The engineering students of the Agoria Solar Team won the iLumen European Solar Challenge on Sunday, 19 September 2021, making them European champions for the second time in a row. The KU Leuven team participated with the 2019 solar car with which they won the world title in Australia. The Bluepoint Atlas, the newest solar car, finished second in the Solar Challenge Morocco in October 2021.
• Editorial 3
Faculty news 4
Educational development in focus 13
• Students in focus 20
• Professor in focus 18
• Researcher in focus 16
Faculty worldwide 20
• Alumni in focus 26
Alumni news
ConnectING is the magazine of the Faculty of Engineering Technology of KU Leuven. It is published three times a year and is intended for all students and staff of the faculty and its 7 campuses, alumni, external relations and the broad social field with which the faculty maintains a network.
Responsible publisher: Prof. Bert Lauwers, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Technology | Editorial Board: Anja Huysmans (Madam Chairman), (Hilde Bonte) Kris Henrioulle a.i., Dorine Bruneel, Niels De Brier, Ellen Demarsin, Koen Eneman, Hilde Lauwereys, Yves Persoons, Inge Van Cauter, Louis van Hoye, Bart Vanrumste, Rens Vervaeke
Editor: Yves Persoons | Editorial Secretariat: Inge Van Cauter
Editorial Adress: ConnectING
of Engineering Technology Willem de Croylaan 56, building E, bus 2203 3001 Heverlee (Belgium)
32 53 72 71 86 (Secretariat)
Photos: Joren De Weerdt, Julie Feyaerts, Tom Talloen and Filip Van Loock.
and printing Office:
What do the coronavirus pandemic and global warming have in common? More than you might think. Both are global hot topics, with believers and non-believers, proponents, and deniers, creating daily polemics about what is right or wrong.
Meanwhile, scientists and engineers worldwide continue to search for solutions, knowing that there is no miracle cure. Moreover, it is also clear that no individual, country, or continent can unravel this tangle on its own.
People and nations depend on cooperation, willingly or not. This requires not only good will but also good connections to build on. Connecting and developing offer ways out of the crises, they are building blocks for the future.
This magazine is called ‘ConnectING’. Our faculty is the product of connecting & developing. It is our daily work. This magazine shows the results of that work. A good example is the Technovation Hub Academy that was launched in the spring. Academia and industry are working together to stimulate the creativity and entrepreneurship of future engineers. A highlight of connectivity were the job fairs on our campuses. In their virtual form, they were on par with the live editions from the pre-Corona era.
Technovation Hub groups, coordinates, and supports our faculty’s showpieces: the student teams. Future engineers put their shoulders to an ambitious project in which they can prove their technological and entrepreneurial skills. This issue contains the exploits of the Solar Team in the iLumen Solar Race and the Moroccan Solar Challenge as well as the performance of the Formula Belgium Electric Team during the international Formula Student Competition in the summer. Both teams are closely linked with business and industry. Together, they also share a higher goal: making the public and young people aware of renewable energy and carbon-free mobility.
A man who has made the fight for climate his life’s work is Serge de Gheldere, alumnus of our faculty. He was Al Gore’s first European climate ambassador. He has already advised dozens of governments, cities, and regions in the transition to sustainable energy. The fact that he won the first Award of Alumni Engineers KU Leuven makes us particularly proud.
From climate to health is only a small step. After all, both are also connected. In this issue, we look at what our researchers have achieved in the field of robot eye surgery, personal health care systems and safeguarding privacy in the health sector.
Our connections transcend the boundaries of countries and continents. Despite the corona pandemic, the number of new international students in the bachelor’s program increased by 30% this year. In the master’s programs, it even doubled. In this issue we highlight Indian and Thai students from the twinning and dual degree programmes.
In times of crisis, people and nations tend to turn in on themselves. This is understandable but it does not ensure sustainable solutions. In the spirit of never waste a good crisis, the actual challenges and difficulties should be considered as opportunities to rethink, re-imagine, and recreate our daily routines. A good connectivity can be a golden service in this respect.
Professor Bert Lauwers Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Technology
On 6 May 2021, Technovation Hub organised its third Innovation & Networking Evening, for the first time entirely online. For the student teams, it was a ‘moment de gloire’ to show off their achievements
share expertise with the participants and with each other. Ellen Demarsin made her widely acclaimed entrance as the new Executive Committee member
Hub.
inherits one of the faculty’s showpieces from her predecessor Chrisje Haenen. Since 2016, Technovation Hub has been the breeding ground in which engineering talent and entrepreneurship merge and result in innovative projects set up by ambitious student teams. These teams in turn attract other students, take part in international competitions and have themselves become examples of networked engineering communities.
Excellent mix
“The COVID-19 restrictions and lack of direct contact did not negatively affect attendance”, Ellen noted. “With more than 100 participants we remained at the same level of the previous live editions. In terms of audience diversity, we are doing even better: 21% students, 42% professionals from companies and 37% professors and researchers. An excellent mix of profiles and backgrounds for cross-fertilisation and networking”.
The programme contained the by now classic ingredients: a welcome by the dean, a prominent guest speaker, a panel discussion, workshops by the student teams and a networking moment at the end. Prof. Bert Lauwers, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Technology opened the event with a comparison: “Our multicampus faculty in itself is a model of a networked engineering community. The cooperation between seven campuses has led to a new engineering curriculum, intense involvement of the business world, participation in the international Design Factory Global Network, joining the Siemens Industry Academy and much more. Technovation Hub can be
called the emanation of the profile of our education and the mission of our faculty”.
Further in his speech, Prof. Lauwers called interdisciplinary cooperation the engine of innovation. “The increasing complexity of engineering has torn down the fences between disciplines. Therefore, engineers are required to master knowledge, skills and attitudes outside their traditional comfort zone. This has led to the rise of what is known as the ‘T-shaped engineer’. Essentially, the T-shaped concept is a metaphor for the depth and the breadth that a professional needs in his/her competence. The vertical bar represents the depth of related skills and expertise in a single field, whereas the horizontal bar represents the breadth of skills and the ability to collaborate across disciplines with experts in other areas. For engineers, this means not only possessing deep technical skills, but also having broader attitudes such as empathy, entrepreneurial and communication skills, team spirit and the ability to collaborate. Characteristic of the T-shaped engineers is their dynamic versatility: the continuous alternation of deepening and broadening. The T-shaped concept is the success formula of each of our student teams”.
Koen Verhaert, CEO of Verhaert Masters in Innovation, was the keynote speaker. He runs a group of product innovation companies helping other companies and entrepreneurs to innovate, creating new products, business and services. According to
Koen Verhaert, innovation must meet the following criteria: user-centred, business-driven, multidisciplinary and enabled by technology. Only an integrated approach allows you to align products, markets and investments in the most optimal way. “Innovation is possible on different levels and in different phases. To start with, you can inject innovation into your core business by attracting specialists or calling in external experts. When it comes to adjacent innovation, you move into other areas and have to introduce new technologies. A third option is the disruptive approach, in which you resolutely take a completely different path. Each of these formulas has its own approach and methodology”.
After the innovative workshops traditionally provided by the student teams, Prof. Gerard Govers, Vice Rector Science, Engineering and Technology of KU Leuven, pronounced the closing words. He emphasised the educational added value of the student projects and the exemplary role of Technovation Hub in creating and supporting so much innovation and entrepreneurship.
And Ellen? She could not wish for a better total immersion in her new job and professional environment. Grateful for the preparatory work of her predecessor and her colleagues, she takes up the torch, determined to tackle the challenge of (global) networked engineering communities.
In the old industrial heart of Europe’s most innovative city, a ‘making & learning space’ has recently been set up. Those who expect a studio for technicians, hobbyists or do-ityourselvers should revise their opinion. The building is more than just a space. The Leuven making & learning space presents itself as an innovation mindset that relies on the potential of multidisciplinary collaboration and co-creation. Group T Campus is present with a High-Tech Lab and a STEAM studio. Coordinators Jeroen Buijs and Stijn De Jonge tell the story.
The Vaartkom area in Leuven has under gone a complete tran sformation in just a few years. “It seems as if from the first industrial revolution we have immediately moved on to Industry 4.0”, Jeroen believes. “The technological revolution that the making processes have recently undergone puts building and making back in the spotlight. All over the world, ma kerspaces are popping up like mushrooms as centres of innovation and out-of-the-box thinking. In Leuven, the city has taken the initiative to bring together a wide range of actors. These are certainly not only knowledge institutions and businesses, but also so cial organisations, youth centres, artists, ... in short, everyone who has made the city what it is and contributes to what it will become. The Faculty of Engin eering Technology will also be present with its Leuven campus, but also with Technovation Hub and CORE, the cooperative of engineering students that develops concepts around rational energy use and the circular economy.
“You can best compare the making & learning space to an ecosystem where across all ages, backgrounds, disciplines and sectors people work together on the challenges of today and tomorrow,” Stijn continues. “The participants not only share the space, but also ideas, materials and expertise. In this way, they help shape and give substance to practices where everyone learns from each other.”
“To realize such practices, you obviously need materials,” Jeroen notes. “We work with four essential raw materials. These are ‘people-in-relation’ with other people and the environment, ‘materials’ (from wood to vegetables), ‘energy’ (gas and electricity but also muscle power) and finally ‘knowledge and skills’. These raw materials must not only be used sustainably, but also in a circular manner. In other words, nothing must go to waste. What is used is reused or given a new purpose. This also applies to the spaces in the building. The layout of these spaces can change according to the needs and circumstances. That is why there is also a ‘white space’ with which you can figuratively go in all directions”.
The making & learning space is located in the mills of Orshoven and the silos of the old Stella Artois brewery. “There you will find eight so-called sharing places,” explains Stijn. “These are art studios, a co-working space, a Low-Tech Lab for tinkerers and repairers, a New Media Lab for beginners and professionals, a vegetable garden and of course a canteen, the beating art of the building”.
“Group T Leuven Campus has committed to two sub-places,” Jeroen adds. “The first is the High-Tech Lab. There we are tackling the problem of plastic pollution. Our goal is to install a circular manufacturing lab where plastic waste serves as a raw material for innovative materials and products. We are also
going to build a recycling machine for plastic there”.
“Our second subplot is the STEAM studio. STEAM is STEM with the A of ‘arts’ added. This totally matches our vision of linking sciences, technology, and maths with the creative and the artistic. There is also a perfect connection with the location. The Vaartkom has grown into the creative hotspot of Leuven, with numerous creative businesses and art studios. It is a biotope where our students, teachers and researchers immediately feel at home”.
The partners of the Leuven making & learning space also do not recoil to question the concept of the makerspace itself. “We want to break the traditional pattern of ‘citizen science’ or even turn it around completely,” Stijn confirms.
“Usually, it is scientists who involve citizens in their research, just think of counting birds or capturing fine dust. Our space wants to challenge citizens and young people, to come up with their own research questions. They do not have to look far. Mobility, traffic safety, noise pollution, health, energy use, food safety, ... the topics are up for grabs.
If the Belgian students already have a hard time during the corona pandemic, the problems of the international students are sometimes even bigger. Especially, first-year students report a lack of social contact and motivating support of their fellow students and professors. During March 2021, Group T Leuven Campus International Office organised a telephone call among its foreign students. The initiative was highly appreciated by the students and by the Task Force International Students of KU Leuven.
GroupT Leuven Campus is the faculty’s most international campus. Over 25% of the 2,400 engineering students are foreign and study in the English-language bachelor’s and master’s programmes. Together they represent over 60 nationalities. This academic year, more than 150 foreigners enrolled directly in the first bachelor of Engineering Technology.
“That it would be a difficult year, we already knew after the experience with COVID-19 in the second semester of last year”, says Wim Polet, Director of the International Office. “That is why over this academic year we already organised a survey on well-being and digital education, information sessions for worried parents and family at home and relaxation activities during the Christmas holidays. We also offered so called ‘walking talkies’
“These activities have all proven useful, but we were nevertheless left with an uneasy feeling that we still knew too little about the individual well-being of the international students”, Wim continues. “We know from experience that students do not always take the first step themselves, so we decided to contact them directly by phone. Not for a formal interview, but for an informal personal talk”.
In March, the International Office staff, together with the student counsellors and the mentors, started the call round. “It was not always easy”, Wim confirms. “We did not have the phone number of all students and not everyone was equally eager to cooperate. In the end, we succeeded in speaking to 200 students. On the average, a call lasted about 30 minutes. But some talks took more than an hour. It is no coincidence that most of these were first-year students”.
During the calls, open questions were asked so that the students could tell end ventilate their stories. Can they still cope with the study? Do they need more or different social contacts? What do they think of the past semester? What can the campus do to make life and study more
comfortable, etc. “The calls confirmed that the first-year students are having a hard time”, Wim says. “They are studying in a new environment in a foreign country. They have not built a network yet and they miss the opportunity to co mpare themselves with peers because of the online education. Many students are afraid to ask for help. The invisibility of fellow students increases this uncertainty. Added to this is the corona pandemic, the fear of contamination, the concern for their parents and relatives far away and living in a lockdown and deserted city. In 18% of the students, we found that permanent monitoring or even professional help was needed. These students were referred to the university health centres. With the older students, we got a very different picture. They already have a network and connections and are therefore more resilient”.
Student-friendly “The students we spoke, all appreciated our initiative”, Wim concludes. “It gave them a feeling of recognition, of reassurance that the university cares about them. It contributed to the support and the self-confidence they need to get through this difficult period. In that respect our action has been successful. However, it required a considerable investment of time and energy on the part of the staff. But if we are serious about internationalisation, we owe it to our international students. Moreover, we profile our campus, our faculty and the university as a customer-oriented and student-friendly environment. This, in turn, enhances our international imago. In short, everyone benefits from our call action”.
Online recruitment and application were the standard this year. The transition from live to virtual went fast and smooth on all campuses of the Faculty of Engineering Technology. Against all expectations, the virtual job fairs had a high turnout and in many respects were not inferior to the live editions in the pre-coronation era. The pandemic has not affected the demand for engineers, that much is clear.
a job fair amid the COVID 19 crisis, did not create high expectations on the cam puses. De Nayer Campus and the Thomas More college, which traditionally organise the largest job fair, opened a joint platform with their colleagues at Geel Campus to make sure there were enough companies and vacancies. Lieze Rombauts, communication manager at De Nayer Campus, speaks of a good de cision. “With 245 companies, we are approaching the number we had at the physical job fair last year. The online for mula has not deterred our loyal customers from registering again. Together they of fered 930 vacancies, not only for technology engineers but also for profes sional bachelors”.
“The success of the joint exhibition is also evident from the other figures,” says Ellen Mostmans, communication manager at Geel Campus “For example, 2500 fi nal-year students were uploaded to the system. 940 penultimate year students, lecturers and external visitors registered. This resulted in 35,000 visits to the stands, 8,600 job consultations, 435 di rect applications, 1,780 chat conversations and 660 direct messages
sent by visitors.
The joint job fair of the De Nayer and Geel campuses also provided online job appli cation training and sessions on topics such as a doctorate, innovative entrepre neurship, further study at the faculty and KU Leuven and the educational master’s for engineers. One-on-one interviews with Organisational Psychology students were possible.
At the opening of the fair on 9 March, a panel discussion in collaboration with Kanaal Z was scheduled with Martine Reynaerts, CEO of Reynaerts Aluminium, Hans Maertens, managing director of VOKA, Prof. Luc Sels, Rector of KU Leuven and Stijn Coenen, General Director of Thomas More. The speakers stressed the crucial importance of innovation, en trepreneurship and multidisciplinarity for the graduated engineers. Besides a solid technical knowledge, professional skills are also indispensable for a young profes sional. And if you want to be successful in your career, lifelong learning is a natural attitude. After the panel discussion, Hilde Crevits, Vice-Minister-President and Flemish Minister for Economy, Innovation and Employment opened the joint virtual
fair.
This year, Ghent Technology Campus or ganised a completely virtual fair for the first time and joined forces with Odisee University College. “With 75 companies we did not reach the 130 of previous years, but with 860 vacancies we more than made up for it,” says communica tions manager Laura Taelman. “The 254 final-year students who visited the fair participated in 1,878 job consultations and 110 direct applications. 178 students participated in the chat sessions and 450 sent a message to a company. During the job fair, the students could have their CVs screened at Randstad and the Student Career Centre. There were also informa tion sessions on topics such as doctoral studies, further studies, and innovative entrepreneurship.
Bruges Campus opted for a small-scale initiative to replace the physical job fair. For half a day, parallel online sessions of 30 minutes each were organised, during which students could choose from four sessions scheduled at the same time,” says organizer Isabelle Vervenne. “This way, each student could get to know at least eight companies. In total, 30 com
panies were involved, and 125 students took part, including final-year professional bachelor students from Vives University College”.
“The students were quite satisfied with the format”, continues Isabelle. Many questions were asked during the ses sions. But everyone agreed that a physical fair is preferable to an online version”.
The same message can be heard at Group T Campus in Leuven. The virtual fair opened its doors on 10 February with 87 exhibitors. “That was considerably less than the 150 we had last year, but the virtual fair stands up to comparison when it comes to job vacancies,” says Vanessa Elsen, Communication & Events staff member. “The 419 vacancies have been consulted 6,046 times so far, resulting in 506 applications. The stands themselves were visited 15,284 times. Students and exhibitors together initiated 653 conver sations. The students themselves took
the initiative 564 times. At the same time, a lot of messages were exchanged: 2421 by the exhibitors and 1002 by the stu dents. These figures date from the end of April. The virtual fair runs until the end of September. We expect a new wave of registrations after the exam period”.
At Group T Leuven Campus, too, the vir tual fair was accompanied by flanking and complementary activities, including the Online Career Days organized by the stu dent organization Industria. These consisted of company presentations and meetings for final-year students and re cruiters.
While virtual fairs may not be able to match their physical counterparts, they are not limited to a one-day event. The fairs on most campuses remain online until autumn. Now that it appears that business confidence is on the rise again, this could well be an important asset. According to the World Trade Organisation, global trade is recovering
better than expected from the pandemic, with trade volumes expected to increase by 8% in 2021. In addition, the WHO is also forecasting global growth of 5.1% after a 3.8% drop in 2020. The figures of the Starters Atlas, published on 21 April by Graydon together with the employers’ organisation Unizo show that never so many Flemings have taken the step to wards entrepreneurship. A total of 65,555, 1.1% more than in 2019.
If, because of vaccination and falling in fections, business and consumer confidence returns, the virtual job fairs on the campuses may be in for a second life. If engineers were still very much in de mand even at the height of the coronary crisis, they will be even more so when the economy starts to recover.
Prof. Paul Leroux
© Joren De Weerdt
At Geel Campus, the ADVISE research group is involved in the development of chips that are able to withstand ionizing radiation. During meetings with the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, CERN, in Geneva, the idea arose for establishing a research network in this field. This became RADSAGA, a successful Horizon 2020 ITN network on radiation effects in microchips. The project includes top institutes such as ESA and CNES, renowned companies such as Airbus and Intel, and partner universities. The RADMEP partners all come from this network.
PhD tracks at different institutes in Europe have been supported through the RADSAGA project. Prof. Paul Leroux, chair of Geel Campus, has been promoting six RADSAGA PhDs and served as RADSAGA coordinator for outreach, communication and training in the network. “One of the RADSGA dreams was to establish an international school on radiation effects in electronics as a RADSAGA legacy“, explains Prof. Leroux. “This ambition remained active during the course of the project. With four RADSAGA protagonists, we decided that the best way forward is an Erasmus Mundus Master’s application under the lead of Université Jean-Monnet of Saint-Etienne in France. One year later we have the RADMEP programme granted with a substantial European funding for the coming five years”.
The students in RADMEP will start their first semester at the University of Jyvaskyla in Finland. In the second semester of the programme, they will travel to our Faculty of Engineering Technology at Geel Campus for a full semester of courses.
“Microelectronics is the main focus, rang ing from basic to advanced implemen tation courses”, Prof. Leroux continues.
“Also a workshop in photonics will be included in the programme, partly with external specialised lecturers. In the third semester, the students who specialise in Microelectronics will continue their study
at the University of Montpellier. Those who specialize in photonics will move to the University of Saint-Etienne”.
KU Leuven will also play an important role in the quality assurance board in RADMEP, as this will be coordinated by Prof. Wim Van Petegem.
The preparation for next year’s first edition of the master programme at KU Leuven is already in full swing. The timetable of some courses on Geel Campus has been adapted to fit with the new RADMEP master. Some courses are already taught in English and recorded, such that they can be offered in a blended format next year. Meanwhile no less than 62 students have applied. The screening and selection of applicants is currently ongoing.
The academic course team in Geel also includes academics such as Jeffrey Prinzie, Guy Meynants, Valentijn De Smedt, Peter Karsmakers and Mariya Ishteva. Together they will offer 22 credits of mandatory courses and five optional courses with each 4 ECTS from which the students will select two modules.
The most obvious impact will be visible on Geel Campus, where a tradition of inter national PhD researcher already exists, but an international master’s programme is new. Moreover, RADMEP is expected to give an impulse for outgoing interna tional mobility. According to Prof. Leroux, RADMEP will be a challenge for the
administrative services, but the enthusi asm is great and obviously the campus can rely on the experience of the faculty’s international team.
“The relation to research is also selfevident”, says Prof. Leroux. “The students are trained in the core of our research field, and hopefully several of them will be motivated to start a PhD after completing the RADMEP master. Moreover, these students are already screened before hand, so they will have a good starting level. The intention is to create a fruitful interaction between education, research and relevant industries.”
The early dream of “an international school of radiation to electronics” thus takes shape.
How does this fit in the career path of Prof. Leroux? “I feel very honoured to be a part of this project. Even though developing a new master’s programme is a lot of work. Fifteen years ago, I started with a research group, five years ago this resulted in a two-person spin-off company (MAGICS Instruments), which has already grown to over 20 people in size, and now a third aspect is to start, a new master’s programme. Summarizing: what started with a small seed, is now a big tree with growing branches in research, industry and education.”
On 2 August, 2021 the Agoria Solar Team presented the Bluepoint Atlas. It is the ninth Belgian solar car that engineering students from Leuven have designed and built since 2005. After the cancellation of the World Solar Challenge 2021 in Australia, the world champions went looking for a new challenge. At the end of October, they finished second in the Morocco Solar Challenge.
Possibilities’. Under that motto, the ninth Solar Team rethought the concept, the de sign, and the technology of the solar car down to the smallest detail. “We did our utmost to build the highest per forming solar car”, confirms team manager Victor Verhaert. “The Bluepoint Atlas therefore does not only look different, also the interior differs in many ways from its predecessors.”
The most striking feature is the socalled ‘bullet design’ or the pointed hyper-streamline shape. “This ensures minimal air pressure resistance during driving, which ultimately results in greatly reduced energy consumption,” says Gilles De Baets, aerodynamics engineer. “When designing, we were inspired by nature, especially birds and fish. In the pointed nose of the car, you recognise the head of a shark and from the back, the car looks like the wings of a falcon. Both animals are masters of speed, resilience and efficiency”.
In addition to its unique shape, the solar car also has one less wheel than its predecessors. “With a threewheeler, there is less contact surface with the ground, which results in less
friction. Nevertheless, to maintain stability, we equipped the car with two wheels at the front and one central wheel at the back,” said Elliot Coone of the Energy & Electronics Department.
Another innovation in the Bluepoint Atlas is the solar panel, made from high-performance silicon solar cells. “While these cells have a lower efficiency than the multijunction solar cells on the previous solar cars, they are much more durable in production,” says Pieter Janssen of the Electrical Engineering Department. “The solar cells are cut into perfect squares to fit as many units as possible in a limited area, allowing us to build a smaller solar car. At the edges of the car, the solar cells have been slightly bent using a special technique to save space. The entire solar panel contains 292 silicon cells, which together deliver almost 1000 watts of power”.
Completely new is the motor. For the first time, the Solar Team has built its own electric motor. “Our motor is specially designed for the solar car”, explains electrical engineer Arne Cambien. “That means it has an
efficiency of over 97%, which is much better than any motor you can buy on the market. To compare: the electric motor of a Tesla has a peak efficiency of 94%. A classic combustion engine doesn’t even reach 50%”. The new battery pack is also worth mentioning. This gives the Bluepoint Atlas a range of 700 km without having to ‘refuel’ with solar energy.
At the end of October, the team participated in the Solar Challenge Morocco, a new race through the Moroccan Sahara and the Atlas Mountains. “The Bluepoint Atlas covered some 2,500 km in five days in difficult conditions and terrain,” says Birgitt Peeters, pilot and Head of Marketing. “We won two of the five rides, but that was just not enough for a first place. We are quite satisfied with the silver medal. It is a good run-up to the next world championships in Australia”.
After two top prizes in the KU Leuven KICK Challenge 2020, Nikte Van Landeghem’s team continues to pile up the victories. Their record of achievements now includes the Most Innovative RISE Award of Universitas 21, a select network of 27 world-class universities whose students, researchers and staff are committed to sharing excellence, collaborating across borders and disciplines and nurturing international knowledge and exchange.
graduated in 2020 at Group T Leuven Campus with a master’s degree in Electromechanical Engineering Technology. Afterwards, she followed the postgraduate programme in Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering Technology. “During the KICK Challenge, I became fascinated with entrepreneurship and innovation”, Nikte says. “We developed and built an original CheckR kit. The next logical step was to take it to the market”.
What makes Nikte’s product unique, is the idea of involving pharmacists in the detection of potential high-risk patients. During their visit to the pharmacy, customers can test in a simple and fun way whether or not they are at risk of contracting conditions that could be avoided if they are detected in time. This is done using a kit consisting of a VR headset, a controller and a heart sensor to measure several cognitive, muscular and cardiovascular parameters such as heart rhythm, blood pressure, memory and vision as well as motoric skills. The game lasts barely five minutes, but it provides the pharmacists with sufficient information to determine whether there is a health risk and a referral to a doctor or hospital is necessary. “Both the customer and the pharmacist benefit from the test”, says Nikte. “The former prevents health problems and the latter can offer an extra service to the client”.
In April 2021, the CheckR project was selected by KU Leuven for the final round of the RISE 2021 Awards of Universitas 21, an international competition for student projects with a Real Impact on Society
and Environment. The Leuven team had to compete against 55 projects, representing more than 200 students from 23 universities.
All projects were showcased on U21’s website and social media channels and shared with a network of experts in academia and industry. In addition, all the students involved had the opportunity to take part in a preparatory training programme whilst gaining exposure to U21’s international audience of supporters. Finalists competed in four categories to win USD 2,000 seed funding to further their projects, with awards given for Most Innovative, Most Collaborative, Most Impact and Most Potential.
Sustainable Development Goals Nikte and her team mates look back with pride on their participation in the RISE 2020/21 Competition.
“Being part of it has been very inspiring. We had the opportunity to follow three workshops to help further our project, but the most impactful experience was hearing about the other projects around the world. It was great to hear about the inspiring work that fellow students were doing to contribute in one way or another to the Sustainable Development Goals. Having the opportunity to connect with such international community of students all working together for social impact is an invaluable experience”.
The Aurora Mikir, the thirteenth electric car of the Formula Electric Belgium team, survived its baptism of fire on the European racetracks well. In the Czech Republic, there was even a podium finish. “A great performance for a car full of untried high tech”, says team leader Remko Schippers.
In spring, the 29 Fo rmula Electric Belgium engineering students unveiled their latest creation. A racing car equipped with a completely new aerody namic package, super-light rims, more efficient cooling of the batteries and the motors, 11% more electrical power, the latest glass reinforced composites, an in novative suspension, ingenious control systems, ... together accounting for 200 kg of high-tech with an acceleration ca pacity of 2.6 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h.
With this car, the team participated last summer in the international Formula Student Competition 2021, a series of competitions in which student teams from all over the world compete against each other with self-built electric racing cars.
“Unlike F1 races or similar, the Formula Student Competition is not a classic race,” Remko explains. “Not only the performance of the car, but also the qualities of the team are tested and judged in two series of tests or ‘events’.
During the dynamic ‘events’, the acceleration capacity of the car, the road holding and the endurance, among other things, are examined. The static ‘events’ are used to evaluate the design, the cost,
and the business plan. During the presentation of your plan, you must be able to convince the jury to invest in your project. In the previous editions of the competition, we always scored well on design, acceleration and business plan because we design and build our cars ourselves”.
To be admitted to the dynamic tests, the car is first subjected to a thorough scrutineering. “You can consider it as an entrance exam or -better still- as a highly technical inspection that takes up two to three days of the competition week. After each test, it is nail-biting waiting for the verdict of the jury”, says Remko.
On the circuit of Most in the Czech Republic, the team from Leuven took on 45 other teams from ten countries. The dreaded scrutineering went off without a hitch, as did the static tests. Result: two second places in Engineering Design and Cost & Manufacturing. The dynamic events started promising with a third place in the Autocross and a place in the top 5 of the Skid Pad Test and the Acceleration Test.
“We could have done even better, had we been able to complete the 22 km long Endurance”, Remko remarks.
“Unfortunately, when we changed pilots halfway through the race, the battery suddenly failed. Without that setback, we would have finished near the top. As is often the case, the devil was in the tail.
From the Czech Republic, the team travelled on to Hungary for the Formula Student Competition East at the Hungaroring racetrack. “It promised to be even more exciting”, says Remko. “The scrutineering had been reduced by one
day for organisational reasons, so even more pressure of time. And on the participants list there were all the top teams of the moment, each with solid racing experience and several victories on their record”.
For the Belgian team, the race in Hungary was almost a copy of the race in the Czech Republic. Everything went according to plan until, during the Endurance Test, a stray cone on the road blocked the passage. Since the competition rules do not allow technical interventions during the race, the Aurora
MkII had to pull over irrevocably. “Bad luck, otherwise, we would have had a clear round”, Remko regrets.
After the summer competitions, the team members still look back on the European adventure with satisfaction. “We have mainly gained a lot of experience and have also grown as a team,” Remko puts into perspective. “That is why we are convinced that we will be better prepared in 2022. Over the next few months, we will be working hard to perfect the
reliability of the new car. This means that we will be scrutinising each part of the car and building on these innovations. A year of innovation, then 2022 will be a year of consolidation. And targeting a place in the top five”.
Yves Persoons
Industria, Group T Leuven Campus’s student association, does not just provide entertainment and fun events. The association also plays an active role in the further internationalisation of the campus. Remarkably, two female presidium members take the lead. A portrait of Margaux at Business Relations and Rosário, Industria’s communications officer.
Devos is of Spanish origin and went to school in France. And Maria do Rosário Quintas Baylina (Rosário to the friends) is from Porto, the second largest city of Portugal, on the Costa Verde. Margaux is studying Chemical Engineering Technology and Rosário is a master student of Electromechan ical Engineering Tec hnology. Both have known each other since their arrival in Leuven. Together they engaged in the student association Industria and were key figures in the bachelor presid ium. In the current team, they have grown into true role models for the international student population on campus. But also, the Belgian students can take an example from their open mind and willingness to learn from each other.
Entrepreneurs’ day Business Relations is a relatively recent department of Industria. Margaux participates in one of the top events: the annual Job Fair. “On our campus, we call it the Entrepreneurs’ Day,” she explains. “After all, it’s about more than jobs and
vacancies. The companies also offer master’s theses, research projects or other forms of collaboration. On 24 February, we will once again be organizing a physical fair in a large sports hall. We expect at least 100 companies. To give an idea of the size: during the virtual fair of 2021, there were 419 online vacancies offered. These were consulted more than 6,000 times, resulting in 506 applications. The stands themselves were visited more than 15,000 times”.
Margaux concentrates on preparing the students. To this end, she organises workshops on job application skills provided by selection and recruitment agencies. The CVs of the final year students are placed online and bundled in a ‘Talent Catalogue’ that is sent to the companies. Conversely, Margaux also provides a Job Guide for the students with the company profiles. This way, all parties can optimally prepare for the Entrepreneurs’ Day. She considers the matching of supply and demand to be the essence of her job.
Rosário started at the Sport department of Industria. She quickly realised that it was not enough to organise good activities. You also must communicate them properly to be successful. So now she uses all the channels Industria has at its disposal to communicate about its offerings. Website, social media, flyers, folders, posters, eye-catchers, etc. She devises the most effective communication mix for each event.
“The formula for success does not exist,” Rosário says. “The student population on campus is too diverse, both among Belgians and international students. You cannot lump 80 different nationalities together.
A group that deserves special attention, according to Rosário, are the students from the Asian partner universities. “They only arrive in Leuven in the second bachelor year, when most students have already settled in. Moreover, they usually come as a group and tend to clump together, and are less interested in getting closer to the others. This is unfortunate for everyone. This group deserves special attention”.
Despite the practical difficulties, Margaux and Rosário see the future evolving favourably. “The international student population is growing significantly faster than the Belgian one. With a share of 30%, the point of no return has long been
passed. We must work and live together, there is no other option. We can see a striking example of how this can work at Industria. Since a year, all staff meetings are held in English. The rest of the campus can learn a lot from this.
Yves Persoons
“
This academic year, the six partner institutions of the KU Leuven Association, in collaboration with the healthcare sector, started two interdisciplinary, modular courses via blended learning: a micro degree Health Innovation Facilitation and a micro degree Health Innovation Management. Hannelore Strauven (e-Media Research Lab – Group T Leuven Campus) coordinates the micro degree Management for executives.
degree stands for a compact, diploma-oriented program”, says Hannelore. “It is not a degree programme like a bachelor or a master, but the credits you obtain can be used in a regular programme, hence the name ‘diploma oriented’. A micro degree counts 20 to 30 credits, which corresponds with one third to half of a bachelor or master year”.
“The great advantage of a micro degree is its flexibility,” continues Hannelore. “Our target audience are professionals in the care and welfare sector. These people usually have irregular working hours. To enable them to combine work and education, the programme is modular and can be followed via blended learning. The student can choose between one or more modules or go for the full programme”.
The healthcare sector was actively involved in the development of both micro degrees. “In our case, they were the Vlaams Welzijnsverbond (Flemish Welfare Association), In4care and Zorgnet Icuro (Care network Icuro), each representing numerous care institutions”, says Hannelore. “The COVID-19 pandemic has ensured that, among other things, in the care of the elderly, youth care, care for the disabled and childcare, digitisation has penetrated at a rapid pace. The digital competencies of the employees have not evolved to the same extent everywhere. As a result, there is a great need for training and retraining in the field. But that is not all. The pandemic has exposed a general need for professionalisation throughout the sector. Microdegrees have therefore been launched at the right time.
Both programmes aim at their own target group. The micro degree Facilitation focuses on employees with a care, welfare, or technology profile. The micro degree Management focuses on professionals with a (strategic) policy function. “The first programme was developed by the five university colleges of the KU Leuven Association,” says Hannelore. “They have pooled their expertise to train employees to initiate or facilitate innovation projects or pathways. They are expected to fulfil a bridging
function between the developers and the users. After all, it still takes too long before innovations penetrate professional practice and are used in the right place. The program of this micro degree consists of a common part and two clusters ‘Care & Welfare’ and ‘Technology’. The final piece is the development of a concrete case from practice”.
While the first micro degree initially targets mainly professional bachelors, the micro degree Management targets employees with a master’s degree. “This program is the product of the collaboration between the faculties of Medicine and Engineering Technology of KU Leuven,” explains Luc Geurts (e-Media Research Lab). “The students choose course units from the Master in Management and Policy of the health care, set up by the Faculty of Medicine, which they combine with the project subject Health Engineering Experience from the Advanced Master in Innovative Health Technology at Group T Leuven Campus, of which I am also the programme director. This Advanced Master is an international programme that focuses on the integration of technologies and methodologies into usable systems in the health sector.”
For those who already have an engineering degree, Luc has some good news: “He or she can select courses from the entire curriculum of the Advanced Master”.
Hannelore Strauven and Prof. Luc Geurts
© Julie Feyaerts
Under the motto ‘Additive is Addictive’, the technology federation Agoria and the Sirris technology centre organised the first 3D-Printing Student & Young Potentials Challenge in 2020. Mirko Sinico, doctoral researcher from Group T Leuven Campus and his team ‘Bionic-A-Mold’ won the award in the category ‘Tackle a company-owned challenge’ with brio.
and Sirris launched the 3D-Printing Challenge to stimulate the creativity of young researchers and professionals while embracing 3D-printing techniques. The challenge was to design and create an object composed exclusively from 3D-printed material. “Different 3D-printing techniques are at the basis of the Additive Manufacturing (AM) world”, explains Mirko. “AM refers to a group of production techniques in which parts are made from 3D-model data, by joining materials layer by layer. AM offers many advantages compared to traditional subtractive manu facturing, such as its almost unlimited design freedom, enabling unprecedented levels of functional shapes, and the capability to produce personalised parts with improved material usage. This has evoked a true revolution in manufacturing and a rapid growth of the AM sector, representing a unique opportunity for the strongly-needed return of the manu facturing industry to Europe”.
“Few people know that Belgium is actually a pioneer and a frontrunner in the development of 3D-printing, as quite a lot of early adopters are situated here”, Mirko continues. “It is therefore no coincidence that my interest in AM brought me to Belgium three years ago”.
Mirko studied Materials Engineering at the University of Padova (Italy) and then specialized in AM at the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics. In 2017, he came to Leuven to work as a research associate on the project PAM² coordinated
by Dr. Ir. Ann Witvrouw, Research & Innovation Manager at the KU Leuven Department of Mechanical Engineering.
“PAM² stands for Precision Additive Metal Manufacturing”, says Mirko. “It was a three-year project that has now ended, funded by the EU Programme for Research and Innovation – Horizon 2020, in which a consortium of academic and industrial partners collaborated. The overall objective of PAM² was to ensure the availability of high-precision AM processes and computational design procedures. You have to know that AM of metals is a complex process with dozens of sensitive and interrelated process parameters, making it susceptible to thermal distortions, defects and process drift. The agile modelling of those processes is beyond current computational power and new methods are needed to practically predict performance and inform design. In addition, metal AM produces highly textured surfaces and complex surface features that stretch the limits of contemporary metrology. The aim of PAM² was to improve precision by enhancing robustness, predictability and metrology and by developing CAE methods that empower rather than limit AM design”.
During his work as research associate at PAM², Mirko joined the ‘Additive Manufacturing’ and the ‘Manufacturing Metrology’ research groups in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, under the supervision of prof. Wim Dewulf at Group T Leuven Campus and Dr. ir.
Ann Witvrouw. He is preparing a PhD on improving the surface quality and inspection of selective laser melted tool steel parts, with a focus on industrial tooling and molding components.
For the 3D-Printing Challenge, a 5-minutes video pitch was required from the candidates, with a presentation of the 3D-object and an explanation of the design process and its usability for the 3D-printing manufacturing industry.
Mirko and his team mates Ranjan Rajit and Moshiri Mandaná presented an original topology-optimised mold insert for an injection molding machine. In this device, heated liquid plastic is injected at high pressure into the mold where the material is given its final shape. “Thanks to the employment of a Design for AM-approach, our insert was significantly lighter and yet robust”, says Mirko. “We saved up to 50% of the material cost and gained more than 40% in production time considering a standard selective laser melting machine”. The jury praised the originality of the work, the creativity of the researchers and the market opportunity of the product. Prof. Wim Dewulf, Mirko’s promotor, was also quite impressed: “Rightful recognition for excellent and passionate academics with strong affinity for industrial application. A true ambassa dor of the PhD programme of KU Leuven Faculty of Engineering Technology”.
The eye is not only our most developed sense, but also by far the most fragile. Worldwide, an estimated 244 million people suffer from visual impairments and disorders for which there is currently no remedy. Many problems are related to the retina, the most sensitive part of the eye. Jonas Smits, researcher at Group T Leuven Campus, developed the technology that allows surgeons to perform eye operations with unprecedented precision. For his pioneering work, he was awarded the James Dyson Award.
More than 1,700 young research ers and inventors from 27 countries competed for the pres tigious 2020 James Dyson Awards, named after the famous British inventor, designer, and entrepreneur. From the en tries, the jury selected 81 national finalists. The Belgian winner was Jonas Smits, at that time a PhD student at the Robotics, Automation and Mechatronics research unit under Prof. Peter Slaets.
Jonas graduated in 2015 as a master in Electromechanical Engineering Technology, focus ‘Intelligent Mechanics’. Previously, he already obtained a profes sional bachelor’s degree at the then KH Kempen (now Thomas More - Geel).
During his master thesis on hip prosthe ses, he discovered the wonderful world of biomechanics and Health Engineering and decided to delve deeper into it. Prof. Manu Vander Poorten of the RAM group promptly offered him a research project on robot-assisted surgery.
“Eye surgery is by definition precision work,” says Jonas. “Retinal microsurgery is the best example of this. The retina consists of, among other things, 126 million sensory cells that catch the light that enters through the eye. These cells are shaped like cones and rods. The cones are occupied by pigmentary cells to perceive colour differences. The rods are used to distinguish light and dark. If
you would compare it to digital signals, the retina has a bandwidth of 8.75 megabits per second. So, this is a very complex and delicate sense, which is why retinal surgery often reaches the limits of human precision.”
“Vitreoretinal surgery is a very challenging subspecialty in ophthalmology,” Jonas continues. “It is performed with the aid of a microscope and via hands that are probably already among the most stable in the world. But even then, unintentional movements such as hand tremors or eye rotations can throw a spanner in the works. As a result, some treatments are still limited or simply impossible to carry out. So, there is a need for performanceenhancing technology.
In his research into safer treatment methods, Jonas faced three challenges.
“First of all, you have to be able to stabilize the eye during the operation. Furthermore, the surgical precision must be increased. And - finally - you must also be able to immobilise the instrument itself. During my research, I had the opportunity to help make a world first in the field of robotassisted retinal surgery possible. The surgeon succeeded in using a robot to insert a 30 micromillimetre infusion needle into a vein as thin as a hair”.
Jonas’ research uses three methods to optimise retinal microsurgery. The first
consists of correcting the surgeon’s hand movements, if necessary, by using opposing forces. The second method involves preventing unwanted eye movements. This is done by a clever combination of connections and couplings. During movement these maintain a fixed point in space, through which the instrument always passes. Once the eye is aligned with the surgical incision, it is held in a stable position throughout the procedure. The third method enables the surgeon to immobilise the instrument at any time using a foot pedal that locks the mechanism.”
On 23 September 2020 - just over a month after the James Dyson AwardJonas defended his thesis in the KU Leuven doctoral hall. Once again, the jury made no bones about its praise. “This work represents an important step forward in robot-assisted retinal movement. The initial results are promising and encourage further clinical research”, was the final verdict.
© Filip Van Loock
We know how much certainty the Covid-19 vaccines offer in terms of protection against the virus. But who can confirm whether this percentage will still be valid next month? At that point, today’s fixed uncertainty suddenly becomes imprecise or undetermined. Researchers from the campuses Bruges and De Nayer are joining forces to find out how artificial intelligence can deal with this kind of uncertainty. Keivan Shariatmadar, senior researcher and mathematician at Bruges Campus, tells the story.
eto the π is known as the first part of the most remarkable and beautiful identity in mathematics, named after the Swiss scholar Leonhard Euler, who invented it in 1748. However, E-pi also stands for Epistemic AI. That is the name of the European research project of Prof. Hans Hallez and Keivan Shariatmadar from the M-Group at Bruges Campus and Prof. David Moens from the LMSD group at De Nayer Campus. The other project partners are Oxford Brookes University and TU Delft.
The Epistemic AI project is part of the prestigious European FET program, where FET stands for Future and Emerging Technologies. “FET’s mission is not only visionary but also very concrete”, explains Keivan. “How to turn Europe’s excellent science base into competitive advantage? FET projects are expected to initiate radically new lines in technology through unexplored collaborations between advanced multidisciplinary science and cutting-edge engineers. It all helps Europe grasp leadership in those promising future technology areas able to renew the basis for future European competiveness and growth”.
The FET program has three complementary lines of action to address different methodologies and scales, from new ideas to long-term challenges. “Our
project belongs to the FET Open category”, Keivan continues. “FET Open funds projects on new ideas for radically new future technologies at an early stage. FET Open calls for collaborative research and innovation actions (RIA) satisfy the FET Open ‘gatekeepers’, which are: radical vision, breakthrough technological target and ambitious interdisciplinary research.
This may involve a wide range of new technological possibilities, inspired by cutting-edge science, unconventional collaboration or new research and innovation practices”.
Next-generation AI
“Reality is all about uncertainties”, says Keivan. “What if sensors are drifting away from calibration? What if a production process is very prone to the uncertainty of manual intervention? What if a trained model is not accurate enough and hard to learn from the uncertain data? Our project will investigate how the novel indeterministic uncertainty models can cope with these uncertainties”.
“The main goal of E-pi is to create new methodologies and paradigms for a nextgeneration artificial intelligence, providing specific guaranties on its predictions through proper modelling of real-world uncertainties. Although artificial intelligence has improved remarkably over the last years, its inability to deal with
fundamental uncertainty severely limits its applications. Our project will re-imagine AI with proper treatment of the uncertainty stemming from our forcibly partial knowledge of the world”.
“As currently practiced, AI cannot confidently make predictions robust enough to stand the test of data generated different from those studied at training time. While recognising this issue under different names - e.g. ‘overfitting’traditional machine learning seems unable to address it in non-incremental ways. As a result, AI suffers from brittle behaviour and finds it difficult to operate in new situations, e.g. adapting to driving in heavy rain or to other road users’ different style of driving e.g. deriving from cultural traits. Our objective is to create a new paradigm providing worst-case guaranties on its predictions, thanks to a proper modelling of real-world uncertainties”.
The Epistemic AI project has a duration of four years and will focus on the lab ‘The Ultimate Factory” to implement the results and techniques. To this end, the project has hired one post-doc and two PhD students within the departments of Computer Sciences and Mechanical Engineering at KU Leuven”.
“Trust in technology is failing”, recently warned Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, responsible for ‘A Europe Fit for the Digital Age’. She was referring to the risks associated with the growing impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in everyday life. The health sector is also in the danger zone. The Reinitialise project investigates how fundamental human rights may be safeguarded in e-health services. Prof. Bart Vanrumste and researcher Hannelore Strauven (Group T Leuven Campus) are members of the project consortium.
technologies based on AI have a cross-cutting impact in all areas of our life and especially in the domain of health. On the one hand, these technologies are the basis for innovation and growth, but on the other hand, they pose a threat to essential human rights such as privacy, data ownership, etc. “This problem does not only concern AI specialists”, says prof. Vanrumste. “Only an interdisciplinary approach may provide a solution where technology is designed in compliance with ethics and the preservation of human rights”.
“Reinitialise stands for ‘preserving fundamental rights in the use of digital technologies for e-health services”, Hannelore explains. “The project is part of the European Horizon 2020 Training Programme. It aims to increase the capacity for the design and use of digital technologies in the sector of health, in order to integrate the potential of technology with the awareness of its ethical, legal and socio-economic dimensions. Within the extensive domain of e-health services, we focus on two sub-areas: technologies for active ageing and digital tools for prevention care in nutrition and dietetics”.
“The initiative comes from the Marie Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin, Poland”, prof. Vanrumste continues. “The university has mobilised specialists from
seven of its research institutes and departments for the design and use of digital technologies in the sector of health in a way that adheres to ethical principles. In order to strengthen its own expertise, it called on three leading institutes in Europe: KU Leuven, the University of Macerata (Italy) and Eurocentro S.r.l., an Italian institute that specialises in setting up interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral EU projects”.
In addition to prof. Vanrumste and Hannelore Strauven, the multidisciplinary KU Leuven team consists of prof. Helder De Schutter (Social and Political Philosophy), prof. Jannique van Uffelen (Physical Activity, Sports and Health Research Group), prof. Elske Vrieze (University Psychiatric Centre), Marc Van Aken (lecturer Communication and Entrepreneurship at Group T Leuven Campus) and Greet Bilsen (valorisation coordinator at the LICT research centre on ICT).
The project should result in a Knowledge Platform that brings together researchers and experts in experimental learning and co-creation of innovative e-health services and products. Its members may interact in joint activities and discussions and share knowledge, experience and resources.
“The first phase of the project consists of giving a boost to the scientific expertise of
the Marie Curie-Sklodowska University”, Hannelore says. “The knowledge transfer will take place through symposia and transnational staff exchange. Polish researchers will work together with their colleagues in Leuven and Macerata. Subsequently, Belgian and Italian experts will travel to Lublin to assist in the consolidation of knowledge and experience.”
“In the second phase, attention will be paid to the transfer of research to the market and society. This will be done through showcases of best practices, a winter school on innovation in Lublin and a Venture Lab involving all relevant actors in jointly designing and implementing their experiences of collaboration in the field of e-health”.
“At the end of the project, all partners should benefit”, concludes prof. Vanrumste. “Interesting business ideas and start-up proposals are just as useful elsewhere. This also applies to the Joint Research Roadmap. In time, it should serve as a model for cooperation in future international research projects”.
Current healthcare systems are under pressure due to a sharp increase in chronic diseases. Personal coaching programmes can prevent health problems by guiding people towards a healthier lifestyle. As part of the European HEART-project, a team of international researchers developed a system that is able to detect human activities from heterogeneous data while safeguarding the privacy. Chetanya Puri and Hee Reen Shim from the e-Media Research Lab (Group T Campus) and Koustabh Dolui from the imec DistriNet Research Group tell the story.
stands for ‘HEalth related Activity Recognition system based on Internet of Things’. It is one of the very first industrial doctorates, founded under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions, integrating information technology with social sciences and humanities. In the HEART project, not only the technological innovative power of IoT is investigated, but also the needs of the customer or user, including legal issues. The Activity Recognition System is expected to be applied in the wearable sensor technology business in order to personalise healthcoaching programmes. Moreover, HEART also defined a penetration strategy for the Chinese market that ensures both protection of personal information and adaptation to the needs of the Chinese customers.
The HEART project covers six individual research projects, closely interrelated, concluded by six excellent young researchers: four PhD students in ICT, one in legal studies and one in international business. Research was mainly conducted at KU Leuven and the University of Macerata (Italy) and at Philips, the leading multinational in the healthcare sector with the support of a network of European and Chinese partners, such as Fudan University (Shanghai) and the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS).
Early stage researchers Chetanya Puri enrolled in the HEARTproject as one of the six early stage researchers. He received a Master’s degree in Telecommunication Systems Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur (India). Then he joined the industry, where he was involved in building anomaly detection techniques for cardiac health estimation, using signals from wearables and other sensors linked to smartphones.
Koustabh Dolui also has a background in engineering. He obtained his Master in Telecommunications Engineering at Politecnico di Milano (Italy) and has experience as research engineer in a European project. He was part of the development team for the EU Horizon 2020 project AGILE, working on data collection, cloud integration and device management on the AGILE gateway. Koustabh is researcher with the Department of Computer Science and imec DistriNet.
Hee Reen Shim obtained her Master’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Chung-Ang University in Seoul (Korea). She worked as a researcher at the Artificial Intelligence Lab at Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, where she focused on developing machine-
learning algorithms and designing deep learning architecture. Currently, Hee Reen is a member of the e-Media Research Group at Group T Leuven Campus.
Hee Reen’s PhD project consists in developing a health activity recognition system from heterogeneous data. “I worked on analysing the user’s feedback in language in order to verify his or her health condition. As sensors can only capture biophysical parameters, it is quite difficult to understand what the user exactly means, when he says he is experiencing a health problem. That is why I built a neural network to understand the people’s problems, based on their oral or written declarations. As I did a lot of my research at the Personal Health Department of Philips Research Europe, I had the advantage of investigating potential industrial applications”.
Koustabh focused on IoT cloud platforms and middleware, privacy and aggregation for IoT and Edge computing. “I took the data and processing applications used by Hee Reen and Chetanya and looked for ways of transferring them from a traditional cloud platform to mobile devices, IoT gateways and even microcontrollers”.
Chetanya concentrated on building machine learning algorithms that learn and classify daily activities from wearable and IoT devices. “This raises the problem of data labelling. Everyone experiences a health problem in a different way and names it differently. On the other hand, the industry is asking for solutions that are generally applicable to the entire population. My work consisted of developing an algorithm that is able to learn from limited labelled data and predict the condition as early as possible.
Currently, I am working on weight gain data from pregnant women. The aim is to develop models that detect whether or not there is a risk of permanent obesity after pregnancy. This data is then passed on to doctors or health care providers, who can make appropriate recommendations”.
The final conference of the project took place on 6 July 2021, where both the scientific findings and the training results were presented. The final event also provided an opportunity to highlight the
doctoral training with emphasis on interdisciplinarity, transversal skills, the international dimension and cooperation with industry.
Yves Persoons“
Golden earrings, plastic iPad cases, chocolate letters … the list of materials and objects that can be 3D-printed grows every day. Researchers from De Nayer Campus have managed to 3D-print a large window with curved shapes, integrated ventilation and LED lighting. Deceuninck, the company that designed the window, is delighted with the result. Prof. Eleonora Ferraris, Ing. Loren De Vogelaer and PhD student Jie Zhang from the Advanced Manufacturing Lab De Nayer Campus, explain.
technology, also referred to as Additive Manufacturing (AM), is an umbrella of manufacturing processes where layers of materials are built up to create a solid object”, says Prof. Ferraris. “There are countless 3D-printing techniques using varied types of principles to add materials to achieve the final product”.
“Customer-driven production and the demand for time and cost savings have increased the interest in the agility of the manufacturing process. This has led to continuous improvement in rapid prototyping technologies. Given the size, the material and unusual shape of the window, we opted for a technology based on thermoplastic extrusion, specifically Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF)”.
Prof. Ferraris’ Advanced Manufacturing Lab is one of seven research groups at De Nayer Campus. It is part of the division Manufacturing Processes and Systems (MaPS) of the Mechanical Engineering Department. Research topics include additive manufacturing, especially nozzlebased, including aerosol jet® printing, fused filament fabrication, and stereolithography. The Advanced Manufacturing Lab and Deceuninck, the
Belgian market leader in the production of windows and doors, found each other in the SIM-ICON project Flaminco of Strategic Initiative Materials in Flanders (SIM).
“Flaminco stands for Polymer Filaments for Additive Manufacturing of Individual Components”, continues Loren De Vogelaer. “The project focused on progressing the state-of-art of materials and extrusion 3Dprinting production chain based on the requirements of large applications. Besides Deceuninck and KU Leuven, the consortium included two other industrial partners: Materialise in Leuven and Proviron in Ostend, who specialise in respectively additive manufacturing and polymers. The research group of Prof. Brecht Van Hooreweder and Peter van Puyvelde (KUL) was also involved in the project. All together, we investigated the technical and economic feasibility of new materials and 3D-printing of larger thermoplastic products as an alternative to the small series extrusion and other standard production technologies avoiding high tooling costs and long lead times”.
For Deceuninck, the project was an excellent opportunity to investigate whether 3D-printing technologies are
suitable for the production of large windows with curved shapes equipped with built-in ventilation and LED lighting. Since such windows are custom-made, they cannot be mass-produced, which means that the costs must be kept under control. “Sustainability is another important criterion for the company”, Loren De Vogelaer adds. “At Deceuninck, special attention is paid to the rational use of materials and energy, anticipating the legal requirements that by 2050, every home in Flanders must be as energyefficient as an energy-performing new house”.
As mentioned earlier, the researchers opted for the Fused Filament Fabrication
technology. Jie Zhang, PhD student at De Nayer Campus explains: “FFF is a 3D-printing process that uses a continuous filament of thermoplastic material. The object is built by disposing melted material layer-by-layer. Typically, the extruder head moves in two dimensions, creating a layer at a time before adjusting vertically to begin a new layer. FFF benefits include having a large variety of materials to choose from, fast printing from ideas to prototypes and multiple printer manufacturers. In our lab, we have the equipment to print large pieces. It is a Discovery 3D-printer, financed by De Nayer foundation. This means we can be more economical with materials and, by extension, produce more cheaply. The quality and the integrity
of the manufactured parts, i.e. the finish, the mechanical strength and the porosity, are the result of the temperature profile of the polymer deposits when in contact with the underlying layers. In the Flaminco project, I was testing the newly developed PVC filaments, and one of the objectives of my PhD research is to develop new strategies that optimally control the local temperatures during the process”.
“It takes about 11 to 12 days to produce a whole window with high surface quality”, prof. Ferraris continues. “The window is 1.5 m high, and we produced it in multiple pieces that were assembled afterward. The NGen material from Colorfab was used at the first side. Now we are producing the window in the newly
developed PVC filament provided by Deceunick too. The biggest challenge was warping of the long pieces and to ensure continuous printing with no failure”.
In the meantime, the Advanced Manufacturing Lab has finished two prototypes of the window. They can be seen at De Nayer Campus in SintKatelijne-Waver and at Deceuninck in Hooglede-Gits.
Group T Leuven Campus has a 20-year long tradition in dual undergraduate degree programmes with several renowned Chinese universities. For years, hundreds of students from China have populated the English-taught bachelor programme in Engineering Technology. The strategic target regions for international students also include Thailand and India. In October 2020, the first group of undergraduate students from Vellore Institute of Technology (India) and Thammassat University (Thailand) started their study in Leuven.
In January 2020, KU Leuven and Vellore Institute of Technology signed a cooper ation agreement for the establishment of a twinning degree programme in Engineering Technology. An intensive campaign was then launched at VIT to promote the programme to their students. Ranjini Mayichery of the Group T Inter national Office, active in the field of admissions and recruitment and contact person for India, welcomed the first three students and guaranteed a smooth start-up. Arvind Giridhar, Sanat Kumar and Arfaat Ahmed Peer Iftequar arrived in Leuven last August. They are still getting used to the cold temperatures in Belgium, as the south of India has quite a different climate with temperatures of more than 40 degrees in summer.
Arvind, Sanat and Arfaat were already planning to go abroad after their bachelor study, but the new possibilities changed these plans. Arvind remarks: “The information came close to the deadline for application, so we had to decide quickly. Of course, our parents also came into the story, because their support is essential in carrying out our plans. Months later, I can now recommend everyone to study abroad and take on an international programme”.
Arvind Giridhar, Sanat Kumar and Arfaat Ahmed Peer Iftequar (Vellore Institute of Technology – India) © Julie Feyaerts
“One advantage is that many Indian students already have an international outlook”, adds Sanat. ”Still, the KU Leuven system of study proved to be challenging. The focus on student autonomy and guided self-study is new to many international students. Time management is an important skill in planning your study at KU Leuven.”
“The first days were not easy, with no other Indian students around, so there was no other option than to socialise with Belgian students. The WhatsApp group set up by Group T Leuven Campus proved to be extremely useful, but still it was so cold”, shivers Arvind. “Moreover, on Sunday, everything is closed. The campus life is also radically different. VIT is a community with everything present on-campus; in Leuven, the university is a city with a large city campus.
Nevertheless, the message to future candidates for the twinning programme VIT–KU Leuven is unanimous. “Go for it!”, Ahmed confirms . “If you want to improve your CV as an engineer, KU Leuven is a very good place to go”. The students plan to do a master’s course also in Leuven, Ahmed sees a future in international business. “This way, our study is a stepping stone for our future career as an engineer, be it in R&D or in business.”
At Thammasat University, information sessions were set up by Kantima
Thongkhao, who since 2018 has been the KU Leuven internatonal liason in Thailand and is involved in the KU Leuven alumni chapter for Thailand. Kawin Sirichantakul, Naphrut Wandee, Chutkaew Girdpra are the first Thai students from Thammasat University in the dual degree programme in Engineering Technology at Group T Leuven Campus.
The engineering programme at Thammasat has two study tracks, one of which is taught in English, geared to wards international mobility during the undergraduate study phase. Kawin, Chutkaew and Naphrut were all three in this study track, with international mobility to the UK or Australia in mind. The international perspective already implies a thorough knowledge of English as well as an international outlook.
Chutkaew admits: “It was the first time that we heard about the possibility of study at KU Leuven. I did some research and found that KU Leuven has a very good reputation for research and technology. Moreover, the quality of life in a small city like Leuven is high. The facilities for students are very affordable and of high level. ”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the preparation happened in an untypical way. The visa processing and preparation was compressed into a three-week period just before the start of the academic year. On 7 October, the
students could finally start their study, with specific guidance to catch up within the first few weeks of the academic year. The International Office on Group T Leuven Campus supported and advised them on how to get organised.
Naphrut explains: “The start was overwhelming; the way of working is totally different at KU Leuven. The welcome was warm, with a Thai buddy guiding us, even cooking for us every week”.
About the engineering programmes at Group T Campus, Kawin says: “The engineering programme here is more hands-on, you need to conceive and design things, e.g. running an actual programme to make a robot move. In Thammasat, a system of mid-term and end of term exams is used, so this will also put some flexibility in our study approach”, according to Chutkaew.
“Self-discipline is essential for students coming to KU Leuven”, says Naphrut, “Students have to work independently, which obviously is also strengthened by the COVID-19 situation”.
The Thai trio has no doubt about it: “COVID-19 or not, by the time we graduate, we will be global engineers”.
Chimene El Boustany and Philip Lepoutre are two of the team of seven student ambassadors of the Faculty of Engineering Technology. In normal circumstances, they would now be in the middle of their Erasmus exchange semester, but COVID-19 decided otherwise. This does not mean that they are not internationally engaged; as student ambassadors they coach prospective international students.
Philip Lepoutre was born in the UK, lived in Romania, studied in a Romanian-Turkish High-School, and then decided to join KU Leuven’s community at the Group T Campus. He joined a wide range of student activities ranging from chess, gliding, to being a radio presenter and a volunteer in Aether, a brand new team of the postgraduate programme of entrepreneurship for engi neers. Very early in his student career, he also became our faculty’s first student ambassador.
Chimene El Boustany is from Lebanon and choose KU Leuven to be close to her friend who studies medicine. She is active in AEISEC and is vice-president in an association for spacecraft students.
Philip set up the student ambassador team at Group T Campus and invited Chimene to join. The student ambassador programme of KU Leuven has become quite popular among international students who are happy to represent and to promote their alma mater and their faculty to potentially new internationals.
Chimene specifies: “as a student ambassador, you are expected to spend some time each week chatting with interested candidates” , and Philip adds that “a list of FAQ was provided by the marketing service and guidance sessions were aimed at preparing the student ambassadors for being able to highlight
distinctive features of KU Leuven”. This takes up a few hours each week, with a busier period just before the application deadlines. Philip regularly asks students during the chat to set up a Zoom or Skype meeting. The marketing office also organises two ‘student ambassador events’ each year, where they bring all student ambassadors together to learn from each other and to network.
The chat sessions may lead to funny anecdotes, like the time a student tried to convince Chimene to skip the application deadline by offering her some bribe presents… or the Albanian girl who confused the student ambassador platform with Tinder and started flirting with Philip.
Being international students themselves has helped both Chimene and Philip to be better student ambassadors. Chimene: “We’ve been there, we’ve been in their shoes, and we know which advice they need.”
“What advice would you give to your former self, is a good guideline”, Philip adds.
Volunteering work, social engagement, or social engineering are some of the names used to describe co-curricular activities such as student ambassadors. Both Philip and Chimene confirm that being a student ambassador has provided them
with essential skills to become better engineers: “engineering is all about people”, Chimene quotes one of her Group T lecturers. Their interpersonal skills, presentation skills, service attitude, communication skills were developed by being a student ambassador.
Philip: “It also makes you culturally aware, you can adapt your communication depending on the audience, you learn to work on skills such as how to communicate a message clearly and effectively”.
When Chimene and Philip started their student career three years ago, student ambassadors did not exist and so they had to get their information in a different way: Chimene actually travelled to Group T Campus during the Christmas holidays before deciding to apply.
Philip was attracted to KU Leuven and later Group T Campus, and notes that in recent years, the campus info has focused strongly on promotional videos and a lot of activity on social media. Many initiatives now exist to involve international students in the student life.
Personal development
“Creative thinking, teambuilding skills, leadership skills have all benefited from my engagement as a student ambassador”, confirms Philip. “The student ambassadors complement very well with the engineering training we get,
the theoretical concepts we learn in our soft skills courses can be implemented in a real life context.”
Chimene: “The activities as a student ambassador help me on a larger scale, realising that “experience is simply a name we give to our mistakes” (dixit Oscar Wilde) to become a better engineer. They are learning labs for skills we need in our later career.”
Recently, Philip spoke to a student from Poland who doubted whether to apply to TU Delft or to KU Leuven, and in the end, the student decided to apply to KU Leuven. “Knowing that your advice is valued by a prospective student is very rewarding and fulfilling. Being a student ambassador actually it doesn’t feel like work, it is a fun activity and it looks great on your cv.”
Both students don’t stop at this engagement: they both aspire a future job in the field of aerospace industry.
Throughout June and July 2021, the eight leading European universities of the UNA Europa 2030 alliance offered their students a unique experience: tackling real life challenges in cross-European teams. Set up as an open innovation design event, Una. Futura took students on a journey developing solutions to the challenges arising from the digital revolution. Arnoud Martens, International Officer at Group T Leuven Campus, was facilitator of one team.
In2018, seven prominent research universities joined forces to create UNA Europa 2030, an alliance that aims to lay the foundation of the European University of the Future. The partners -including KU Leuven- are committed to establish a profound col laboration with a focus on qualitative and innovative education and research that stimulate the international oppor tunities for students, staff and researchers.
“The seven partners -there are now eight of them- have been at the heart of Europe’s intellectual tradition for almost 1,000 years”, Arnoud explains.
“They have a rich cultural heritage and the ambition to shape the Europe of the future. Together, they count almost half a million students and staff and reach millions more online”.
In spring 2021, a digital platform was set up where students and staff could share ideas and discuss with colleagues from across the whole UNA Europa 2030 community. Teamed up with facilitators and experts, they worked on jointly finding solutions to six challenges that all relate with the exponential advance of digitisation in all aspects of everyday life, be it in education, at work, in social interaction,
communication, health and many others. The six challenges were: 1. Digital empowerment, 2. Digital ci tizenship, 3. Digital economy, 4. Augmented human, 5. Cyber threats and 6. Mental well-being and social relations in the digital work.
“Each challenge was assigned to one or more international teams”, Arnoud continues. “Our team got ‘Digital citizenship’ with the task of developing an e-voting system. Six students had signed up for this. The entire design process took two weeks. After the kick-off with an expert talk on the theme, the team got down to work. The first week was entirely reserved for gathering documents and information on e-government systems and good practices. It quickly became apparent that Estonia is a frontrunner in the EU that can serve as a model for the digitisation of public services and administration. Other countries are clearly less advanced; some do not even have electronic identity cards yet. Equalising the situation in the EU will be the first major work to do”.
During the second week, the team concentrated on designing a European e-voting system. “We initially aimed at young people as the target group
because they are most familiar with digitisation”, says Arnoud. “The complexity of the task soon became apparent. Not only technologically, but also in terms of security and privacy. Fortunately, the team also included a PhD student in law who was well versed in legal and juridical matters.
Twenty-four students of KU Leuven took part in Una.Futura 2021, including seven engineering students from Group T Campus. Arnoud is proud of their commitment, especially since most of them are from outside the EU.
The platform was closed mid-July. The collected ideas and ensuing discussions will form the groundwork for building a joint strategy for UNA Europa 2030. The analysis of the ideas was shared with the community in November 2021. Subsequently, the second phase of the process will start at policy level. The new strategy is expected to be ready for action by May 2022.
On 6 May, the Agoria Solar Team organised the sixteenth edition of the Solar Olympics. This is an annual event in which secondary school students from all over Flanders are challenged to build a mini solar car or an original gadget that runs on solar energy. The 2021 edition presented itself as a Solar Olympiad and went entirely online for the first time. Ministers Ben Weyts and Benjamin Dalle encouraged the 150 participants.
Bothexcellencies did not hide their admiration for the initiative and the results. “This is STEM made visible, tangible and palpable,” said Flemish education minister Ben Weyts. “Here you can see that STEM is damned enjoyable. The projects radiate a love for science and technology”. Flemish Minister for Brussels, Youth and Nature Benjamin Dalle confirmed: “I think it is incredibly clever how the participating young people were able to bring their challenging projects to a successful conclusion in this unusual year”.
In September 2020, 50 teams registered for the solar competition. Out of their concepts, 28 were chosen from 16 schools for the finals. These teams were each assigned a coach from the Agoria Solar Team. Each team also received a solar panel with which to build either a mini solar car or a creative gadget. Whoever opted for the gadget had to be able to convince the competition jury that the invention was not only original, but also sustainable and would eventually find its way to the market. This resulted in highly original but also very topical realisations, such as an electric alternative for convex traffic mirrors and a smart measuring system for the ventilation of classrooms. The teams that built a mini solar car had to compete against each other in a small but very competitive speed race.
The final of the competition is always a real happening at the Leuven campus or at Technopolis in Mechelen. “Due to the
ongoing problems with the corona, we were forced to look for an online alternative,” says Ruben Holsbeekx, event manager of the Agoria Solar Team. “Together with Colruyt Group Technics, Group T Leuven Campus and Technopolis, we developed a digital platform for the final day with live streaming for the supporters.”
During the live show on 6 May, the teams presented their creations to the jury and the public, who could vote for the public prize. More than 2,000 votes were cast during the final. Stephane Berghmans, CEO of Technopolis, Bart Bosmans of Colruyt Group Technics and Ruben
Holsbeekx looked on from the studio in Mechelen and awarded eight prizes.
“There were some really tough projects this year,” says Ruben. “Some of them were in no way inferior to the Engineering Experiences in the bachelor programme. But the other teams also manifested themselves as talented engineers-to-be.”
Still to be viewed at www.solar-olympiade.technopolis-events/nl/home
Even in corona times, ‘going to camp’ is spontaneously associated with playing games, romping around in the woods and meadows, and crackling campfires. The Engineers’ Summer Camp at Group T Campus has been held for the fifth time with growing success. From 5 to 10 July 2021, 27 young participants indulged in science and technology. Almost half were girls.
Gettingyoung people interested in science, technology and engi neering. That is what camp leaders Yuri Cauwerts and Karen Vanderloock of the Electronics-ICT de partment are aiming for. What started modestly in 2017 with a group of ten chil dren aged 10 to 12, grew into a camp of 27 10- to 14-year-olds, split into a boys’ group and a girls’ team. At the same time, the number of activities also increased, other enthusiastic colleagues joined in and, in collaboration with Sporty, a pack age of twelve sports and games was introduced into the programme, ranging from gymnastics and speedminton to baseball and rope skipping. “A healthy scientific-technical mind also requires a good physical condition, especially for young people in full development,” con firms Yuri. “The formula still does the trick. In no time, the 2021 summer camp was full.”
Karen lists the main ingredients of the STEM program. “Our offer included build ing mechanical structures with Lego, such as gear transmission, lever con structions and measuring slopes, colouring washcloths with Indigo in the Chemistry lab, soldering a pcb for a sound detector in the Electronics lab, making a dance mat with raspberry pi and finally examining bacteria with a micro scope in the Biochemistry lab.”
“There was a red wire running through all the week’s activities,” Yuri continued. “It consisted of solving a riddle to open a cryptex with a hidden key. On the last day, the participants found a supply of corn, which they used to make popcorn in the afternoon”.
In the first editions of the summer camp, it was almost exclusively boys who were in action. That has changed completely now. The organizers have spared no ef fort to attract girls. That much, so they even set up a special girls’ group.
“The girls’ camp is an attempt to address the gender imbalance in engineering ed ucation,” says Karen. “Research shows that girls at a young age are indeed inter ested in science and technology, but often lose that interest from the age of 12. One reason for this is that parents talk relatively little to their daughters about technology-related subjects. Moreover, there are still too few role models for young girls to emulate. By choosing the age group 10 to 14 years, we aim pre cisely at this critical phase.
Karen has the following to say about the separate girls’ group: “If we had just
opened up two ordinary groups as we did at the start of the initiative, they would have been filled initially with boys. Since we started reserving a group for girls two years ago, the picture has changed com pletely. Working together with boys at that age clearly has a barrier effect, that is the reality.”
The organisers also varied the activities and assignments sufficiently, so they did not appear to be an exclusively boys’ af fair. According to Karen, the presence of female coaches and facilitators also helped the girls feel more at ease. “If we can encourage the girls to develop their STEM skills in this way, this is a factor that should be taken into account in future activities,” concludes Karen.
Yves Persoons © Julie Feyaerts
On 6 May 2021, the Alumni Awards were presented to a master of Engineering Science and a master of Engineering Technology, who have distinguished themselves nationally and internationally, within or outside their field of study. Winner Serge de Gheldere could in principle qualify for either of the two awards. He preferred to refer to his training as a master in Engineering Technology, where the foundations for his successful career as an entrepreneur and as the figurehead of the climate issue were laid.
Serge is a three-time engineer (Group T University College, KU Leuven, and TU Delft) and a committed entrepreneur. His study, work and ambitions are completely devoted to the climate issue and the development of technologically and economically feasible solutions for companies, governments, and regions. He is considered an authority in this field and a role model for young engineers.
As an engineer, Serge designed an online platform that uses an SDG framework to help cities and towns develop, implement, and monitor a climate plan. Futureproofed Cities helps cities to proceed to the implementation phase as soon as possible to reach the climate targets. All cities, large and small, frontrunners and doubters can join. By now, 136 cities are making use of it, with 2675 climate mitigation measures, accounting for 2.6 billion euros in investments, a reduction of 1 million tons of CO² emissions per year and annual savings of 375 million euros.
As an entrepreneur, Serge founded Futureproofed in 1999 with the goal to support companies, organisations, and governments in the transition towards a
sustainable and profitable business model. Futureproofed is convinced that accelerating towards a non-fossil, sustainable future is one of the biggest opportunities for companies. The step towards a non-fossil fuel future helps to save costs, reduce risks, develop new products and services, and strengthen the company’s image.
Futureproofed has already carried out assignments for hundreds of companies, cities, and organisations, including DEME, Nike, Colruyt, the European Parliament, Leuven, Antwerp, Hasselt, etc.
Serge’s career as a climate ambassador began in 2006, when he was selected as the ‘Climate Ambassador’ of the then US Vice President Al Gore. With his presentation ‘The Inconvenient Truth’ Serge gave hundreds of lectures at home and abroad, including Stanford, Yale, Tsinghua University (Beijing), India, Dubai, Togo, and many EU countries. Serge is still a much sought-after speaker at conferences, seminars and in the media. His latest achievement is the establishment of vzw Klimaatzaak, a pressure group that wants to urge four Belgian governments through legal means to comply with the
climate agreements. The organisation aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 42% to 48% by 2025 and by 65% by 2030, to reach zero emissions by 2050. More than 68,000 Belgians have already signed up to this initiative. After six years of litigation, the process of the century has finally begun.
Serge was also involved in the birth of the ambitious ‘Leuven Klimaatneutraal 2030’ project, which has since been renamed ‘Leuven 2030’. He is vice-chairman of the executive committee and a director. In Leuven 2030, more than 600 partners, authorities, the academic world, businesses, and citizens are working together to develop a roadmap and carry out strategic experiments in the field of climate neutrality. This project has helped to make Leuven the European Capital of Innovation this year. Leuven 2030 proves that even a small town can have a big impact in the global climate debate. It is no wonder that the city has awarded Serge the honorary title of ‘Hero of Leuven’.
Yves Persoons
Four million coffee cups are thrown away every year in Leuven. If you put them all together, you get a pile 23 km high, that is the distance between Brussels and Leuven. This massive waste has been a thorn in the flesh of the CORE team for some time. By founding Quppa, three CORE alumni want to get to the root of this problem. Co-founder Jeroen Diels tells the story.
On14 December 2020, Quppa was christened in Leuven. The new company is a spin-off of cvba-so CORE, a cooperative of engineering students from Group T Leuven Campus and associates who work towards an efficient and rational use of energy in a circular economy. As a Master’s student in Electromechanical Engineering Technology and a postgraduate in Innovative Entrepreneurship for Engineers, Jeroen was active at CORE for two years.
First, he was involved in energy studies in schools, companies and government institutions. After that, he took care of the startup of fellow student Olivier Hendrickx. Together with two other students, Jeroen put the startup on the map as ‘Quppa’.
“At CORE, we learned to take a radical approach to things,” says Jeroen. “By radical I mean literally by the root (radix). We have developed a completely new solution to the problem of disposable cups. It is a clever system for sharing reusable coffee cups”.
Jeroen explains. “We are introducing a universal, reusable cup for take-away coffee in the city. It can be borrowed without a deposit at different coffee bars.
The first step is to register on the Quppa app. In the coffee shop you scan a QR code to link one or more cups to your account. To be clear: the cup does not become your property. You get it on loan.
The app reminds you within three days to return your cup to one of the participating spots.
The Quppa cup is a handy alternative to the disposable cup. You do not have to wash the cups yourself, but can simply ‘drop’ them off dirty at one of the participating partners, who will take care of the washing up. Did you forget to bring your cup? No problem at all! You can borrow several at the same time. Quppa is currently free for coffee drinkers in Leuven. The coffee bars do pay a contribution for using the system, but they can easily recover that amount because they no longer need to buy new disposable cups”.
Fortunately, the three young entrepreneurs are not alone. They can count on the support of two business partners.
“Our first partner is Flanders Circular,” Jeroen explains. “That is the consortium of government, companies, non-profit organisations and knowledge institutions that acts as an inspirer and matchmaker for the circular economy in Flanders. We received a grant from this consortium to develop the technological part of our project, such as the chips in the cups and the reading devices in the coffee bars.”
The other partner is Borealis, the second largest producer of polyethylene and polypropylene in Europe. “The company
is currently betting heavily on reuse systems to drive the transition to a circular economy,” continues Jeroen. “At the end of last year, Borealis launched a pilot project to replace 1.5 million plastic disposable cups with 30,000 reusable lightweight copies for reuse after recycling. The cups are produced in Belgium and are equipped with an RFID chip (Radio Frequency Identification), which enables to follow the entire route of the cup. Such data is very interesting for mapping the consumption behaviour of the customer and the life cycle of the product.
Start The smart sharing system of Jeroen and co is in use in eight coffee bars in Leuven. 500 customers have already registered and over 600 Quppa cups are in circulation. Not a bad result in corona times when most students are at home. It is encouraging that the City of Leuven has promised its support and cooperation. If now the largest potential customer, KU Leuven, also joins in, Quppa will be in a good position.
Jeroen Diels, Wouter Meynendonckx and Thomas Holemans ©Julie Feyaerts
