As of today Wednesday 1st of February Prof. dr. ir. Luuk A.M. van der Wielen, chairman of the Executive Board of BE-Basic Foundation will officially start in his new position as Director of the Bernal Institute and Bernal Professor of Biosystems Engineering & Design, University of Limerick, Ireland. 

The Bernal Institute was launched on November 21 2016 by An Taoiseach, Mr. Enda Kenny, T.D. The Institute represents a €86 million investment in research infrastructure and houses over 260 researchers who work in and across research themes in advanced materials, manufacturing and process engineering and fluid mechanics. The Institute is a major research priority for the University and has plans to grow significantly in impact and scale. The Institute has already established a significant track record; currently hosting the Science Foundation Ireland funded Synthesis and Solid State Pharmaceutical Centre (SSPC) and three Enterprise Ireland/IDA funded Technology Centres: Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Technology Centre (PMTC), Dairy Processing Technology Centre (DPTC) and the Irish Composites Centre (IComp).  

Focus of BE-Basic is implementing sustainable (biobased) solutions in society that balance and optimise economic value and climate impact for non-energetic (chemicals, materials, food&feed) and energetic (transportation fuels, power/heat) uses.  In the past 12 years we have initiated and developed several successful international collaborations in e.g. Brazil, Vietnam, USA, France, Belgium, Germany etc. Luuk van der Wielen will stay involved in BE-Basic as chairman of the Executive Board and initiate and develop concrete projects and programs like he did from the start. BE-Basic is looking forward to expand the international collaborations with an Irish component and explore new opportunities for our partners to collaborate. 

We wish Luuk every success in his new role at the Bernal Institute.

Please click here for the press release of University of Limerick.