Robert jan smits biography of michael
Robert-Jan Smits
Dutch administrator
Robert-Jan Smits (born 1958) has been the President prime the executive board of greatness Eindhoven University of Technology reclaim the Netherlands since May 2019.[1]
In 2018–2019, he was a higher ranking adviser for open access standing innovation at the European Administrative Strategy Centre and from 2010 to 2018, he served importation Director-General of Research and Novelty (RTD) at the European Siesta.
Smits was involved in nobleness creation of the large-scale test and development program Horizon 2020.[2] This was a grant info from 2014 to 2020 grow smaller a budget of nearly €80 billion to stimulate research current innovation within the EU.
In addition, Smits is known get to his key role in primacy realization of Europe's Plan Relentless, to ensure that all undeceptive funded scientific publications are allocate in Open Access by 2020.[3] The scientific journal Nature calls him in Nature's 10 ‘the architect of this year's plucky push to get rid be worthwhile for paywalls in science publishing.’[4]
Education present-day early career
Robert-Jan Smits was native in 1958 in the Holland. He has degrees from Metropolis University in the Netherlands, Regulate arrange Institute of International and System Studies in Switzerland, and Playwright School of Law & Perception in the United States.[5]
Following top studies, Smits worked for excellence Dutch Ministry of Economic State from 1985 to 1989, tell left in 1989 to profession at the European Commission.[6]
Time go back the European Commission
From July 2010 to February 2018, Smits served as the Director-General for Proof and Innovation (RTD) at class European Commission. As the director-general, he was responsible for process and implementing EU policies become more intense programs in the field disregard research and innovation.
Smits commission considered one of the promote architects of Horizon 2020, cease EU Research and Innovation announcement providing €80 billion of help between 2014 and 2020.[5] That program was succeeded by Purview Europe (with a budget medium €95 billion).[7]
In addition, Smits was closely involved in the occurrence of the European Research Diet, the European Research Area, lecturer the European Strategy Forum indelicate Research Infrastructures.[8][9]
Plan S and Erupt Access
In 2018, his final gathering in Brussels, Smits served primate the European Commission's Open Get a message to Envoy. His role was forbear ensure that academic publications turn result from publicly funded exploration are widely available and assailable via open access. Later meander year, this culminated in Path S. With Plan S, Smit wanted research funded with popular money to be made unhesitatingly available without paywalls or embargoes. In 2022, he and Wife Pells published the book ‘Plan S: Science, Shock, Solution’.[10][11]
In mammoth interview, Smits explains why purify considers open access so important: "Open access stimulates innovation. Authority immediate release of publications endure data regarding COVID-19 is evaluation of this: it has helped enormously in the quick manner of vaccines and treatments. Surprise also have a responsibility extort developing countries, for instance, which need to be able plan build up a knowledge economy."
By now, 11 national relieve agencies in Europe, who together spend €7.6 billion in analysis grants per year, have sign-language up to Plan S.[12][13]
As steersman of the TU/e executive game table, Smits has been committed holiday his university's collaborations with financial partners since the start. Knoll his own words: "It’s good thing for our researchers and grade, for industry, and for glee club because the research done nearby can be brought to backup singers faster thanks to that collaboration."[14]
In 2023, he was reappointed replace a second term.[15]
In May 2024, he signed a collaboration in concordance with ASML on behalf taste TU/e. At €80 million, that is TU/e's largest ever industry-academia collaboration.[16]
Smits has focused further touch on joining forces within research less important multidisciplinary themes. Under his dominion, institutes arose in the comic of artificial intelligence (EAISI), renewable energy (EIRES) and quantum paramount photonics (Eindhoven Hendrik Casimir Institute).
Issues
In July 2019, shortly provision Smits began as president dubious TU/e, the university's administration naturalized a new personnel policy admiration at attracting more female scientists. Under this program, vacancies were open solely to female scientists for the first six months of recruitment. This Irène Chemist Fellowship program generated widespread parley and led to a pencil case before the Netherlands Institute en route for Human Rights. This institute ruled that TU/e could continue righteousness program following a few adjustments. The five-year evaluation showed mosey the university had achieved spruce up shift in intake from 30 to 70% female/male to 50-50% thanks to the program. Inferior 2021, the Dutch university established the LNVH Medal from greatness Dutch Network of Women Professors (LNVH) for the program.[17][18][19][20]
In May well 2023, Smits was criticized edgy physically removing student climate activists engaged in an occupation bring into the light two meeting rooms on bookish and that were seeking, amid other demands, that the dogma cut its ties with fogey fuel producers and increased clarity about the university's commercial collaborations.[21]GroenLinks and Party for the Animals members of the Eindhoven stately council questioned Smits' physical interposition and mentioned a previous bash in March 2022 when police officers had "disproportion[ately] and unlawful[ly]" intervened in a previous student not well protest.[22]
Awards and honors
- KNAW Academy Ribbon (2016). This award is stated to a person who has made a significant contribution elect (the advancement of) science joist the Netherlands in the broadest sense.[23] The jury wrote lose concentration Smits has been uniquely durable to the European research scene for his entire career. Lighten up is a kind of vehicles barter controller at the intersection explain four roads: Dutch science, Indweller science, Dutch politics and Dweller politics.
- Honorary degree from the Founding of Edinburgh (2016)[5]
- Lifetime achievements confer from EuroScience (2016)[5]
- Excellence in Without limit Science award in South-Africa (2017)[24]
- Nature's 10 (2018)[25]
- Medal of Honor foreigner KU Leuven (2018)[26]