"A chair creates a bond of trust that allows you to get far together."

What was the purpose of the mission?

An economic mission is one where you get the chance to visit different companies in a friendly country to establish new contacts, discuss cooperation opportunities or sign contracts. This mission to Japan began with a signing ceremony in the presence of Princess Astrid, Prime Minister Jan Jambon, and Joy Donné (CEO Flanders Investment & Trade). For us, this ceremony was a wonderful starting point because we signed the Hamamatsu Photonics Applied Innovation Chair, a research chair funded by Hamamatsu Photonics, a world player in the field of photonic components with applications in the medical sector, in data communication and in instrumentation. Consequently, of course, our Japanese colleagues Akira Hiruma (CEO Hamamatsu Photonics) and the mayor of the city of Hamamatsu, Yasutomo Suzuki, were present for the signing.  

What made the visit so important for the VUB? 

The presence and visibility of the VUB on the international research and innovation scene is essential. This is all the more true when it comes to countries that are at the forefront of high-tech developments. Japan is such a country, where skill, professionalism, and precision are also highly valued. We were therefore very proud that VUB was the only Belgian university at this ceremony to sign a contract with a Japanese company.  

How was your visit to Japan?

After the special moment of the signing ceremony, I visited several colleagues at Tokyo University of Technology, Kobe University, and Shizuoka University located at the foot of Mount Fuji. Traveling in Japan is always fantastic. It is a beautiful country with a fascinating culture, stunning nature and a perfect sense of balance between ancient traditions and state-of-the-art technologies. To finish, I spent a week at Hamamatsu Photonics where I visited the four business divisions and gave talks to the various research groups to see how Brussels Photonics can use its technological expertise to solve their challenges. In the process, I got to know dozens of researchers with whom we will be tackling new research topics very soon, or who are considering staying in our research group for an extended period of time to work together on pioneering components for a better society.

What are the biggest advantages for a company to establish a chair together with VUB?

A VUB chair creates a bond of trust. It is a facilitator for a long-term collaboration that moves society forward. You build a relationship of trust with a business partner where you provide regular feedback to see what you can do better together. By meeting often, something unique develops. That way, you can get much further than with a short-term ad hoc collaboration. 

What does 2023 have in store for B-PHOT and the collaboration with Japan?

Thanks to the important funding from the Hamamatsu Chair, we can intensify our cooperation and there will be more exchanges between our research labs. For example, in early February, co-supervisor of the chair Nathalie Vermeulen will go to the Hamamatsu Central Research labs in Japan for a one-month stay and then two Japanese researchers will come to VUB B-PHOT for a longer period of time.  Later this year, the Hamamatsu PhotonFair exhibition will also take place where I will be a keynote speaker for the hundreds of companies using Hamamatsu photonics components and thousands of researchers from around the world who want to keep up with the latest developments in photonics. This is a great honor and nice visibility for our VUB. Finally, publications in high quality scientific journals and joint patents are also planned and we will also produce components for Hamamatsu Photonics for the first time. 

 

Find out more about the chair here. Visit the Brussels Photonics website.