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A large consortium led by TU Delft is going to provide ‘brains’ to buildings. The Dutch Minis-try of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy has allocated 6.9 million euro to the Brains 4 Build-ings project. The objective of the project is to contribute to the development of smart meth-ods and algorithms that add operational intelligence to buildings, in order to make them as energy efficient and comfortable as possible. Professor and scientific coordinator Laure Itard: “Buildings’ energy systems have become so complex that their real time control cannot be achieved by traditional methods. We need much clever approaches using the potential of machine learning and artificial intelligence.”

In today’s edition of the TV show Jinek, Ernst Kuijpers, Marion Koopmans and Ahmed Aboutaleb presented plans for the Pandemic & Disaster Preparedness Center (PDPC) developed by the convergence collaboration between TU Delft, Erasmus University Medical Center (Erasmus MC) and Erasmus University Rotterdam. In this centre, Rotterdam and Delft bring together top scientists in the fields of medicine, engineering (including AI), logistics and sociology. Their ambitious research agenda addresses the extent and the interrelated aspects of future pandemics and disasters. In the Netherlands and around the world, there is an urgent need to better prepare for pandemics and disasters such as the current coronavirus crisis. The knowledge that has been acquired in the Rotterdam area can be applied broadly, which means that the Pandemic & Disaster Preparedness Center will be able to play an important role worldwide in preparing for future disasters and pandemics.

TU Delft is launching a new series of eight TU Delft AI Labs today. In these labs, scientists are using artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate scientific progress and help solve societal issues. Another eight labs will be launched later in 2021, bringing the total to 24. In the past year, almost all sixteen of the new Assistant Professor posts opened as part of this programme thus far have been filled. The recruitment of 32 PhD students for the new TU Delft AI Labs will start end of February. In addition, TU Delft will present the labs at the MIT European career fair on 25 February.

You may have wondered how a honeybee has such perfect navigation skills.

Biotechnologists at Delft University of Technology have built an artificial chromosome in yeast. The chromosome can exist alongside the natural yeast chromosomes, and serves as a platform to safely and easily add new functions to the micro-organism. Researchers can use the artificial chromosome to convert yeast cells into living factories capable of producing useful chemicals and even medicines.

What is the future of the market for natural gas, hydrogen and electricity? A large consortium is working on an adaptive simulation model of the energy system of the port of Rotterdam.

The Executive Board has appointed Professor Andy van den Dobbelsteen as TU Delft Sustainability Coordinator with effect from 1 January 2021.

Every year, people all over the world try to make the biggest artificial Christmas tree. Like the Gubbio Christmas Tree, formed by thousands of lights on the slopes of Mount Ingino. Or the illumination of the 372-metre high transmission mast at Lopik in The Netherlands. Maura Willems, a student of Applied Physics at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), decided to do the opposite. She created what is probably the world’s smallest Christmas tree.

For us to be able to get Covid-19 under control, approximately 70% of the Dutch population would need to be vaccinated. There is considerable support among the Dutch population for the introduction of a vaccination certificate to encourage people to have themselves vaccinated. A vaccination certificate would offer people who have been vaccinated more freedom, for example to keep up their usual activities during an outbreak or to attend events at which maintaining a distance of 1.5m between people is not possible. This has become apparent from representative research among 1,640 Dutch people that was conducted by researchers from TU Delft, Erasmus University Rotterdam, RIVM, Maastricht University and Roskilde University.