Short | 73 percent of TU/e employees sign code of conduct

73 percent of TU/e employees sign code of conduct

October 9, 2026 – The Executive Board was the first to sign TU/e’s new Code of Conduct, and the majority of the community has followed suit. 73 percent of employees signed the new Code of Conduct through the HR system InSite. On the intranet, the university encourages employees not to hesitate to discuss any questions or concerns with their supervisor.

Employees who refuse to sign the code of conduct altogether will probably have a conversation with their supervisor anyway, integrity ambassador Ingrid Heynderickx told Cursor earlier. Several employees voiced their opinions on the university’s request to sign the code of conduct. The ombudsperson subsequently issued a call in an opinion piece: “Anyone who fears that the code will eventually be used to silence criticism, I invite to sign it precisely for that reason and then hold me to my responsibility to do my job.” / LA

25 TU/e employees shortlisted for first Staff Awards

October 9, 2026 – While scientists are usually the ones in the spotlight, TU/e is now recognizing employees in support services. On Friday, October 16, the university will present the Professional Staff Awards for the first time, during its Lustrum Staff Party.

A jury will select one winner from up to three finalists (intranet) in each service department. There is a good chance that many of the winners will be women. A quick count shows that 18 of the 25 employees on the shortlist are women. / LvA

Interest rate on student debt to highest level in years

October 7, 2026 – Interest rates on student finance and student debt will rise again in 2027. For students and former students repaying their debt over 35 years, the rate will increase from 2.33 percent to 2.70 percent. This is the highest rate in years.

Student finance provider DUO announced the increase on Wednesday. Interest on student debt repayments stood at 0 percent for years, but has risen sharply in recent years. Those still covered by the 15-year repayment plan (around 5,000 cases) will see the rate rise from 2.29 percent to 3.28 percent. / HOP

Nobel Prize in chemistry for controlling mirror-image organic molecules

October 7, 2026 – Just as the left hand is the mirror image of the right hand, organic molecules in nature often occur in two forms. However, for some molecules, such as amino acids, only one of the two forms is found in the human body. French researcher Henri Kagan and Japanese researcher Kenso Soai are receiving the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their research into these organic molecules.

The very first Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to a Dutch scientist, Jacobus Henricus van ’t Hoff, in 1901. Three other Dutch scientists have won the prize since then, including University of Groningen professor Ben Feringa, who received it ten years ago. / HOP

Second compensation payment for ‘unlucky’ students 

October 7, 2026 – Students affected by the student loan system will receive a second compensation payment from the government. A large majority of the House of Representatives approved the measure on Tuesday. Next year, they will receive 44.50 euros for each month they missed out on the basic grant. The government has set aside 1.4 billion euros for the payments.

This second payment comes on top of the first, which amounted to nearly 1,700 euros for four years without the basic student grant. That payment cost approximately 1 billion euros. The government believes the issue should now be settled, but some opposition parties still want the former students to receive full compensation. / HOP

Nobel Prize in physics goes to Belgian researcher

October 6, 2026 – Francis Halzen is receiving the Nobel Prize for his neutrino detector embedded in the ice of the South Pole. The detector enabled the physicist to detect particles arriving from the depths of the universe.

Halzen (born in 1944) grew up in Flanders and studied in Leuven, but has been working in the United States for decades. The most recent Dutch Nobel laureate received the prize in 2010. That was Andre Geim, a Dutch-British scientist who grew up in Russia. / HOP, LvA