Pristupačnost
A lecture by a professor from one of the most innovative European universities, KU Leuven (KUL), opened an expert meeting on the topic "Chips, universities and technological development", which was held on 24 of September 2024, in the organization of FER with the aim of encouraging technological development in the Republic of Croatia.
Professor Georges Gielen from the prestigious Belgian University of KUL, expert in analog chip design and former vice-chancellor for research, engineering and technology at KUL, shared the key factors in his introductory lecture entitled "Why is KU Leuven an entrepreneurial and successful university?", emphasizing that a top university must combine top education with top research and the valorization of that research in order to have a maximum impact on society.
"Valorization does not come automatically; it is necessary to systematically create an entrepreneurial-oriented environment, as well as to be ready to reward those who are ready to take risks. Internationalization through the exchange of students and professors and joint international research collaborations is necessary to achieve a leading role at the international level. Technical areas such as designing microelectronic chips offer a good opportunity for cooperation between the universities of Leuven and Zagreb, given the excellent basic education of students and the great need for educated talents in these areas," said Gielen.
FER has been strongly integrated in the European research space for more than two decades and collaborates with KU Leuven on chip design projects, thanks to the high quality of its studies, strong research groups and excellent students. Dean of FER prof. Vedran Bilas, PhD, emphasized the importance of ambitious steps in strengthening the Croatian education system, stressing the need to create an internationally recognizable university brand.
"The example of KU Leuven shows how crucial universities are for the development and competitiveness of the city and region. A university that successfully combines excellence in science, education and entrepreneurship through the application of research results, and which is strongly internationalized through the exchange of students and researchers - this is exactly our goal in Croatia. We stand for new models of organization and management in higher education and for ambitious national policies that will encourage internationalization. Croatia should and can have a university that will be an international brand and bearer of technological development. It's time to start business projects in semiconductor technologies in Croatia, especially in the context of the EU Chip Act,'' said Dean Bilas.
Let us remind you that the European Chips Act opened up new opportunities for technological and business advances in Croatia and stronger inclusion in European value chains. At the beginning of the year, FER signed a cooperation agreement with imec and, together with partners, led the initiative to establish the Croatian Center of Competence for Semiconductors (CROCCS). On September 13, 2024, the Government of the Republic of Croatia provided funding for the Center in the period from 2025 to 2028.
The meeting ended with a panel discussion on the topic "Chips, university and technological development", moderated by professor Adrijan Barić from FER. Along with Professor Gielen, the discussion was attended by Raul Blečić, PhD, from Rimac Technology, FER alumnus, and Professor Nebojša Stojčić, vice-chancellor of the University of Dubrovnik and expert in innovation systems.
A photo gallery is available at the link here.
