The participation of TU/e in this collaboration is in line with the university’s strategy of developing into a High Tech Materials Center. TU/e intends to provide a total of fourteen PhD positions in 2015 through the Impuls program, and these will be matched by a further fourteen places to be funded by industry. Eight of these places are aimed specifically at research into 3D printing and the mechanical characteristics of the printed products.

The center will have a place on the Brightlands Chemelot Campus in Geleen. The partners will invest 45 million euros in the new Brightlands Materials Center. For TU/e the partnership is important because of the collaboration with industry. The center means that the university’s researchers in the field of polymer science will have a direct link to industry. The center aims to be the premier technology platform to bring together the universities and industry.

The discipline of polymer materials at TU/e has developed rapidly in the last twenty years. The research at TU/e is now among the international leaders. The fields in which polymers are important include energy-saving (for example making vehicles lighter, and for home insulation), and making food packaging safer and more sustainable. Other applications include the use of functional polymers in areas like led lighting in TVs and solar cells. The center will also focus on new production technologies such as 3D printing.

Jan Mengelers, president of the Executive Board of TU/e, is enthusiastic about the new center. “For TU/e it creates a bridge between us as scientific researchers and the world of applications by industry. The center can grow into the leading technology platform for industry. With this combination of specializations, Brightlands Chemelot Campus and TU/e together have the potential to become the main hub for polymer technology in Western Europe.”

Source: TU/e press team