RSA CE&C 2015-2021

42 Table 9: SWOT analysis of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry. Internal Strengths Weaknesses • Expertise over length scales covering knowledge chains (molecules, materials and processes) in focused application areas (energy, circularity and health) • Strong, state-of-the-art experimental infrastructure covering the department’s expertise in chemistry and chemical engineering • Research and education are highly intertwined • Collaborative and entrepreneurial nature of the people across the department • Research staff in the department have strong ties and collaboration with other universities, industry and societal organizations in their respective fields of expertise • Limited financial resources (limited direct university funding and very strong competition for external research funding) • Relatively small department with an unbalanced distribution of scientists in different career stages (relatively large number of young scientific staff but low number at associate professor level) • Retirement of internationally renowned scientific staff in the coming years • End of life of the Helix building, its laboratories that host the department and the basic infrastructure External Opportunities Threats • Positioned in strong ecosystems with ample opportunities for collaboration • Solutions for societal challenges need multidisciplinary science and technology over length scales and strong collaboration • Strong increase in demand for well-educated, highly-skilled scientists and engineers (bachelor’s, master’s and PhD level) • Funding opportunities for large research programs (e.g., National Growth fund) • Large governmental investments granted to higher education ≥ 2023 • Complexity of the local, national and international playing fields • Battle for talent: unable to attract the top talent and support staff needed to stay at the forefront of science • Other academic institutions take a leading position in global collaboration across disciplines to solve societal challenges • Very strong competition for external research funding • Internal affairs can distract from empowerment at a national and global scale • Higher costs, longer delivery times of equipment and high inflation 6.2. STRATEGY FOR THE COMING YEARS The societal challenges that we face nowadays are enormous: the energy transition from a fossil- based economy to sustainable energy sources combined with energy storage, the mitigation of climate change, the limited availability of resources (including clean water), and health and well-being for everyone. The Sustainable Development Goals defined by the United Nations call for strong, coordinated action on a global scale far beyond the boundaries of disciplines or organizations. As a department, we realize that we are a small player in this respect. However, with the preceding part of this report in mind, we are very well-positioned as a department to take responsibility and deliver our share in: 1. educating the scientists and engineers of the future. 2. advancing science and technology related to energy, circularity and health. Positioning and societal relevance The positioning of the department in a local, national and global context is artistically expressed in Figure 2 on the next page. At the department level, we will further strengthen and enhance the three disciplinary expertise pillars of molecules, materials and processes and expand the chain of knowledge in these areas. We focus on the thematic application domains of energy, circularity and health. Within TU/e, the department will strengthen the collaboration and interaction with other departments (specifically the Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Applied Physics and Mechanical Engineering) to enlarge its chain of knowledge from molecules and materials to devices and