Trust

ASML top executive Peter Wennink opened his speech with a short history of the creation of the chip, and outlined the rapid developments still being made. Accordingly, expectations are high for his company, which manufactures the equipment – wafer steppers – designed to make ever more complex chips a reality. According to Wennink, the situation as it now stands in the Brainport region, where knowledge institutions, government and industry cooperate closely, provides Europe with a shining example of how to take on the challenge mentioned earlier by Breton. “Essential to this endeavor are mutual trust and regular communication between the three parties involved,” says Wennink. On the production of chips, of which Taiwan is one of the world's biggest producers and only 8 percent is manufactured in Europe, he said he fully endorsed the aim of raising European production to 20 percent. He also insisted that more investments are needed in fundamental research and targeted efforts must made to increase the number of talented women working in this field.

Frank Baaijens was the last speaker to take to the stage, making his last speech as rector at the opening of an academic year. In May of next year he completes his second four-year term. Baaijens drew his audience's attention once again to the fact that where research is concerned, sustainability has now become a priority, and that TU/e, despite another rise in online education, wishes to remain an on-campus university. A doubling of the student intake is only possible, believes Baaijens, if The Hague decides to help the university by way of pre-investments. “Give us the instruments and we'll finish the job,” Executive Board president Smits had called out just a few minutes before, looking emphatically toward minister Adriaansens.

Climate change

Baaijens speech was preceded by an interruption from the floor made by Diego Quan Reyes, a doctoral candidate at the Department of Mechanical Engineering. He wondered why in all the speeches given so far scant attention had been paid to what was taking place beyond the walls of the Blauwe Zaal, namely the climate crisis. Wennink responded instantly from the stage, inviting the doctoral candidate to discuss this with him after the ceremony. He gave him more than ten minutes of his time. According to Quan Reyes, Wennink said that even more cooperation is essential and that the transition process will be difficult and painful, but that he believes without a doubt that it will take place. Quan Reyes reported not being entirely reassured by the conversation. “It seems to me that Wennink actually has two narratives: one in his personal capacity, but he has to present a different one when being an important captain of industry. I found it difficult to reconcile these two narratives.” His chief disappointment, however, was the fact that Executive Board president Smits and Economic Affairs minister Adriaansens did not address the climate crisis at all. “To my mind, they are the very people who should be doing that, more so than Peter Wennink.”