Simulation.
Mathematical modeling is needed to understand and predict the behavior of complex
systems. The analysis of the models rests on modern developments in the areas of
computational science and partial differential equations. Numerical and analytical
aspects of multi-scale problems, free and moving boundary problems and systems
involving diffusion equations, ordinary differential equations and differential algebraic
equations form key issues in particular. Main areas of application are ‘materials’ and ‘bio’.
Research programs:
- Scientific computing
- Applied analysis
- Nonlinear analysis.
b. Stochastics
The research in the Stochastics sub cluster focuses on stochastic models from statistical
physics, on non-parametric statistics and industrial statistics, and on queuing theory
and its applications in the performance analysis of computer, communication and
production systems. There is intensive interaction with EURANDOM, and active
participation in the research schools Beta and Stieltjes.
Research programs:
- Statistics and probability
- Stochastic operations research
the departments
chapter 2
c. Discrete mathematics
Discrete mathematics is the area of Mathematics that is concerned with discrete
phenomena. Research in discrete mathematics is essential for a computer-oriented
society like ours. It underpins a large proportion of computer science and electronic
aspects of our society. It comprises a large area, from the theory of crystallographic
lattices in space to the optimization of networks, from computer algebra to the study of
cryptographic schemes. It deals with subjects like algebra, geometry, graphs,
combinatorics, coding theory and cryptology, integer programming, and optimization.
Its applications include, but are not limited to, statistics, molecular analysis of materials,
electronic payment schemes, network design, computer architecture, VLSI chip
designs, error-correction of codes, data compression, traffic routing and task
scheduling, computer search methods, and visualization.
Research programs:
- Coding theory and cryptology
- Discrete algebra and geometry
- Combinatorial optimization.
• Industrial Design
Designed intelligence
Our research methodology is a particular form of research through design: designing
for people. In our opinion, industrial design research should be problem-oriented and
design-oriented, based on respect for people and society in general. It should also be
scientific and current. Our idea of problem orientation has to do with the strong
feeling that technology, through its products and services should address society's
problems. Compared to more traditional disciplines like mechanical engineering,
electrical engineering and computer science, we pay more attention to people’s actual
needs. Industrial design research is not focused on one specific technology. We favor
a multidisciplinary approach.
Design orientation means research results should be tangible, in the form of real
designs, i.e. prototypes, models, demonstrations and concepts. These designs should
represent a better understanding of and an innovative approach to important issues.
23
Our researchers show a respectful attitude by putting users first when defining
problems. The product should be adapted to its user, not the other way around.
Research should meet the highest scientific standards. Publications are important. We
strive for meaningful and current research results by making sure we keep up with
developments in the industry. The field of industrial design has played a part in
introducing mass-produced and serially produced products and has addressed the
related issues of design and ergonomics. Now it is our job to take an active part in
current industrial development. Issues we need to address are: intelligence in
products, networking products, globalization of markets, and sustainable
development.
Main research questions are:
- How can we design useful and meaningful forms of artificial emotional intelligence?
- How can we design useful and meaningful forms of intelligent systems that provide
pleasurable experiences and help in generating and managing flow experiences?
- How can we create new forms of interaction that are more enjoyable than traditional
user interfaces?
User-centered engineering
The UCE group creates and explores concepts that contribute to better interfaces
between systems and users. Our researchers investigate the applicability of relevant
enabling technologies. They develop design and evaluation methods that establish a
close link between concept development and users´ goals, needs and desires.
The UCE group focuses on exploring and demonstrating innovative concepts.
Developing enabling technology is not an explicit aim. Nor is the development of
fundamental psychological theories through experimental research an aim in itself.
This means that we need to rely on technology and psychological theory developed
elsewhere. Wherever possible we collaborate with other groups that concentrate on the
development of enabling technology. However, group members need a thorough
knowledge of the relevant technologies and theories for any useful research or fruitful
collaboration with other researchers. UCE research focuses on three topics:
Exploring new interaction concepts
Existing applications mainly exploit interaction concepts from the domain of Graphical
User Interfaces (GUIs). New technologies allow a much wider range of interaction
concepts. UCE explores these concepts, connecting to trends such as multi-modal
interfaces, augmented and virtual reality and perceptual user interfaces. In all cases,
the primary objective is to create added value for the user. Developing interaction
concepts is not an aim in itself. We want to seek out opportunities to make interaction
more effective, efficient and satisfactory. We are exploring interesting trends in
multimodal interaction and perceptive user interfaces.
Strategic choices of
Chapter 2
Exploring interaction in the context of aware environments
Aware environments react to and support the people in them. Sensing capabilities and
knowledge acquisition capabilities of interconnected systems make it possible for
designers to create environments that can be optimally tuned to the goals, needs and
desires of users. Interaction between users and systems is simplified to the level of
interaction between people and their environment.
We are looking at a number of issues. We are interested in the precise distribution of
control between user and environment. Then there is the matter of the exact design of
the interaction between user and environment: whether the user wants to be in control
(e.g. to change system parameters). A third area concerns the knowledge management
process: determining which knowledge needs to be extracted and how it can be managed.
Developing methods for design and evaluation
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) literature suggests plenty of methods for
designing and evaluating conventional interfaces for task-oriented applications with
typical user populations. But we still need to develop new design and evaluation
methods for interaction concepts in new contexts and with new user populations. For
example, we are looking at ways of defining requirements for interacting in and with
aware environments. And how to define requirements and evaluate interaction
concepts with non-standard user groups such as children.
Scanning Tunneling Microscope
the departments
chapter 2
25
Interdepartmental
Research priorities
The unique position of our university is determined by the departmental strengths.
However, most new developments in science and technology occur at the boundaries
of the disciplines. The focus on interdisciplinary questions was a source of concern.
Our departments have taken several steps towards cooperation with each other. The
role of the Executive Board is to stimulate these initiatives. Therefore, further focusing
was encouraged on interdepartmental as well as specific areas of research where
breakthroughs can be expected. They may but need not always be related to existing
research schools.
The intention is to arrive at a number of cooperation areas via the research strengths
of the departments. These are called "research priorities." These priorities exist in
combination with the departmental research strengths. Together they constitute the
profile of TU/e, which is a research profile but also establishes a relation with
education, notably the distinguishing Master’s programs.
This new situation creates new responsibilities and obligations for the departments
with respect to chairs, joint publications, career policy and such. Indeed, the
departments must strike a balance between their own research strengths and the
interdepartmental research priorities. The departments will consult with each other
about this.
Ten new cross-department research themes
!
!
!
In formulating the research priorities one important criterion came first: in which
fields can departments together achieve breakthroughs? Of course, another question is
whether there are external funds for research available in the relevant field. And the
relation with the business community is important. The chief motive, however, is the
challenge to effect breakthroughs. Indeed, the driving force is the continuous
enhancement of excellence. Vital, too, is the contribution to education, for instance via
a Master’s program.
The internal consultation has resulted in ten new cross-department research themes. They
involve partnerships to which three to five departments make contributions. The chosen
research priorities are listed below and in square brackets we list the leading department.
The recently established departments, Biomedical Engineering and Industrial Design,
occupy a special position, as do the research priorities in which they are leading. The
two departments have arisen from integration of fields that were accommodated at
various departments. It would not be obvious for both departments to formulate a new
research priority (lying largely outside the departmental research area). Both
departments have therefore accommodated almost their entire research capacity in the
two research priorities.
Although the choice of the research priorities is motivated by the challenge of
breakthroughs, the areas are not identical in scope and strength. A breakthrough may be
achieved from a strength, yet the choice of a theme can also show a promise. In the latter
case one would sooner speak of "cherished areas." Thus, some areas are already existing
strengths (such as Polymer Science and Technology) and growth areas under construction
(such as Ambient Intelligence). The other areas range from current to emerging to targeted.
Chapter 3
cooperationchapter 3
• Biomedical Engineering Sciences
• Nano-engineering of functional materials and devices
• Dynamics of Fluids and Solids
• Catalysis and Process Engineering
• Polymer Science and Technology
• Broadband Telecommunication Technologies
• Science and Engineering of Embedded Systems
• Business Process Engineering and Innovation
• Ambient Intelligence
• Comfort Technology and Design
[Biomedical Engineering]
[Applied Physics]
[Mechanical Engineering]
[Chemical Engineering and Chemistry]
[Chemical Engineering and Chemistry]
[Electrical Engineering]
[Mathematics and Computer Science]
[Technology Management]
[Industrial Design]
[Architecture, Building and Planning]
27
The list has not been fixed entirely yet. It is conceivable that themes are abandoned,
combined or added. Nevertheless the departmental research strengths presented here
and the cross-department priorities largely constitute the research profile of TU/e. The
section below gives a description of the research priorities.
Description
The following pages contain a description according to a fixed format:
Mission/focus
Organization
- Department involvement
- Participation in research schools (a survey of the research schools is given below)
Interdepartmental
Links
- Major international collaboration
- Major relations with industrial R and D
- Relation with education (Master’s programs)
Strengths
Contents
Research Schools and Institutes
!
!
!
- Short description
- New methods and techniques
- Future applications
Chapter 3
cooperation
chapter 3
BETA = Research Institute for Operations Management and Logistics
CNM = Center for NanoMaterials
Cobra = Communication technology Basic Research and Applications
CPS = Center for Plasma physics and Radiation Technology
DISC = Dutch Institute of Systems and Control
DDSS = Design and Decision Support Systems
DPI = Dutch Polymer Institute [technological top institute]
ECIS = Eindhoven Center for Innovation Studies
EIDMA = Euler Institute for Discrete Mathematics and its Applications
EM = Engineering Mechanics
EPL = Eindhoven Polymer Laboratories
ESI = Embedded Systems Institute
IPA = Institute for Programming research and Algorithmics
JMBC = J.M. Burger Center for fluid dynamics
LOTN = Landelijke Onderzoekschool Theoretische Natuurkunde
MATTeR = Materials Analysis, Testing, Technology and Research
NIMR = Netherlands Institute for Metals Research [technological top institute]
NIOK = Netherlands Institute for Catalysis Research
NRSC-C = National Research School Combination Catalysis [top research school]
OSTP = Onderschool Procestechnologie
PTN = Polymer Technology
Research School for Building Physics and Systems
Research School for Building Construction
Schouten Institute for User-System Interaction Research
SIKS = School voor Informatie- en Kennissystemen
SKI = Schuit Katalyse Instituut
Thomas Stieltjes Instituut voor Wiskunde
29
Biomedical Engineering
Mission/focus
The objective is to further the use of engineering principles and tools to unravel the
pathophysiology of diseases and to enhance diagnostics, intervention and treatment of
diseases. Emphasis is placed on research in biomedical and biomolecular imaging,
tissue engineering and computational modeling.
Organization
Department involvement
• Coordinator: Prof. dr. ir. F.P.T. Baaijens (Dean Biomedical Engineering)
• Biomedical Engineering: Tissue Engineering, Cardiovascular Biomechanics, Bone
and Orthopedic Biomechanics, Image Acquisition, Image Analysis and
Interpretation, Biomodeling, Molecular Engineering
• Applied Physics: Elementary Processes in Gas discharges
• Chemical Engineering and Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
• Electrical Engineering: Control Systems
• Mathematics and Computer Science: Visualization, Non-linear Analysis and
Biomathematics, and bioinformatics
Participation in research schools
• EM, PTN, DPI, NRSC-C
Links
Major international collaboration
Duke University, University of California at San Diego, Georgia Institute of
Technology, ETH Zurich, Cambridge University, Oxford University, University of
London, KU Leuven.
Major relations with industrial R and D
- Philips Research Laboratories and Organon: molecular imaging;
- Philips Medical Systems: new image processing techniques; combination of imaging
and processing with numerical analysis of blood flow (hemodynamics);
- DSM Research: new materials for cardiovascular tissue engineering;
- Organon: protein modeling and molecular medicine modeling;
- Radi: new measuring method for pressure and flow in coronary arteries.
Relation with education
- Contributes to MSc tracks in participating Departments at TU/e and University of
Maastricht
- Contributes to postgraduate courses in research schools.
Strengths
• Ability to cross disciplines (Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Medical Sciences and
Engineering) to explore and build new interdisciplinary research domains, i.e.
biomolecular imaging, tissue engineering and modeling-based functional biomedical
imaging, computational modeling.
Contents
Short description
Technology has become indispensable in current medical research, diagnostics and
treatment and care. Representative examples are found in protein engineering for
biomolecular imaging and innovative drug design, various imaging modalities,
Chapter 3
Sciences
chapter 3
including vital imaging to study molecular events at the cellular and tissue levels,
functional MRI, ultra-sound and PET, image analysis, treatment using artificial
implants, the emerging field of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, and the
use of computational tools to enhance diagnostics and surgical intervention.
Research in biomedical engineering sciences aims to further the use of engineering
principles and tools to unravel the pathophysiology of diseases and to enhance the
diagnostics, intervention and treatment of diseases. The choice made in Eindhoven, in
collaboration with the University of Maastricht, is to focus our research efforts on three
interrelated domains:
• Molecular bioengineering,
• Biomechanics and tissue engineering,
• Biomedical imaging and modeling.
Advances in molecular biology enable the detailed investigation of the pathophysiology
of many diseases, as well as their treatment. Critical parameters in this research are the
ability to synthesize new supramolecular systems and to manipulate proteins. These
capabilities enable biomolecular imaging, using for instance confocal microscopy at
the cellular and tissue levels, and MRI or PET to examine molecular events in the
whole body. Treatment involves the design of new drugs and site-specific drug delivery
systems. Furthermore, our synthetic capabilities foster the design of new materials in
which biological systems are mimicked or expanded in order to obtain materials with
new functions or properties. Applications are found in the field of biosensors and
regenerative medicine and tissue engineering.
The rapidly emerging field of tissue engineering aims to reconstitute functional tissues and
organs, either in-vitro or in-vivo. We have chosen to focus our research effort on loadbearing tissues with emphasis on cardiovascular tissues. The prime challenge is to create
living, autologous, tissues that can sustain physiological loading, adapt to functional
demand changes and grow. The key biomechanical questions are how biological structure
relates to biomechanical properties, how mechanical loading modulates the microstructure
(mechanotransduction), and what biochemical and mechanical environment should be
created inside bioreactors for optimal function tissue formation. These questions are closely
related to the in-vivo remodeling response of biological tissues. Various pathologies in bone
and cardiovascular diseases are directly related to the mechanical loading of these tissues.
Fundamental understanding of mechanotransduction pathways, the advance of
computational methods in combination with functional imaging and image analysis will
enable patient-specific diagnostics and intervention planning.
A variety of imaging modalities exist today. Rather than designing new imaging
hardware, our focus is on using this hardware for functional imaging and on
enhancing its image analysis capabilities by using techniques from mathematics,
computer science, physics, electrical engineering and medicine. To further functional
imaging, our capability to manipulate biomolecules is of critical importance.
Computational modeling of, for instance, cardiovascular flow, the mechanical
response, and events at the cellular level, will advance the functional performance of
various imaging modalities.
Computational modeling at the molecular and the cellular levels will enhance our
fundamental understanding of the cell metabolism and transport mechanisms in and
between cells and lead to the design of new drugs and drug delivery systems.
New methods and techniques
- Synthetic methods for obtaining bioactive supramolecular materials.
- Computational models and experimental models for the analysis of tissue
proliferation, differentiation and remodeling.
31
- Mechanocontrol of extra cellular matrix formation during the tissue engineering of
load bearing (cardiovascular) tissues.
- Enabling technologies for tissue engineering.
- Computer simulation methods, image processing techniques and models of
biomedical processes.
Future applications: two examples
1. Future perspectives in molecular medicine
The following quotation is from the editorial of the symposium Molecular Imaging
[November 20, 2003, organized by Philips Research, Philips Medical Systems and
TU/e] that precedes the Holst Memorial Lecture 2003: "Traditionally, the diagnostics
and treatment of human diseases is guided by the manifestation of clinical symptoms.
Nonetheless, the emerging field of molecular imaging has the potential to drastically
change this situation. Advances in molecular biology and molecular medicine as well
as non-invasive imaging technologies have led to the expectation that the detection and
treatment of disease processes may one day be possible before a disease has
progressed to a systemic stage. These developments ultimately should lead to
predictive and preventive medicine.
Biomedical Engineering
The field of molecular imaging is of an exceptionally multidisciplinary nature.
Molecular biologists identify molecular markers of disease, while chemists contribute
via the synthesis of smart imaging probes that can be targeted to specific locations in
the body. Imaging scientists are involved in the design of devices that allow the
sensitive detection of the molecular markers, for example via optical, nuclear or MR
imaging techniques. And finally, biomedical researchers as well as clinicians evaluate
the efficacy and cost effectiveness of the new tools for early detection of disease."
Targeted liposomes
Target-specific labeling
Imaging with MRI
Molecular imaging techniques aim to visualize cellular and molecular processes in vivo in a-noninvasive manner. The first step in molecular imaging is to identify a biological marker that is central to
the process of interest (e.g., a receptor protein in the endothelial cells of blood vessels that is
expressed in response to local inflammation). The second step is to design a ligand that is able to bind
to the marker with high affinity. The third phase consists of anchoring the ligand to a carrier that also
contains a label for the imaging technique of choice. In the fourth step the molecular imaging probe is
introduced into the biological system of interest, followed by the imaging study. In the figure above, the
ligand is coupled to liposomal nano-particles (left figure), which are able to specifically recognize cell
surface receptors (middle figure) and also contain MRI contrast agent to allow for the in vivo detection
of disease activity with MRI. The right figure shows a MR image of in situ mouse heart. The molecular
imaging program at TU/e focuses on the visualization of key processes in ischemic heart disease,
including atherosclerosis and apoptosis, with the use of MRI, ultrasound and optical techniques.
Chapter 3
2. Tailor-made tissues and organs
Heart valves, blood vessels, muscles and bones are examples of organs that have a loadbearing function. For instance: a heart valve opens and closes 100,000 times per day.
We try to find out how the tissues of these organs react to a mechanical load, particularly
how they adapt to a varying load. This knowledge is of great importance in research into
clinical pictures such as arteriosclerosis, decubitus sores and osteoporosis.
A new, highly fascinating development is the application of this knowledge in tissue
engineering to replace diseased or damaged organs. First we grow sufficient cells that
have been taken from a patient. Subsequently we seed these cells on a scaffold. This
scaffold is usually made of biodegradable polymer and has the shape of the desired
organ, e.g. a blood vessel or a heart valve. In a bioreactor this scaffold, equipped with
cells, is subjected to a mechanical ‘training program.' Since we know how tissues react
to stress and strain, we can select this training program in such a way that the
engineered organs have virtually the same properties as the natural organs. This is
how we arrive at tailor-made tissues and organs.
Sciences
chapter 3
Tissue engineering is an emerging technology that aims at the development of
bioartificial substitutes for the repair or replacement of damaged tissues or organs.
For this purpose, cells are harvested from a donor, for instance the patient, and
proliferated in vitro. Subsequently, these cells are seeded onto a scaffold. A scaffold is
a three dimensional carrier that provides initial cell attachment and consistency of the
tissue. The tissue is subjected to mechanical stimulation inside a bioreactor. In
particular for load bearing cardiovascular tissues, mechanical stimulation has proven
to be crucial in the formation of extracellular matrix components like
glycosaminoglycans, collagen and elastin, which provide the tissue with its mechanical
strength and integrity. In the cardiovascular domain, our focus is on the tissue
engineering of small diameter vascular grafts and tri-leaflet aortic heart valves. !
33
Nano-engineering of functi
Mission/focus
Establishing a leading position in nano-engineering of functional materials and device
structures with concepts and methods that utilize physics, chemistry and mechanics at
the nanometer scale.
Activities cover:
• Fabrication of materials, devices and micro-systems by advancing proven
technologies into a regime with critical dimensions in nanometers (top-down
approach).
• Exploitation of knowledge from nanoscience and nanotechnology for addressing and
manipulating individual objects, in order to design and (self-) assemble more
complex, functional entities/devices (bottom-up approach).
• Development of tools and technologies for both top-down and bottom-up approaches
and availability of suitable range of up-to-date equipment and laboratory
environments, including technology building and clean room facilities.
• Training and education of students and professionals in a wide range of research
fields of nanotechnology, with a clear view on nano-engineering aspects, and ultimate
applications and realizations in industry.
The approach is summarized in the mission of the "center for NanoMaterials" (cNM).
Organization
Department involvement
• Coordinator: Prof. dr. ir. W.J.M. de Jonge (Dean Applied Physics)
• Applied Physics: nanostructures, semiconductor nanostructures, polymer physics,
atom lithography, plasma-based synthesis, molecular materials and nanosystems
• Chemical Engineering and Chemistry: macromolecular chemistry and nanoscience
• Mechanical Engineering: mechanics of materials
• Electrical Engineering: nanophotonic devices
• Biomedical Engineering: bio-engineering.
Participation in research schools and programs
• cNM, DPI, PTN, EPL, COBRA, EM, NIMR, CPS
• national programs NANOIMPULS and NANONED.
Links
Major international collaboration
• IMEC, ETH Zurich, EPFL Lausanne, IBM Research Zurich, FU Berlin, University
of Cambridge, Linköping University, Georgia Tech. Univ., Paul-Drude-Institut
Berlin.
Major relations with industrial R and D
• Philips Research, ASML, DSM, TNO, SHELL
• The relation with the industrial R and D is shaped in various ways:
- Participation in research, for instance through financing research areas (e.g. within
DPI) and steering through participation in a large number of research projects (e.g.
through membership of user committees) but also participation in and steering of
large umbrella programs (e.g. NanoNed).
- Cooperation in the form of "facility sharing" (the mutual use of specialityequipment and techniques) and "personnel sharing".
- Counseling, following upon the strong demand and application oriented research
within the research groups involved, to build a bridge between nanoscience at
atomic and molecular levels (which appeals strongly to the imagination) and to
realize applications on an industrial scale.
Chapter 3
onal materials and devices
chapter 3
Relation with education
• MSC Nano-engineering (with Radboud University Nijmegen).
• MSc NanoScience and Technology in the context of the 3 TU Graduate School.
Strengths
• synergy in cross-disciplinary activities in the associated departments and in the top
research schools
• wide range of state-of-the-art equipment and infrastructure (laboratory, clean room)
• overlapping collaborations with relevant national industrial efforts, notably with those
in the nearby geographical area, where existing collaborations are already in effect.
Contents
Short description
The focus is on the nano-engineering of functional materials and device structures as
a subfield of nanoscience and technology.
This field has evolved in Eindhoven (in contrast to other places) as the logical
consequence of the mission of the materials science related Top Technological Institutes
and Top Research Schools at TU/e: Dutch Polymer Institute, Catalysis, and COBRA. In
all these areas nano- engineering has appeared as a necessary future route to meet the
ever-increasing needs of the technologies that drive the next generation of devices and
applications in magneto-electronics, photonics, organic devices, biotechnology etc.
In order to continue our forefront participation in the nanotechnology revolution, our
multidisciplinary approach is being intensified. In particular, we combine the existing
strengths in physics, chemistry and engineering.
Our major directions:
• Applying nanoscience knowledge in nanotechnology, addressing and manipulating
individual objects (molecules) artificially and by self-assembly, to design and
construct more complex, functional entities/devices (bottom-up approach).
• Advancing (top-down) technologies—with proven capabilities—into the nano-regime,
particularly to tailor functional properties that originate at the nanometer length scale.
• Developing innovative tools to characterize and manipulate matter and devices at an
elementary (atomic, molecular) scale, enabling the exploration and engineering of
functional structures.
More specifically our research theme nano-engineering comprises the following themes:
• Polymer engineering
• Nano-electronic materials
• Magnetic engineering and spintronics
• Macromolecular chemistry and self-assembly of materials
• (Semi-conductor) nanostructures
• Nanophotonic devices
• Nanolithography and mechanics
• Scanning probe microscopy and manipulation.
Characteristics of the approach are:
• The broad range of materials: organic macromolecular systems, polymers,
semiconductors, oxides and metals; specifically including hybrid combinations
thereof.
• Coverage of the complete "chain of knowledge" from fundamental concepts (theory
and experiment), via nano-manipulation, fabrication and characterization, to
complete device structures.
35
The profile as outlined above, with the emphasis on the nano-engineering of
functional materials and device structures, is complementary to the related nanoprograms at the TUD and UT, and, importantly, also forms a differentiating factor with
the nanoscience and nanotechnology efforts of these institutes. The profile strongly
interconnects with the nanoscience research fields of the Radboud University
Nijmegen: it has resulted in the formation of a combined TU/e-RUN Master course in
the field of nano-engineering. All these aspects can be monitored from the current and
forthcoming national programs orchestrated in NANONED and NANOIMPULS.
Nano-engineering of functi
New methods and techniques
Developing innovative techniques and methods, and implementing them for the
research of fundamental materials and devices, is an integral part of the work in this
research priority. New methods under development include scanning probe
microscopic and manipulation methods, an innovative use of laser characterization
and laser manipulation, alternative methods within macromolecular engineering and
new theoretical models and concepts.
Future applications
The quotation below closely links up with the Eindhoven view of nanoscience and
technology as it is implemented within the center for NanoMaterials (cNM):
NANOTECHNOLOGY: SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL
Looking at the general direction of technological innovation (the main engine for
economic growth in highly industrialized countries), hallmark aspects are: more
functionality and speed, portability, lower energy use, durable and safer
manufacturing, better quality control and improved, individual human-material
interface. Together, these aspects have something in common: Miniaturization.
The most recent 'enabling technology' development in this field is nanotechnology.
There is worldwide acknowledgement that nanotechnology will be the most important
technological revolution of the 21st century.
From a scientific point of view, nanotechnology can be looked at from three
perspectives: first the micro system technology that evolves towards the nano
dimension, in itself a top-down approach, second the technological developments that
are characterized by the dependency of at least one part with nano dimensions (GMR,
Ferromagnetic fluids, organic LEDS: already an important economic activity) and
finally the fundamental, bottom-up nanotechnology in accordance with the
international definition. At the crossroads of these technologies, one can approach the
existing technological barriers from different angles, and a wealth of new possibilities
arises. Therefore, nanotechnology is pre-eminently a multi- and cross-disciplinary
technology.
(From: Business plan "NanoNed," the Netherlands nanotechnology initiative, in which
8 academic partners participate, including TU/e and Philips.)
Chapter 3
onal materials and devices
chapter 3
37
Dynamics of Fluids and
Mission/focus
• Interaction between the behavior of fluid and solid materials and description of their
mechanics on multiple spatial and temporal scales.
• Analysis, based on advanced mixed numerical-experimental techniques, of
engineering, optimization and design of materials, processes and products and their
mutual dependencies.
Organization
Department involvement
• Coordinator: Prof. dr. ir. D.H. van Campen [Dean Mechanical Engineering]
• Mechanical Engineering: Mechanics of Materials; Polymer Technology; Process
Technology; Energy Technology; Combustion Technology; Dynamics and Control
• Applied Physics: Vortex Dynamics and Turbulence; Gas Dynamics and Aeroacoustics
• Mathematics and Computer Science: Applied Analysis; Scientific Computing.
Participation in research schools
• EM, JMBC, EPL, DISC, DPI, NIMR, Thomas Stieltjes Instituut.
Links
Major international collaboration
• Cambridge University, ENS Cachan, Paris, ETH Zurich, EPFL Lausanne, KU Leuven,
MIT, Oxford University, Yale University, ECMI (European Consortium for
Mathematics in Industry).
Major relations with industrial R and D
• DSM: polymer mechanics
• Océ: inkjet printing
• Philips Research: flexible displays, polymer mechanics, high-performance circuit
simulation for analog and mixed digital-analog circuits
• Philips CFT: solder reliability
• Philips Lighting, Philips Domestic Appliances: maraging steel for shavers
• ASML: field-based parameter estimation techniques for lithography
• Shell: rotational particle separator, drill string dynamics
• Corus: strain-path dependent forming limits
• AKZO Nobel: spraying of paint
• BASF: applied rheology
• DAF: combustion engines
• Polynorm: forming of polymer-coated sheets
• Stirling Cryogenics: cooling technology for the 70 Kelvin range
• TNO-Automotive: vehicle dynamics, vehicle safety, combustion engines; TNO-TPD:
aero-acoustics and pulsim, noise problems in heating boilers, modeling of the glass
press-blow process.
Relation with education
• National MSc Fluid and Solid Mechanics
• Contributions to MSc tracks in participating Departments at TU/e.
Strengths
• Multidisciplinary interaction between (fluid and solid) mechanics and materials
ranging from the nano-scale to the structural level with sophisticated integrated
computational and experimental facilities.
Chapter 3
Solids
chapter 3
Contents
Short description
In competitive engineering of advanced products, processes and systems the dynamics
of fluids and solids plays an indispensable role. The principles and balance equations
from fluid and solid mechanics yield descriptions of the (fluid and solid) material
behavior within the products, processes and systems concerned and therefore can be
used as a basis for analysis and optimization and, consequently, also for design.
Fluid and solid mechanics constitute a major fundamental core of engineering
sciences such as mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, applied
mathematics and physics, as well as chemical engineering. And the advent of modern
computers provides completely new challenges and perspectives for the area of fluid
and solid mechanics. Contemporary developments of fluid and solid mechanics
include the following major directions:
• Mathematical modeling to understand and predict the behavior of complex
mechanical systems. The analysis of the models rests on modern developments in
the areas of computational science and partial differential equations. In particular,
numerical and analytical aspects of multi-scale problems, free and moving boundary
problems, and systems involving ordinary differential equations as well as
differential algebraic equations form key issues.
• The problem of turbulence is a typical example where small scales are important to
understand the macroscopic behavior of the (reacting) fluid flow. By means of optical
measuring techniques and advanced (numerical and analytical) modeling the
physical understanding of turbulence is improved and applied to the design of energy
and process equipment.
• Prediction of structural mechanical behavior from material mechanics and establishment
of structure-property relations for engineering mechanics, including the ultimate failure
of the material. The ultimate aim is to bridge the gap between science and technology in
the area of materials processing and design, via computational modeling of the full
thermo-mechanical history of material (elements) during their formation, processing and
final design, in order to be able to quantitatively predict product properties.
• Prediction of the dynamic behavior of engineering systems with full account of
nonlinearities.
This area is of crucial importance in many dynamic systems where friction, contact
and other nonlinearities have a substantial effect on the dynamic behavior.
• Optimization of products, processes and systems by means of computer simulations
to tailor their mechanical behavior for particular applications.
As a consequence of the above developments, the boundaries between fluid and solid
mechanics are fading. Examples are found in the fields of mechanics of materials
(porous media and rheology) and acoustic radiation of structures.
In addition, the interactions with other areas of engineering sciences, such as
materials technology, thermodynamics and systems and control, are becoming
increasingly important. And the successful implementation of the above-mentioned
developments in practical applications relies on prior experimental validation of the
developed simulation tools and physical models. This requires an increasing
interaction between computational modeling and experimental analysis.
New methods and techniques
Developing innovative techniques and methods, and implementing them for the
benefit of research on fluids and solids is an integral part of the work in this research
priority. Below are some examples from the subprograms.
- Computational and experimental mechanics: mixed numerical-experimental multiscale methods; small-scale mechanical testing techniques.
39
- Thermo-fluids engineering: new combustion concepts in engines (e.g. Leanpremixed combustion, HCCI); combined Monte-Carlo and Molecular Dynamics
simulations to analyze the cooling in micro-channels.
- Dynamic systems design: sequential approximate design optimization including
uncertainties.
- Fluid dynamics: advanced measurement techniques based on digital image analysis
(high-resolution PIV, PTV), laser-induced fluorescence (LIF).
- Computational science and engineering: analysis of flow and transport in permeable media.
Future applications
A broad spectrum of applications motivates the research in this research priority.
Research applications include acoustics, aero-acoustics and noise control, automotive
systems, biological problems where heat is involved, conversion of hydrogen and biofuels, chaotic mixing processes, combustion systems, compressible flows with phase
transition, hybrid polymer-metal laminates, MEMS and micro devices (including their
cooling), materials design, materials processing technology, metal forming and hybrid
forming, micron as well as sub-micron and multi-materials manufacturing, oil
drilling, reactive solute transport and multi-phase flow, reduction of fouling in heat
exchangers (as in Amer power station), rotational flow devices and turbo machinery,
solar energy technology, and tracer transport in the atmosphere and oceans.
Dynamics of Fluids and
Chapter 3
Solids
chapter 3
41
Catalysis and Process
Mission/focus
Design of new, flexible and sustainable processes for fine chemicals and energy on an
integrated basis of molecular catalysis, thermo fluids and mechanical engineering,
process engineering, process control and operations management.
Organization
Department involvement
• Coordinator: Prof. dr. J.W. Niemantsverdriet (Dean Chemical Engineering and
Chemistry)
• Chemical Engineering and Chemistry: Process Engineering, Molecular Catalysis;
• Electrical Engineering: Process Control;
• Mechanical Engineering: Thermo Fluids Engineering
• Technology Management: Operations Management and Control.
Participation in research schools
• Schuit Institute of Catalysis/NIOK, OSPT, JMBC, NRSC-Catalysis, BETA, DISC.
Links
Major international collaboration
• RWTH Aachen, ICAT-TU Denmark, Boreskov Institute Novosibirsk, Dalian Institute
of Chemical Physics, ICES and NU Singapore (Design Technology Institute).
Major relations with industrial R and D
• Shell, DSM, AKZO Nobel, BASF, BASELL, SASOL, ABB Lummus, Avantium,
Creavis, Dupont, Hoechst, Solvias, Philips Lighting, DOW.
Relation with education
• Master tracks Process Engineering, and Molecular Engineering (Catalysis)
• Product and Process Design (postgraduate design engineer)
• Master’s track Thermo Fluids Engineering (Dept. Mechanical Engineering)
• Master’s program Operations Management and Logistics (Dept. Technology Management)
• Master track Sustainable Energy Technology.
Strengths
• Multidisciplinary integration of all relevant aspects of process engineering and
design;
• Homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis, molecular chemistry;
• Innovative process engineering and control;
• Detailed quantitative analysis of physical and chemical phenomena in turbulent
(reacting) flows;
• Quantitative modeling of operational planning processes;
• Long history of productive cooperation with industry (as also reflected in about 14
part-time professorships);
• Excellent international reputation.
Contents
Short description
The philosophy behind the research priority Catalysis and Process Engineering is that the
design of new processes for sustainable production of fine chemicals and energy should
integrate all relevant disciplines, from the molecular scale of chemistry to the large scale
Chapter 3
Engineering
chapter 3
of production facilities. Furthermore, the design should take into account considerations
of logistics and operations planning for when the facility is put into operation.
Various disciplines play an essential role. At the molecular level, the conversion of
feedstocks into specification chemicals falls under organic and inorganic chemistry.
Catalysis is the tool that enables such conversion under practical conditions, and 90%
of all industrial processes employ catalysts. Enabling highly selective conversions and
energy efficiency, catalysis is the key tool for environmentally friendly, sustainable
processes.
Process engineering and process control offer the science and methodology to realize
these conversions on a larger scale in a controllable and safe way. Important research
issues are related to the interaction of the chemistry with the transport processes of
energy and mass and with fluid flows.
Chemical engineering, catalysis, thermo fluids
and mechanical engineering, process control,
molecule
organic & inorganic
chemistry
solid and fluid
products
including energy &
energy carriers
solid and fluid
products
2
performance
material
fluid products
3
functional
product / device
thermo fluids
engineering
performance
material
4
operations planning and control;
thermo fluids engineering;
process & control technology
catalysis
polymer chemistry
materials science
mechanical
engineering
ingredients of integrated process technology.
chemical
engineering
and operations planning and control are the key
1
functional
product / device
mechanical
engineering
The processes of conversion and delivery of products to customers account for the vast
majority of product life cycle costs. The degrees of freedom for operations planning
and control and process control, however, are largely determined when the process is
designed in terms of reaction kinetics, catalysis, and process engineering. Integrating
operations management considerations into the design and engineering phases of a
process thus offers breakthrough opportunities for cost and competitiveness
improvement.
43
Heterogeneous catalysis happens at the surface
of solids, where strong intramolecular bonds are
broken and new bonds form. The figure
illustrates the reaction between NO and CO to N2
and CO2 on a noble metal surface. These and
related reactions have been extensively studied
by experimental and computational methods.
Homogeneous catalysts can be fascinating
molecular structures. Variation of the ligands
offers control over the reactivity of the catalytic
center within the structure. Some of the major
challenges in homogeneous catalysis are the
immobilization of catalysts to facilitate
separation of catalyst and product, as well as
making catalysts suitable for operating in water
as the solvent.
In the next decade we anticipate several trends in process design:
• from specification chemicals to performance products;
• from bulk production in rigid processes to small volumes in flexible processes and
production on demand;
• from unit operations to energy-efficient and economical integrated processes
(process intensification);
• from long and generic product and process life cycles to short and specific product
and process life cycles;
Catalysis and Process
• from oil and gas-derived feedstocks to diversified resources including biomass and
recycled materials;
• from fossil energy to sustainable types of energy.
In order to achieve sustainable and flexible production of performance chemicals as
well as energy carriers, it is imperative that the traditional sequential design of
processes through subsequent stages of molecular chemistry, reactor design, process
control, and operations management, be replaced with an integrated process design
that considers all factors simultaneously. This requires a different mindset, which is
most effectively realized by appropriately educating the people who have to do it.
Chapter 3
Concept of a flexible nanoreactor consisting
Manufacturers of special products such as fine
of a homogeneous catalyst in a micelle, for
chemicals often produce a wide diversity of
the epoxidation of propylene in water, the
products on order. The introduction of new
ultimate green solvent. The hydrophobic
products calls for ever shorter times to market.
reactant exchange dynamically with micelle
Such requirements are well served by flexible
molecules, enabling contact with the catalyst.
production units. The figure illustrates the
The propylene oxide, on the other hand, is
Chemistry, engineering and process control meet in the design
concept of a robotized plant in which low volume
hydrophilic and is expelled from the micelle.
of microreactors, which have significant potential for production
reactors move from one robot station to the
Incorporation of the homogeneous catalyst in
on demand of toxic chemicals, and for highly exothermic
other. These "pipeless plants" offer great
a micellar structure greatly facilitates the
processes. Production volume is easily increased by coupling
promise for discrete production in the fine
separation of product and catalyst. !
microreactors into a stack of the desired capacity. !
chemical industry. !
New methods and techniques
The laboratories involved in "Catalysis and Process Engineering" have a wide range of
specific tools and methods at their disposal. We mention in-situ spectroscopy, microscopy,
surface science, reactors for atmospheric to high pressure, micro reactors, highthroughput synthesis, experimentation and characterization, equipment for application of
sub-critical solvents. In addition, computational chemistry and theoretical simulation play
an increasingly important role, and methods for density-functional theory, periodical slab
calculations, Monte-Carlo methods and computational fluid dynamics are widely applied.
Engineering
chapter 3
Future applications: Biomass and Clean Energy
One of the most important future developments is the study of new energy conversion
systems for a future sustainable society. The study of conversion processes of biomass
into syngas, bio-diesels and hydrogen are important new routes to reach this goal.
Scientific knowledge to make an efficient and clean conversion of biomass possible is
limited at the moment. New combined research activities of the Thermo Fluids
Engineering division, the catalysis, process technology and process control groups at
the TU/e open new ways to combine knowledge of surface kinetics, combustion,
reacting fluid flows, heat and mass transfer, and process engineering to optimize these
conversion processes in terms of efficiency and minimal pollutant emissions.
Furthermore, it is expected that the combination of the knowledge on combustion and
(electro)-catalytic conversion of hydrogen will give the Catalysis and Process
Engineering group a leading position in this research area in the Netherlands.
45
Polymer Science and
Mission/focus
To establish a "Polymer Powerhouse" at TU/e that is second-to-none in the academic
world.
Polymer Science and Technology at Eindhoven University aims at
• macromolecular synthesis and design of polymers using supramolecular chemistry,
• design and characterization of polymer structures, and modeling of structure
development and structure-property relations, within worldwide competitive
surroundings where we, indeed, feel comfortable and confident.
The polymer research done in Eindhoven, coordinated by the KNAW-recognized
research school Eindhoven Polymer Laboratories (EPL), is summarized in the phrase
chain-of-knowledge. This phrase expresses the concept that EPL has been putting into
practice during the last 7 years: successful development and innovation in polymer R
and D can only be realized if the total line, starting with monomer synthesis and
ending in processing and design, is successfully elaborated.
Eindhoven Polymer Laboratories (EPL) is well on its way to becoming a "Polymer
Powerhouse" as evidenced by seven full chairs, positioned along the chain-ofknowledge, and a workforce of approximately 25 staff fte (7 full professors, 3 part-time
professors, 20 staff members at associate and assistant professor level), 30 postdoctoral
students and 70 PhDs). The EPL enjoys ample funding from national and EU science
foundations and has established a strategic alliance with industry via the Dutch Polymer
Institute (DPI). The headquarters of the DPI is located on the campus of TU/e and 50%
of its annual budget (18 million euros in 2003) is spent within the EPL.
Organization
Department involvement
• Coordinator: Prof. dr. P.J. Lemstra (Chemical Engineering and Chemistry)
• Chemical Engineering and Chemistry: Macro-Organic Chemistry, Functional
Molecules and Molecular Materials, Macromolecular Chemistry and Nanoscience,
Polymer Chemistry, Polymer Technology.
• Applied Physics: Theoretical and Polymer Physics
• Mechanical Engineering: Computational and Experimental Mechanics
• Biomedical Engineering: Biomechanics and Tissue Engineering.
• Mathematics and Computer Science: Probability.
Participation in research schools
• EPL and DPI: All members of the research program Polymer Science and Technology
are members of the research school EPL and participate in the DPI (Dutch Polymer
Institute).
• NIMR: The Materials Technology group (professors Meijer (Han) and Baaijens) also
participates in the NIMR (Netherlands Institute for Metals Research).
• COBRA: Within the Functional Molecules and Molecular Materials group, professor
R.A.J. Janssen also participates in the research school COBRA.
• SKI: The Polymerization Catalysis subgroup of Cor Koning participates in the Schuit
Katalyse Instituut (SKI).
• LOTN: Within the Physics Group, professor Michels is a member of Landelijke
Onderzoekschool Theoretische Natuurkunde LOTN (National School of Research in
Theoretical Physics).
• EM: The Materials Technology group of professors Meijer (HEH) and Baaijens
participates for 50% in EM (Engineering Mechanics).
Chapter 3
Technology
chapter 3
Links
Major international collaboration
• The EPL members have major contacts with all relevant polymer groups around the
world. To name a few: Max Planck Institut für Polymere (Mainz), ETH –Zurich,
University of Cambridge.
!
!
!
R
N
Supramolecular Polymers
R
O
The essential ingredient of the supramolecular
N
polymer technology is the use of supramolecular
interactions (‘interactions beyond the molecule’)
O
N
H
N
H
to increase the virtual molecular weight of
O
N
H
N
H
H
N
N
O
H
H
N
H
N
O
H
N
N
H
N
O
H
N
O
N
R
N
R
polymers. This is achieved with a hydrogen
H
O
n
bonding approach. Functionalization of polymers
with quadruple hydrogen bonding units leads to
very strong interactions between the (short)
polymer chains, thereby increasing their
apparent molecular weight and consequently
n
improving their material properties. However,
due to the sensitivity of hydrogen bonding to
temperature and concentration, heating or
dilution will lead to a dramatic drop in binding
strength. As a result, the interactions between
the polymers weaken and the apparent molecular
weight of the polymers is much lower resulting in
a low viscous, tractable material. This EPL
invention has led to the start of SupraPolix b.v.
(see www.suprapolix.com).
Major relations with industrial R and D
• With the polymer producing and converting industry a strategic alliance has been
established via the Dutch Polymer Institute involving e.g. DSM, Sabic, Basell, Shell,
Philips, GEP, Dow, Océ, AKZO Nobel, NTI, Avantium, Chemspeed, Avery
Dennisson, Kraton, TNO etc.
Relation with Education
• MSc Master track in Polymer Science and Engineering;
• MSc Mechanical Engineering: Master track in Computational and Experimental
Mechanics;
• MSc Physics, MSc Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, MSc Biomedical
Technology.
Strengths
• Eindhoven has chosen for a multi- and interdisciplinary approach to the challenges
in Polymer Science and Technology expressed in the above-mentioned phrase "chain
of knowledge." This approach is characterized by: sharing expertise, laboratory
47
facilities, problem statements and problem solving capabilities within a clearly supercritical polymer research group. This group consists of well-recognized individuals
who are able and willing to help each other, and are facilitated by short distances and
excellent personal contacts.
• Ample funding resulting in up-to-date equipment, often at prototype stage, and tools
including dedicated experts with hardly any parallel in either the academic world or
in industry;
• Expanding activities beyond synthetic polymers and classical themes, such as a new
polymer group (Baaijens) in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at TU/e with
strong ties in e.g. the themes Macro-organic Chemistry (E.W. Meijer) and Materials
Technology (H.E.H. Meijer) on innovative polymeric scaffold materials for tissue
engineering, drug delivery, MRI labeling etc.
• Start-up of the TU/e center of expertise on Nano-Materials in Applied Physics, where
professor R.A.J. Janssen now participates via a 50%-50% appointment in the two
participating, most important departments;
• Access and involvement in European expertise research centers on polymer
characterization such as ESRF in Grenoble;
• A strong inter-link and cooperation with Computational and Experimental Fluids and
Solids Mechanics with top experts in Europe.
Contents
Short description
Compared to alternative materials with which we shape the world, polymers are
mainly characterized by their low density, ease of processing and shaping, possibilities
of functional integration and an almost unlimited flexibility in molecular design.
Moreover, in most cases they are relatively cheap. These characteristics determine not
only the societal needs for improved polymer systems in a multitude of application
areas like protection, insulation, transportation, communication, illumination,
packaging, housing, furniture, clothing etc. but also set the controlling scientific
questions to be answered within this research area. Moreover, the border between
synthetic and natural (bio) polymers has been crossed recently, which opens up a
major challenge for the future in terms of man-made/bio-inspired.
Polymer Science and
EPL focus
The EPL has chosen to focus its polymer research on:
• macromolecular synthesis and design using supramolecular chemistry,
• design of structures and advanced structure characterization,
• modeling of structure development and the relation structure-properties.
The scientific challenges start with questions on how to develop new synthesis routes
yielding new oligomers or polymers that are aimed at self-assembly, mimicking the
tools of nature. This research is using precise molecular design for a multitude of
applications from drug delivery to gels, new inks and adhesives. They continue with
questions on how polymer systems can be designed for optimal use in new polymer
electronics and polymer light applications. Furthermore on how other than hydrogen
bonding-based molecular supra-structures can be (self-) assembled, eventually making use
of high throughput experimentation, for similar applications. Scientific questions proceed
with how even bulk polymers can be made in a cost-effective way from all sorts of
feedstocks in a precise and well-defined, environmentally friendly way, yielding polymers
with accurate molecular characteristics (molecular weight (distribution), functional end
groups etc.). Advanced characterization techniques are necessary to not only reveal the
molecular details of the individual polymers, but also the microstructure as it develops in
flow during processing and shaping, both in single-phase systems, typically crystallizable
polymers, as in multiphase systems, blends or (nano) filled polymers. Time-resolved
simultaneous SAXS and WAXS, combined with Raman, is just an example of the tools
needed. Finally, we want to bridge all length scales involved by coupling different
Chapter 3
numerical techniques to try to quantitatively predict the resulting structure development
and the structure-property relations. This should in the end form the design tool for the
synthesis and processing of new polymers and polymer systems in new applications.
New methods and techniques
The infrastructure in terms of scientific equipment and computational tools within the EPL
has hardly any parallel in the academic world. It ranges from polymer synthesis,
characterization techniques including prototypes, processing equipment from macro to
nano-level. Modeling along the various length scales is backed up by experimental validation.
Future applications: Composites, from Macro to Nano
Polymers are often reinforced with other material, both of fibrous and particulate
nature. Well-known in this respect are glass fiber reinforced plastics. In view of
environmental concern and forthcoming EU legislation about recycling, innovations
are needed towards environmentally friendly composite materials. Within the EPL,
various research programs are running with a different vector. On the one hand, we
have developed fully recyclable composites based on the "all-fiber" concept such as allPP composites in which case the composite matrix and filler are engineered from the
very same material, hence fully recyclable. On the other hand we wish to explore the
modern concept of nano-technology, viz. the use of nano-carbon fibers and nano-clays,
in practical applications in close cooperation with the Dutch Polymer Institute (DPI).
SEM picture of a polystyrene/carbon nano tube composite containing only 0.3 wt % CNT (single wall)
and showing the percolating nano-tube network. The film exhibits an electrical resistivity of only 103
W-cm, which is close to semi-conductivity, opening the way to applications in e.g. transistors. (The
round black particles are residues of the catalyst used to synthesize the nanotubes). J. Loos
(SKT/SVM), O. Regev and C.E. Koning (SPC).
Technology
chapter 3
49
Broadband Telecom
Mission/focus
• New network infrastructures, devices and materials for high speed, high capacity,
secure and efficient transport and processing of information
• From micro-scale circuit technology towards nano-scale circuit technology and from
picosecond data processing speeds towards femtosecond data processing speeds.
Explanation:
The volume of telecommunication traffic is increasing at a compound annual growth rate of roughly 60%,
which means an increase by a factor of 10 in no more than 5 years. This traffic is largely carried along
fixed-wired networks, due to their high reliability, security, and immunity from external disturbances.
Wireless networks are coming up in customer access environments; but due to increasing microwave
carrier frequencies and user densities, the wireless cells are shrinking and thus extensive fixed access
network lines are still indispensable as the vessels to feed the wireless antenna stations. Traditional
coaxial and twisted-pair copper cables have been the transport media of choice since the introduction of
telecommunication networks. However, the advent of optical fiber with its extremely low losses and
extremely large bandwidth as pioneered by Kao and Hockam in 1966, and the commercial introduction of
optical fiber communication systems in the early 1980s has resulted in single-mode optical fiber
becoming the transport medium uniquely used in long-distance fixed-wired core transport networks, and
it is also conquering the area of metropolitan and access networks at an increasing pace.
Global Network
Wide Area Network
Metropolitan/Regional
Area Optical Network
Client/Access Networks
Telecommunication networks are carrying traffic at various aggregation levels. At the highest level, longhaul core networks are transporting huge data capacities in the tens of Tbit/s over transnational and
transoceanic links up to 9000 km (transpacific) long. These global and wide area networks are
transporting circuit-switched data following the SDH (or SONET) standards, where each fiber usually
carries a number of wavelengths at bit rates of up to 10 to 40 Gbit/s each. Considering the huge volume
of customers dependent on them, they have to meet extremely high levels of reliability and availability.
Taking into account the increasing dynamics in the traffic matrix describing the data flows between the
various network nodes, packet switching techniques are being introduced which offer a more efficient
utilization of the network’s resources than circuit switching.
Metropolitan Area Networks (MAN-s) are covering large urban areas with a reach of up to 100 km and
Chapter 3
munication Technologies
chapter 3
capacities of tens of Gbit/s, serving in particular business parks and residential customer access
regions. High availability for large-volume fast file transfer is a major need for business customers.
Also, these networks should be easily scalable for adding more network nodes, and flexible to
accommodate new business needs. Storage Area Networks (SAN-s) are specifically employed for
regularly moving large volumes of data between geographically separated sites, in order to safeguard
vital business information.
Access networks are providing a wide variety of services to the end customers, and consist of fiber
feeder networks followed by various first-mile networks. These networks are mostly optimized for a
particular set of services, and exploited by different operators. Coaxial cable network operators offer
television and radio broadcast services, and since recently also data modem services and telephony,
multiplexed in different frequency bands. The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) uses twisted
pair copper cables and is carrying voice telephony and data services, time-multiplexed according to the
SDH/SONET or ATM standard; it is exploited by the incumbent telecom operators as well as new
entrants. Mobile network operators are mainly providing wireless voice telephony, using the GSM
standard among others, and wireless data services using GPRS and UMTS are coming up as well. The
statistics of traffic in access networks show much higher dynamics than in metropolitan and core
networks, due to the significantly lower traffic aggregation levels. Therefore applying packet switching
instead of circuit switching can remarkably improve the network efficiency. Access networks have to be
laid out very cost-effectively, as the factor with which network equipment is shared among customers
is much lower than in metropolitan and in core networks.
The European Broadband Strategy
"Broadband is not simply a faster way to connect
to the Internet - it fundamentally changes the way
people use the Internet. Connections are
immediate and large volumes of data can be
almost instantly transmitted. The Internet’s
overall presentation changes, moving from the
currently slow, and often user-unfriendly text
format, to a fast, colorful system combining still
images, video, animations and sound.
A widespread secure broadband infrastructure is
essential for the development and delivery of
Organization
Department involvement
• Coordinator: Prof. dr. ir. J.H. Blom (Dean Electrical Engineering)
• Electrical Engineering: Electro-optical Communication, Electromagnetics, Mixedsignal Microelectronics, Opto-electronic devices, Radio communication, Signal
Processing Systems
• Applied Physics: Semiconductor Physics
• Chemical Engineering and Chemistry: Molecular Materials and Nanosystems,
Solid State and Materials Chemistry
• Mathematics and Computer Science: Stochastic Operations Research, Coding
Theory and Cryptology, Information Security
services and applications such as eHealth,
eBusiness, eGovernment and eLearning, making
broadband crucial to European growth and
quality of life in the years ahead. The eEurope
2005 Action Plan set an ambitious target:
Participation in research schools
• Leading role in COBRA (one of the six top research schools in the Netherlands and
the only one in the area of communication technologies), BETA, EIDMA,
MATTeR.
'widespread broadband availability and use in
the EU by 2005' "
Erkki Liikanen, The European Broadband
Strategy, December 2002.
51
Links
Major international collaboration
• European Institute of Telecommunication Technologies (eiTT) and EURANDOM.
• Network of Excellence e-PHOTON/ONE and Euro/NGI, European Science
Foundation EPOTNET
• ACTS, IST.
Major relations with industrial R and D
• B4 (Brabant Breedband), a structural alliance with industrial partners, especially the
intensive cooperation between TU/e and Lucent.
• Many bilateral contracts with industry: Asahi Glass Tokyo, Fujifilm Tokyo, and
Philips Research.
• Siemens Zentral Forschung, Munich: Optical Network Development.
Relation with education
• MSc in Broadband Telecommunication Technologies.
Broadband Telecom
Strengths
• Multidisciplinary integration
• Established National and European alliance platforms
• Acknowledged leading positions (prime partner in European projects).
Contents
Short description
Emphasis in this program on BTT is placed on the fundamental and physical structure
for the transport and processing of information that is characterized by high speed and
high capacity. The area covers transmission, routing, switching, detection, storage and
processing of telecommunication signals. Specific knowledge is offered for
transmission speeds beyond 20 Gbit/s and for the use of a wide band of high
frequency carriers, ranging from 20 GHz to optical carrier frequencies.
Obviously the infrastructures for broadband telecommunications systems also cover
science and technologies that facilitate secure and efficient transport of signals, such
as data compression, enhancement and encryption. The area of signal processing
covers video compressing systems, adaptive speech and audio processing, and storage
signal processing. The underlying fundamentals include science areas such as
adaptive filter theory, information theory, queuing theory, performance analysis,
cryptographic protocols, error correcting codes and information security.
Finally, the area is firmly supported by a generation of knowledge on dedicated devices
and related materials, such as glass, III-V semiconductors, polymers and silicon, that
are used for transmission and processing. Integrated circuits, monolithic as well as
hybrid, are essential parts of the telecommunication infrastructure.
Telecommunication is an area where the demand for bandwidth is consistently
increasing faster than Moore’s Law in electronics. In the core networks, bandwidth
demands move to levels beyond Tbit/s speeds while in the environment of the users,
applications emerge that require bandwidth well exceeding Mbit/s speeds. As a result,
the use of higher speeds in the time domain and a more efficient utilization of the
frequency domain is an urgent challenge. These challenges require breakthroughs in
the use of materials, physical phenomena and integration of photonic and electronic
devices. In the area of speed, research is exploring femtosecond effects in materials
and photonic crystal designs are being investigated to realize breakthroughs in devices.
In telecommunication, the use of a wide band of frequencies is essential, contributing
to the broadband nature of the transport channel. The optical frequencies, when fully
utilized, offers an enormously broad transport channel.
Chapter 3
In users’ environments technologies that enable communication with people and other
targets that are on-the-move will be essential. This will impose a huge burden on wireless
technologies in the direct environment of the moving subscribers and, subsequently, on the
wired platform that has to provide intelligent support to the wireless networks. In this area,
security and reliability will become the main challenges to the infrastructure. This is the area
where multi-users, multiple input and output, low power consumption, and compression
are most challenging. In addition, the demand for more broadband will increase-electronic
and photonic signal processing speeds will increase to the highest possible.
New methods and techniques
The clean room in Eindhoven is crucial. It allows research into new enabling materials
and components. Without its own clean room the group would depend on technology
foundries, which only offer standard processes and are not at the forefront of
generating materials and components with unique and new properties.
munication Technologies
chapter 3
Future applications
Eindhoven has a global lead in electronics assembly parts operating entirely in the
optic domain. Examples are flip flops, buffers, gates and memories that operate
entirely optically without any electronic control. Eindhoven can also bake those parts
on a chip. In the future, chips that combine high-frequency microwaves and optical
functions will be mass-produced.
53
Science and Engineering
Mission/focus
• The recently emerged priority of Embedded Systems will play a paradigm-breaking
role in the development of almost all products including cars, instruments and
medical devices. This research priority aims to contribute, through research, to the
field of Embedded Systems.
• The focus is on research that contributes to the integration of various technologies
and mechanical devices so as to develop systems that meet critical requirements for
speed, energy efficiency, reliability, safety, openness (networks for operation and
remote updates), weight and cost.
Nowadays, embedded systems are implemented
in virtually all means of transportation. Trains are
a good example of how embedded systems make
modern transportation work. Expertise from the
fields of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical
Engineering and Computer Science come
together to develop high-tech transportation
solutions. The Mathematics and Computer
Science Department uses a railway station model
in a Software Engineering course, so students
have the opportunity to experience the workings
of embedded systems.
Organization
Department involvement
• Coordinator: Prof. dr. J.C.M. Baeten (Dean Mathematics and Computer Science)
• Mathematics and Computer Science: Formal Methods, Design and Analysis of
Systems, System Architecture and Networking and Combinatorial Optimization.
• Electrical Engineering: Design Automation, Control Systems, Signal Processing
• Mechanical Engineering: Dynamics and Control, Systems Engineering and Control
Systems Technology
• Industrial Design: Designed Intelligence.
Participation in research schools
• IPA, COBRA, DISC, EM
• Institute: ESI.
Links
Major international collaboration
• Network of Excellence EU: Artist.
Major relations with industrial R and D
• Philips
In many of the Royal Philips Electronics products, Embedded Systems play a major
role. Ranging from the high-volume, low-cost market of consumer electronics (CE)
and semiconductors to the low-volume, high-value market of professional medical
systems, they form the heart of every product. The Philips Center for Industrial
Technology (CFT) develops industrial technologies for all product divisions in
Eindhoven as well as for external customers. Where Philips Research is Philips’
technology-innovation center, Philips CFT is the industrial innovation-to-products
center.
Chapter 3
of Embedded Systems
chapter 3
Software intensity and system complexity strongly and continuously increase in nearly
every Philips’ product/market combination. The market dynamics of consumer
electronics and the semiconductor industry require extremely short product
development cycles for high-quality products. This creates tremendous challenges. For
example, the combination of connecting consumer electronic devices to each other as
well as connecting them to the Internet creates a new market opportunity— the
"connected home." Philips Semiconductors is delivering products to the global market
of dynamic mobile appliances. The Mathematics and Computer Science Department
research staff, through cooperation with the Embedded Systems Institute, provides a
cooperative environment for Philips to do research to address these challenges.
• ASML
ASML strongly focuses on systems engineering and architecture in all disciplines and
is able to integrate complex technology from a wide range of disciplines. ASML
continuously focuses on lowering the cost of its products and improving its customer
relationships. ASML’s strategy is to closely follow the international semiconductor
technology road map and to be the first to allow its customers to quickly introduce the
latest manufacturing processes.
Currently ASML’s advanced customers are introducing manufacturing processes with
100nm feature sizes. Work in R and D is going on to produce machines with a 22 nm
capability, requiring 1nm CD control and 7 nm overlay. These machines are complex
collections of electrical, mechanical and optical parts "glued" together and controlled
by very complex software.
• Océ
Océ is a leading supplier of printing systems and document solutions for large
organizations and professional information users. Océ largely develops and
manufactures its own products. The company can draw on a strong technology
base, thanks to its many years of expertise and its consistent investment in R and
D. R and D activities take place in several international locations, the largest being
in Venlo. The Venlo location focuses on the development of (wide-body and cutsheet) printing, scanning. and copying machines as well as strategic supplies
(toners and photoconductors) and software. Although all documents are not
printed, the volume growth of printed documents will still be about 5 % per year
over the years ahead. The use of the Internet, decentralized printing and the
application of advanced technologies will, however, change the way in which
documents are distributed and printed, and the way in which they are used. To
remain competitive, therefore, Océ must keep investing in the (multidisciplinary)
development of reliable, productive, user and environmentally friendly, and costeffective printing and scanning devices.
• PROGRESS, BSIK
The emergence of Embedded Systems is a recent development. It is an ICT area in
which Western Europe and the Netherlands occupy promising positions, provided the
appropriate knowledge infrastructure is organized effectively and rapidly. Thereto a
network institute has been set up. An Expression of Interest was submitted for it in
August 2001 under the ICES/KIS-3 ruling. This year it was submitted as a knowledge
project plan under the BSIK ruling. It is a public-private partnership that combines a
national, program-driven research network with a kernel organization for program
definition, project management, knowledge consolidation, and knowledge transfer.
The goal of the network institute is to make industry more competitive with products
containing Embedded Systems, and to stimulate education and research in Embedded
Systems at universities and institutes. The Embedded Systems Institute contributes to
55
this goal by carrying out research projects in an industry-as-laboratory fashion, and by
consolidating and transferring the knowledge thus acquired. Through the
participation of the Mathematics and Computer Science Department research staff,
the work in the Embedded Systems Institute and the PROGRESS research program
can and should reinforce each other. To assure future cooperation between the
institute and PROGRESS, mutual representations and regular consultations have been
agreed upon.
Relation with education
• MSc Embedded Systems.
• PDEng Software Technology
Strength
• Multidisciplinary integration.
Science and Engineering
Contents
Short description
Embedded systems are electronic systems (hardware and software) that reside within
devices (machines, instruments, household appliances, vehicles etc.) and that control
their functioning. Embedded systems, more popularly called "intelligence hidden in
devices," will play a crucial role in all advanced industrial products.
The field of Embedded Systems derives from the enhancement of mechatronics with
software control, and could also be named "embedded mechatronics." On the other
hand, the use of software provides more flexibility, features and options. Embedded
systems are systems in which a full integration of mechanical, electrical and computer
components is needed for their optimal functioning. The growing performance
demands in machines, instruments, household appliances, vehicles etc. require that
these different fields have to coordinate their activities into a truly multidisciplinary
approach. In addition, the evolution has led to more open systems that can improve
their operation through cooperation. It is expected that future systems will depend on
networks for their operation.
The program aims to contribute to the design of new embedded systems and to the
improvement of existing embedded systems. We mention two key aspects. First of all,
embedded systems are heterogeneous, combining computer science, electrical
engineering, mechanical engineering and often more disciplines. Thus, a
multidisciplinary approach is needed for their design and improvement. Second,
embedded systems are very complex, having to meet critical requirements concerning
speed, energy efficiency, reliability and safety.
The emergence of embedded systems as a field is very recent. TU/e realized this early
on, and started research in this field some 8 years ago. As a consequence, we have a
leading position in the Netherlands, with Embedded Systems chairs both in computer
science and in electrical engineering.
We use an engineering approach in the design and analysis of embedded systems.
Thus, we start by modeling the embedded system together with its environment,
focusing on dynamics and behavior. For such a model or specification, dedicated
languages from different disciplines are used, focusing on different aspects. For
complex systems, the model has to be broken up into several sub-models, as specified
in the system architecture. Next, the system is analyzed using mathematical
techniques, supported by software tools. This analysis yields information about
behavior (e.g. absence of deadlocks, stability, well-posedness, controllability) and
performance (e.g. throughput, optimality). System integration is needed to put the
various pieces together again. The analysis results in designs that satisfy requirements
of for instance correctness, reliability, stability, performance and efficiency.
Chapter 3
New methods and techniques: Innovative Approach to Embedded Systems
Development through System Integration
Embedded systems are heterogeneous in that different technologies come together in
them. Important technologies are software engineering, microelectronics, and control
theory. Others can, for example, be sensor/actuator technology, telecommunication,
algorithmic design, or distributed computing. The subsystems that have to be
integrated into an embedded system are each designed using their own technologies.
The challenge for the embedded systems architect is to combine these different
subsystems effectively, and to provide, by means of software, all necessary ’glue’ to
have them function effectively as one system.
System integration is more than simply assembling subsystems and gluing them
together. For example, if we want the system to exhibit a certain real-time behavior, this
translates into real-time requirements for the different subsystems and for the way
they are connected. The same holds for other concerns, such as energy consumption,
fail-safe behavior, testability, maintainability, etc. It is an open research question how
of Embedded Systems
chapter 3
such concerns are best distributed over the subsystems and their interfaces. How
much processing and control, for example, do we integrate within the sensors of a
sensor network? In other words: do we put the intelligence at the sensors, or in some
centralized component? The discipline of mechatronics studies how such concerns
can be distributed over mechanical and electronic parts. In Embedded Systems the
designer also has software at his disposal, giving him more freedom, flexibility and,
above all, opportunities. This richer toolbox makes the task of system integration more
challenging, but more difficult as well.
Future applications: Tangram Project
That multi-technology integration is more than simply gluing subsystems together as
exemplified by research on testing Embedded Systems, which will be carried out
within the Tangram Project. Nowadays the different technologies in Embedded
Systems are tested separately. The consequence is that the combination of the
technologies is not tested until the final development stages. This is the first time the
"glue software" is tested in its crucial role of integrating the heterogeneous system.
Testing critical parts of a system should not be postponed until the end of
development. In out-of-order testing, components and subsystems are tested during a
phase in the development process when not all components that are needed are
available yet. During testing these components (that can be software or hardware, or
mixtures thereof) are simulated. Models of these components are used to obtain
reliable and relevant simulations.
There is some experience in testing with environment simulation, but testing with
model-based simulation of components and subsystems is new. It is a breakthrough
that is essential for testing Embedded Systems. The subsystems that are tested during
the development process of the embedded system are multi-technology. With out-oforder testing the multi-technology testing is not postponed until the mono-technology
subsystems have been completed. Multi-technology testing takes place from the start
of development.
This multi-technology testing of incomplete systems is new. Different technologies use
very different test methods and unifying these methods has never been tried.
The development of reliable embedded systems requires a radically different way of
testing. This out-of-order, multi-technology testing is not an incremental development
from current testing techniques. It requires an almost orthogonal view on testing, a
view that has become necessary because of the heterogeneity of embedded systems
and the integrating role of software.
57
Business Process
Mission/focus
Business Process Engineering is an international and well-known research area,
coping with the analysis and the (re)design of business processes. An important focus
of the research is on the contingency of technological conditions, determining what
types of business processes are appropriate in what type of situations (think about
discrete mass fabrication, chemical processing, health care, building and construction,
service organizations).
Fast moving consumer goods
A technical university is an ideal environment for conducting research in business
process engineering, due to the strong relationship between technologies on the one
hand and business processes on the other. Key aspects cover both societal and
organizational aspects and rely on correctness, performance and environmental fit. In
addition, a prime aspect is product and process innovation—the adaptability of processes to
new external conditions. Innovation and new technology development are no longer
undertaken solely by individual actors but have to be done by networks of firms, for example
strategic alliances, public-private partnerships and other ways of cooperation. The research
program Business Process Engineering and Innovation focuses on such innovative process
engineering in a high-tech environment. It extends the existing knowledge, gained from
both quantitative modeling of business processes and experimental and empirical research
on innovation collaboration in networks of organizations.
The program’s mission is
• Research into the impact of technology and technological change on business
processes in industrial and service organizations, and the wider societal impact of
these phenomena. This research is done with the aim of enhancing the generic
scientific knowledge about business processes and innovation.
• Studying in particular the worldwide change in production and development, where
the western economies are moving to knowledge societies, holding strong positions
in process and product design.
• Research into the analysis, design and control of operational processes and their
associated business processes in both industrial and service organizations in a hightech, complex, multi-organizational, volatile environment, requiring continuous
response and adaptation to new technological developments.
• Revealing generic as well as process-specific knowledge about business processes,
applicable to a wide range of operational (transformation) processes.
Chapter 3
Engineering and Innovation
chapter 3
• Developing a strong empirical basis by validating abstract model-based scientific
knowledge in real-life applications.
Research in this program builds on multiple scientific disciplines: mathematics,
computer sciences, psychology, economics, operations research and sociology. Abstract
models are used as vehicles enabling crossovers between the various disciplines and
the development of a comprehensive empirically grounded theory on business
processes related to product and process innovation.
Organization
Department involvement
• Coordination: Prof. dr. A.G. Kok and Prof. dr. B. Verspagen (Technology Management)
• Technology Management: Parts of the research schools Beta and ECIS;
• Mathematics and Computer Science: Statistics, Performance evaluation, Information
Systems, Optimization;
• Architecture, Building and Planning: Design and Decision Support Systems;
• Biomedical Engineering: Business processes in Health Care;
• Chemical Engineering and Chemistry: Process Development.
Participation in research schools
• Beta, SIKS, Ecis, DDSS.
Links
Major international collaboration
• Multiple research groups collaborate with multiple research groups at both MIT
and Stanford, as shown through joint publications and exchange of faculty
members.
• Leading role in European networks.
• Formal cooperation with the National University of Singapore in the Design
Technology Institute (DTI).
1
ESCF collaborates closely with Stanford
University and Hong Kong University of
Science and Technology.
2 developer of the BPR tool Protos and the
case handling tool FLOWer
3 developer of the Petri-net-based workflow
management system COSA
4 developer of the international leading
workflow management system Staffware
5 workflow consulting and co-development of
ExSpect
Major relations with industrial R and D
There are no relations with industrial R and D. Instead the research in this program is
almost invariably inspired by real-life problems, often originating in production and
logistics and in computer communications. Most Master theses are completed during
a traineeship at a company. Some contacts are:
• Production Management: Solvay, Philips, AKZO, DSM, ASML, the Royal
Netherlands Navy.
• Supply Chain Management: The European Supply Chain Forum (ESCF)1. Currently
about 30 global companies are members of the Forum, among them Erickson,
Philips, IBM, Procter and Gamble, Unilever, Nike, Bausch and Lomb.
• Workflow management: There is close cooperation with Pallas Athena2, COSA
solutions3, Staffware PLC4, Deloitte and Touche Bakkenist5, and ATOS Origin (joint
research on workflow patterns).
• There is also close cooperation with Invensys/Baan on ERP-systems. The work on the
design and development of (inter-)organizational business processes includes
collaboration with Cap Gemini Ernst and Young (process and software development
and implementation consulting), ABN-Amro bank, and several healthcare
institutions.
• Performance analysis of manufacturing and communication networks: CWI; Philips
(Eindhoven); Lucent (USA).
59
Relation with education
• Various MSc programs in Operations Management, Innovation Management,
Innovation Policy, Business Information Systems, Design and Decision Support
Systems.
Strengths
• Unique critical mass of internationally recognized specialists with a proven past
performance in multidisciplinary research. Specialists are available in the verification
of the correctness of business processes, in innovation and in the analysis and
optimization of the performance of business processes in highly complex and volatile
high-tech environments.
• Strong links with leading globally operating high-tech companies and networks that
can serve as the "laboratory for empirical research."
Business Process
Contents
Short description
Due to the increasing pace of innovation and the tendency for companies to focus on
their core competences, the generation of new products and services is becoming more
complex, especially in high-tech application domains. The last two decades have shown
substantial scientific progress for coping with that ever-increasing complexity.
Computer science, operations research and operations management were providing
insights into fundamental laws that relate characteristics of transformation processes
and human behavior to measurable performance. At the same time, experience as well
as research from the point of view of social sciences has shown that a simple
"technological fix" cannot be expected to provide all the answers. The success of
technological solutions depends on organizational issues, both within firms and in the
wider context of industrial organization, including non-profit-motivated institutions.
The further development and translation of these fundamental laws into actual
business practice will enable the implementation of adaptive business processes that
pro-actively respond to changes in technology and market requirements.
Due to the close relationship of technological parameters of transformation processes
and the associated business processes, the research has to deal with operational
processes. Such processes convert inputs, such as materials, energy and information,
into outputs, such as products, services or again information, through a transformation
system that consists of an organized set of resources, information processing systems
and human competences in a workspace or a network of workspaces.
At a higher level of abstraction we identify that innovation and the development of new
technology are no longer phenomena that are undertaken solely by individual actors,
such as inventors, firms, universities and research institutes. Innovation is now being
organized in networks of firms, such as strategic alliances, public-private partnerships,
and even cooperation within a multi-location, multinational firm. From a business
point of view, a major question is: how can firms use these networks of cooperation as
a strategic tool? At the level of operational business processes the issue is how to
engineer the several processes worldwide without losing control on systems
correctness and performance. Also from the point of view of firm performance, an
important issue is whether or not "alliance capital" can be shown to be systematically
related to variables such as long-run competitiveness and market shares.
From an historical point of view, the question arises how "networked innovation’
emerged from earlier ways of organizing innovation. Obviously, the way in which
innovation is generated in capitalist societies has undergone major transformations
since the Industrial Revolution. It is still a major historical challenge to understand how
the current movement towards innovation in networks is related to the historical trends.
Chapter 3
From the point of view of the disciplines of economics and sociology, the phenomenon
of innovation in networks raises the issue of how motivations and incentives of
individual actors (firms, government, universities, etc.) are related to each other, and
how they influence the collective outcome of the process. From the point of view of
sociology, the structure of networks in which innovation takes place is an important
factor in explaining success or failure of innovations and their diffusion. From an
economic point of view, the existence of technological spillovers (positive and negative)
may lead to a divergence between the interest of society as a whole and that of
individual actors, and hence lead to market or system failures. How these emerge
exactly and how they can be remedied by public policies is a research question that is
at the center of the political debate.
Quantitative analysis of business processes with respect to quality, timing, costs,
innovation effectiveness and competitiveness can only be performed if (technological)
tolerances, operation times, routings, failure rates etc. are measured and known,
Engineering and Innovation
chapter 3
mostly in stochastic terms. This type of analysis requires not only statistical analysis of
real-life data or data from laboratory experiments, but also the application of
mathematical modeling techniques. Business Process Innovation is therefore
supported by techniques such as analysis of stochastic processes, the very large
number of optimization methods and simulation.
Informatics/computer science also contributes considerably to Business Process
Innovation. Formal models originating from computer science support the design and
analysis of business processes. In contrast to many modeling techniques originating
from operations research, the primary focus of these formal models is on specification
rather than quantitative analysis.
As stated before, the Business Process Innovation program is interdisciplinary by
nature. This calls for the collaboration between the Departments of Technology
Management, Mathematics and Computer Science, and the Departments of Chemical
Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Architecture, Building and Planning.
Cooperation with the Department of Architecture, Building, and Planning focuses
especially on the construction industry, a fragmented industry, where short-lived
projects are conducted by ad-hoc consortia that can take many forms. The challenge is
to provide structured support for these collaboration processes, sufficiently flexible and
adaptive to the dynamics of the design and construction process.
Summarizing, the research program Business Process Engineering and Innovation
aims at the development, implementation and validation of generic and processspecific knowledge, providing insights into how to explain and to design processes
fulfilling the demanded performance requirements, among which are innovativeness
and competitiveness. It is a multidisciplinary research domain by definition.
New methods and techniques
Scientific research in this program of Business Process Engineering and Innovation is
multidisciplinary by nature. Every scientific discipline involved has to contribute to the
understanding of the performance of business processes through its own disciplinary
body of knowledge, expressed in terms of methodologies, theories, models and tools. As
stated before, the research is oriented towards the (quantitative) analysis of business
processes in relation to innovation and the design of new products and processes.
The ambition of the research program is not only to understand and analyze scientific
issues but also to develop generic design knowledge of how to adapt and improve realworld applications. The research is carried out along two major lines, a theoretical one
and an empirical one. The theoretical research line focuses on the analysis of business
process models, taking into account the impact of manufacturing technology,
information technology, work organization and macroeconomic and sociological
settings. The empirical research line comprises research based on "real-life"
61
experiments or simulations and large survey studies. Both research lines are strongly
intertwined: the theoretical line feeds the empirical research with models and rules,
whereas the empirical line feeds the theoretical research with performance data,
enabling the validation of formal theoretical models. Furthermore, the empirical line
provides interesting new scientifically and practically relevant ideas for further
research.
Business Process
Future applications
1. Supply Chain Management
Traditionally, TU/e has worldwide leading expertise in the planning and control of
production departments. This has led to a planning and control framework that can be
applied to individual links in the chain. With this solid basis, TU/e researchers develop
a planning and control framework for supply chains. Through intense collaboration
with global manufacturers, several types of supply chains have been identified, such as
the High Volume Electronics supply chain, the Fast Moving Consumer Goods supply
chain and the Capital Goods supply chain. Various aspects of planning and control can
be investigated for each of these supply chains. The hierarchical nature of supply chain
planning in particular is the subject of research. This hierarchy is different for
different types of supply chains based on market characteristics, product
characteristics and resource characteristics in these chains. Future research is set to
further develop the planning and control framework of supply chains by the proven
concept of model-based, theory-driven empirical research.
2. Workflow Systems
An example is our research on the functionality of the components that drive business
processes (e.g. workflow management systems and logistic control systems). Workflow
management technology aims at the automated support and coordination of business
processes to reduce costs and flow times, and increase the quality of service and productivity.
This technology offers many scientific and practical challenges. An example of such a
challenge is the inability of contemporary workflow management systems to respond
effectively to changes. Changes may range from an ad-hoc modification of the process for a
single customer to a complete restructuring of the workflow process to improve efficiency.
Today’s workflow management systems are ill-suited to deal with change; they typically
support a more or less idealized version of the preferred process. We are tackling this
problem using innovative concepts and state-of-the-art modeling and analysis techniques.
Chapter 3
Engineering and Innovation
chapter 3
63
Ambient Intelligence
Mission/focus
6
ISTAG Scenarios for Ambient Intelligence
in 2010; IPTS-Seville, February 2001.
www.cordis.lu/ist/istag.htm
• Ambient Intelligence (AmI) stems from the union of three key areas:
ubiquitous/pervasive computing, ubiquitous communication, intuitive and
intelligent user interfaces. The convergence of such technologies would lead to the
development of a seamless environment that is constantly aware of the presence of
people, their needs and desires and is capable of intelligently responding via intuitive
and natural user interfaces such as gestures, speech, etc. Ambient systems are
expected to be non-intrusive, be present everywhere yet invisible. There are several
application domains such as hospital information services and smart homes.
• Alongside technological and economic feasibility, the implications for issues such as
energy, environment, social sustainability, privacy, social robustness and fault
tolerance may in the long run determine the success or failure of AmI.6 The human
dimension in Ambient Intelligence is at least as important as technology.
Organization
Department involvement
• Coordinator: Prof. dr. ir. M.J.W. Schouten [Dean Industrial Design]
• Industrial Design: Product and Service Design;
• Technology Management: Human Technology Interaction, Quality of Products and
Processes;
• Architecture, Building and Planning: Physical Aspects of Developed Settings;
• Electrical Engineering: Embedded Systems Architectures;
• Mathematics and Computer Science: Information Systems, System Architecture and
Networking, Discrete Algebra and Geometry, Databases and Hypermedia;
Participation in research schools
• J.F. Schouten School, research theme Virtual and Augmented Environments,
• BETA, SIKS, EIDMA
Links
Major international collaboration
• Design Technology Institute of TU/e and National University of Singapore
• Meta-University and USO-Built Joint Graduate Research School (35 universities in
Europe, North America and South Africa)
• International PhD School Design and Decision Support Systems in Architecture and
Urban Planning (6 European universities)
• The first European Symposium on Ambient Intelligence, November 3 and 4, 2003,
Eindhoven
• MTI-TM leader of EC workshop on Presence research, now coordinating all EC FP6
projects on presence.
Major relations with industrial R and D
• Close collaboration with the Ambient Intelligence program of Philips Research;
Philips Media Interaction Group / EESI Phenom (4PhDs in one project)
• CHIL (Computers in the human-interaction loop) EC project
• PROGRESS project EES.5413 (Internet-based monitoring and control)
• IOP "Product Creatie en Product Realisatieprocessen," forthcoming
• IOP "Man Machine Interaction," forthcoming
Relation with education
• USI MTD program
• New design program at NUS
• AmI as an excellent carrier for student projects in all departments involved.
Chapter 3
Strengths
• Balanced program containing both human aspects and technology;
• Dedicated and advanced laboratory facilities;
• Internationally recognized research programs;
• Cooperation with Philips Research and Philips Design.
chapter 3
Contents
Short description
For maximum economic and social impact, research on information society
technologies must concentrate on the future so-called "convergence generation." This
involves integrating network access and interfaces into the everyday environment by
making available a multitude of services and applications through easy and "natural"
interactions. This vision of 'ambient intelligence' (interactive intelligent environment)
places the user at the center of development of the knowledge-based society.
From: Emile Aarts and Stefano Marzano, The New Everyday, 2003: The five key
characteristics of Ambient Intelligence have different requirements:
• embedded: many networked devices are integrated into the environment
• context-aware: these devices can recognize you and your situational context
• personalized: they can be tailored to your needs
• adaptive: they can change in response to you
• anticipatory: they can anticipate your desires without conscious mediation.
The first two elements have to do with digital systems and integration into the
environment, and are dominated by hardware aspects—they concentrate on the
"ambient’ in AmI. The other elements have to do with the adjustment of the system in
response to the user and the exhibition of "intelligent" behavior. They can all be viewed
as system adjustments, but on different time scales. Personalization refers to
adjustments on a short time scale, for instance, to install personalized settings.
Adaptation involves adjustments resulting from changing user behavior detected by
monitoring the user over a period of time. Eventually, when the system "knows" the user
well, it can detect long-term behavioral patterns and make appropriate adjustments.
New methods and techniques
New in this area is particularly the integration of technologies from several subdisciplines with the user aspects. Users especially want the services to be supplied by
the technology without the technology being visible. A key question is: how will users
deal with the technology and what do users wish or refuse to apply? In the future,
attention will be devoted to emotional aspects enriching the interaction between users
and technology. See the description of the mission/focus: the human dimension in
Ambient Intelligence is at least as important as the technology.
Future applications: Ambient Intelligence in future EU Research Efforts
Research must lead to a world where every child has access to personalized learning
resources, where every patient can be treated within the comfort of his own home,
where every engineer has the power of global computing resources at his or her
fingertips, where every business is plugged into world-wide trading communities; and
where every citizen is able to access public services anywhere, anytime. This is the
world of "Ambient Intelligence" that will gradually but surely emerge from research in
IST. This is the vision that the IST priority in FP6 is following. It puts people at the
center of the development of future IST: "design technologies for people and not make
people adapt to technologies." It aims at making technology invisible, embedded in our
natural surroundings and present whenever we need it (e.g. electricity) and at making
interaction with the technology simple, effortless and using all our senses. This vision
sustains and extends the objectives of the European Commission’s eEurope 2002
Action Plan of bringing IST applications and services to everyone, every home, school
and to all businesses. The trend towards an Ambient Intelligence landscape provides
a clear opportunity for European industry to build on, and strengthen its leading
position in areas such as mobile communications, consumer electronics and home
appliances, embedded software and microelectronics. It will help reinforce the
competitiveness of all industrial sectors. Erkki Liikanen, quoted from ERCIM News,
no. 47, October 2001.
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Comfort Technology
Mission/focus
Comfort technology focuses on achieving comfort, health and productivity of people in
a sustainable built environment. The research is directed at generating a better
understanding of people’s needs in the built environment and designing innovative
and sustainable buildings that meet those needs.
The scientific method adopted for this multidisciplinary research field is characterized
by a two-pronged approach, which is unique in building design research:
1. Research on human well-being in the built environment is conducted on physical
and physiological processes as well as on psychological and cognitive aspects. For
the latter, inter-university or inter-institute cooperation has been established
(University of Amsterdam, Institute of Kempenhaeghe) or being sought (e.g.
University of Copenhagen).
2. Fundamental insight of people living and working in the built environment is the
driver towards innovative building technology (i.e. smart coatings, bio-lighting) and
new approaches to the multidisciplinary design of complex buildings as well as
decision support simulation tools. Active cooperation with the building industry is
established (i.e. AKZO, Philips, Deerns) or is being sought.
Nationally and internationally, this new approach is being recognized as being ideally
suited for the building industry. It encompasses research into fundamental insights
(content) and the subsequent embedding of this knowledge in close cooperation with
the industry in applicable innovative technology and processes.
Organization
Department involvement
• Coordinator: Prof. dr. ir. J. Westra (Dean Architecture, Building and Planning)
• Architecture, Building and Planning: Architecture and Planning: Physical Aspects of
the Built Environment
• Technology Management: Psychological Aspects of the Built Environment
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• Electrical Engineering: Electrical Power Systems
• Mechanical Engineering: Energy Technology
• Industrial Design: Work
• Applied Physics: Transport in Permeable Media
Participation in research schools
• Research School for Building Physics and Systems
• Research School for Building Construction
• Knowledge center for Building and Systems TNO-TU/e.
Links
Major international collaboration
• KU Leuven, Belgium (Laboratory of Building Physics)
• University Strathclyde, UK (Building simulation group)
• Czech Technical University in Prague, CZ (Mechanical Engineering)
• Georgia Institute of Technology, USA (building simulation).
Major relations with industrial R and D
• TNO Construction in particular the department of Healthy Buildings and Systems
(www.bouw.tno.nl)
• VABI the Dutch Association for Computerization in Building and Installation
Technology (www.vabi.nl),
• Novem the Netherlands Agency for Energy and the Environment (www.novem.org).
Relation with education
• Postgraduate courses (ADMS)
• Master’s program (Architecture and Planning, Mechanical Engineering, TDO).
Strengths
• Balances research program in terms of fundamental knowledge, technology and processes.
• Advanced laboratory facilities in various departments (Architecture and Planning,
Mechanical Engineering, Applied Physics).
• Cooperation with industries (Philips, Shell, AKZO, VABI, Kropman).
• Cooperation with institutes (SBR, ISSO, TVVL, SEV, VROM, Uneto-VNI).
• National recognition as leading in this field and strong international position.
• 25 PhD researchers presently active in knowledge center Building and Systems TNO
TU/e and research school Building Physics and Systems.
• A research-oriented department of Architecture and Planning, housing a wide range
of experts relevant to this research program: architectural designers, building
physicists, planners.
• Existing cooperation in the 5th framework program of the European Commission
projects as well as networks of excellence.
Contents
Short description
The well-being of people is strongly affected by comfort and health. They spend more than
90% of their time in enclosed spaces. In more than 40% of these enclosed spaces people
suffer health and comfort related complaints and illnesses. The impact of a healthy and
comfortable indoor environment is enormous in economic terms (productivity and sick
leave) as well as in societal terms (quality of life, environment and sustainability).
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The research program addresses the societal needs of improving health and comfort
and the economic needs of improving productivity at the workplace, while at the same
time respecting environmental issues (reducing CO2 emissions, as laid down basically
in the WHO targets and the Kyoto protocol, energy consumption and sustainable
material usage).
The awareness that urban design has an important influence on the comfort, health and
safety of people using the public spaces is growing. A clear example is a windy shopping
center that people tend to avoid. In that case the lack of comfort results in poor
economic performance. Also, the relation between solar radiation, air pollution and
noise, and urban design is an important research topic where different disciplines meet:
(building) physics, urban design and psychological aspects of the built environment.
Comfort Technology
The main objectives of the research are:
1. To create a comprehensive and coherent knowledge base for human health, comfort
and productivity in enclosed spaces under living and working conditions. This
includes physiological, psychological and ergonomic aspects of the human living
environments.
2. To design enhanced high-performance enclosures and spaces with sustainable
building services which afford a high level of health and comfort. We envisage
developments such as smart coatings, individual control of the personal space, biolighting, autarkic energy systems and adaptable spaces.
3. To incorporate scientific and technological knowledge into state-of-the-art
simulation tools.
4. To deepen the scientific and technological knowledge of the research field.
The research is organized in three complementary clusters that reflect the focus on
fundamental knowledge (building physics), technology (sustainable building services,
building technology) and processes (strategic design, building simulation).
Interdepartmental cooperation exists in all of these clusters as well as cooperation with
TNO in the framework of the Knowledge Center for Building and Systems.
New methods and techniques
Our approach to research is multidisciplinary, integrated and holistic. Moreover,
fundamental knowledge is embedded in new innovative technology and design
processes, including simulation support, which enhances the societal relevance thanks
to its applicability in the building industry.
Future applications: challenges from WHO and Kyoto
The health targets specified by the WHO Europe (WHO, 2000):
- "By the year 2015, people in the Region should live in a safer physical environment,
with exposure to contaminants hazardous to health at levels not exceeding
internationally agreed standards." (European Health21 target 10) and
- "By the year 2015, people in the Region should have greater opportunities to live in
healthy physical and social environments at home, at school, at the workplace and in
the local community." (European Health31 target 13)
Kyoto protocol target: "to reduce the demand for energy by 18% by the year 2010, to
contribute to meeting the EU’s commitments to combat climate change and to
improve the security of energy supply."
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The research
The combination of departmental research strengths and interdepartmental research
priorities yields the research profile of TU/e. It must be emphasized that this is a
dynamic process-it is in continuous motion.
The profile:
strengths + priorities = 3 clusters
The profile can be captured within three research clusters:
• Biomedical technologies
Biomedical Engineering Sciences
Parts of Nano-engineering, Dynamics of Fluids and Solids, and Catalysis and Process
Engineering
• New Materials
Nano-engineering: functional materials and devices
Dynamics of Fluids and Solids
Catalysis and Process Engineering
Polymer Science and Technology
• Adaptive Systems
Broadband Telecommunication Technologies
Science and Engineering of Embedded Systems
Business Process Engineering and Innovation
Ambient Intelligence
Comfort Technology and Design
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Strategic research policy
As stated, prioritization is a dynamic process. The departments will continue to
redefine their research strengths and, thereby, influence the interdepartmental
research priorities. These changing priorities will, in turn, move the departments to
seek new balances between their strengths and new priorities.
The outcome of departmental and interdepartmental consultation yields a profile that
is reflected in the strategic plans of the departments. These plans describe the
departments’ visions of future developments within their fields of expertise and the
consequences thereof for the areas of strength and the research priorities. This in turn
results inter alia in the chairs’ policies and intended investments. The plans cover a
four-year period, are adjusted annually, and are in tune with the other universities of
technology in the 3 TU Institute of Science and Technology.
The Executive Board checks the strategic plans of the departments and so doing are
guided first and foremost by considerations of quality and the pursuit of excellence, in
combination with strategic considerations. This may lead to extra resources for
research priorities as well as adjustments to the plans. At a central level the research
priorities are supported by a comparatively small amount of extra resources. At a
decentralized level the departments find a balance between the research strengths and
the research priorities to which they contribute. Our goal is to realize a full intrinsic
innovation of our research profile over a period of twenty years. The departments
themselves decide on the reinvestments.
The commitments of the Executive Board and the execution of the departmental planning
are laid down in covenants which constitute the input for the budget consultation.
The research
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Colofon
Editor
Ton Langendorff
Design & Production
De Naam Communicatie under the authority of the Executive Board of TU/e
Translation
Benjamin Ruijsenaars and Edward Hull
Printing
Drukkerij en Uitgeversbedrijf Lecturis B.V.
Circulation
600 copies