The provincial decoration has existed since 1988 and is awarded to people in Brabant who have deserved well of Brabant thanks to their long-term commitment to society. Van Duijn received the Hertog Jan, a statue, from King’s Commissioner Wim van de Donk in Ceres on Thursday evening. It was a surprise during a symposium about the future and funding of academic research.

According to the province, ever since his appointment as rector in 2005, Van Duijn has played an important part in ‘creating a thriving, internationally-oriented university that leads in research and education’. The rector -who isn’t from Brabant, but was born and raised in Rotterdam- was also commended for collaborations with Tilburg University and Brabant universities of applied sciences. The province considers Van Duijn as ‘one of the driving forces behind the Brainport philosophy’ who specifically sought to collaborate with the industry.

Hans van Duijn will retire from his position as Rector during the Dies celebration on April 30. He will be replaced by Professor Frank Baaijens, who now holds several positions, including that of vice dean at Biomedical Engineering for the past several years.