Yesterday we received the sad news that our former President of the Executive Board Paul Rüpp has passed away at the age of 65, after a brief illness. He was diagnosed with bladder cancer at the end of 2022 and, once it was clear that treatment was unsuccessful, he made it known that he did not wish any further treatment.

By 2050, it is estimated that there will be up to 12,000 Mt of plastic waste in landfills and nature worldwide. Biochemical recycling offers a more sustainable solution, but it is often not affordable or viable for companies. The Centre of Expertise Biobased Economy (CoE BBE) and Ginko Bioworks are working together to make it possible.

We are all deeply moved by the consequences of the earthquake in Syria and Turkey. Although the scale of this disaster is barely imaginable, we are aware of the extent of the impact.

We are proud to announce that the 9th European Lean Educators Conference will be held in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, from 24 until 26 October 2023.

We are faced increasingly with major issues that do not end at geographical borders. The energy transition, the nitrogen issue and the climate problem. These are cross-border issues, so we have to tackle them internationally. In the Week of the International Student, Jacomine Ravensbergen of the Executive Board of Avans University of Applied Sciences talks about the importance of internationalisation.