TU Delft to be the first Dutch university with a branch in China

On Wednesday 11 May, TU Delft will open a research branch in Beijing. TU Delft is the first Dutch university to develop such an initiative with China. The branch will be engaged in research on LED lighting, a highly energy-efficient technology that will be playing an ever-greater role in the coming decades. Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Verhagen (Minister of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation) will conduct the official opening as part of his trade mission to China

Academy of Sciences

The name of the new branch will be Delft University of Technology - Beijing Research Centre, based at the Institute of Semiconductors within the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS). In the first phase of collaboration, the TU Delft branch will appoint a number of PhD students, who will receive diplomas from TU Delft upon completing their studies. The candidates, who will focus on research into improved LED lighting, will be supervised by professors from both TU Delft and CAS. The scientific programme will be coordinated by Professor Guo Qi Zhang, part-time professor at TU Delft. 

TU Delft present in strategically important countries

The Chair of the Delft Executive Board, Dirk Jan van den Berg, is excited about the new initiative. As Van den Berg, who is also a former Dutch ambassador to China, says: 'It is important to be present in strategically important countries like China and Brazil, and to establish a part of your university there, as we are now doing in Beijing. In five years time, China will invest EUR 400 billion in the highest levels of the technological sector. Everybody knows what is going on China, but not everyone is aware that we in Europe have much to gain by connecting with these developments. Today, the creation of the Delft University of Technology - Beijing Research Centre is a modest but very concrete beginning.' Van den Berg adds that it is also vital that the university is physically present in these strategically important countries in order to support TU Delft’s international network.

Energy-efficient LEDs

The branch will focus on LED lighting. In China, as in the rest of the world, LEDs are an important issue. Their major advantage is that they are highly energy efficient and have a long life. Because of their energy efficiency, LEDs have the potential to prevent millions of tons of CO2 emissions, especially given the fact that LEDs are continuously being improved. The number of applications has been increasing rapidly since the 1990s, when it became possible to transmit many new colours (e.g. blue) with LEDs. This type of lighting can already be found in street lighting, car headlights and other applications.

In the coming decades, LEDs are expected to comprise an increasing share of all lighting applications. In addition to many scientific challenges, the further development and improvement of LEDs is therefore of great economic importance, with a potential market worth billions of euros.