22 research groups, divided over the faculties EWI, TNW and CTW, participate in the institute. The represented disciplines are chemical technology, civil technology, applied physics, applied mathematics and mechanical engineering. According to director Henk Tijdeman, that makes it about as large as MESA+.
The first thing Tijdeman did was form a small task force to steer things in the right direction. 'The fact that important complementary activities in the area of fluid mechanics, thermal energy and polymers were already taking place in both institutes certainly helped the process,' he relates.
Tijdeman was impressed by the quality and elan of the young staff of process engineers. 'I'm convinced that the currently formed combination with the equally lively and ambitious TIM will offer many extra possibilities. Everything from fundamental to applied research is now covered. A nice illustration is that about 15% of the PhD-students are paid for by direct government funding, while respectively 40% and 45% are paid for by indirect government funding and commercial funding. That's a big multiplier compared to direct government funding!'
The institute is founded on the physics and dynamics of fluids, solid mechanics, the behaviour of materials and the wide area of process technology; supported by a solid mathematical basis. 'It is interesting to see a cooperation grow between completely different research groups who wouldn't have met outside the institute and can now pursue surprising lines of research.'
The well-running research programs of the merged institutes have not been stopped. The potential is expanded with programs exceeding the institute which have been formed to allow multiple groups to participate. Tijdeman: 'Both fundamentally and applied, with a strong influence by mathematical and modelling aspects. Priority is given to new activities that can grow to be a core activity. In addition, international contacts are stimulated with more temporary employments of well-known scientists and visiting professors. We already have people like Prosperetti and Brady in the research groups of Lohse and Mellema, Schnerr in the research group of Hoeijmakers and Taylor in the research group of Versteeg.'
The purpose of the merger is self-evident according to Tijdeman: 'Renewal by further breaking the boundaries between disciplines and faculties, attracting more top talent, increasing the commitment, combined use of the facilities, creating a more challenging environment for PhD and postdoctoral students and increasing the attraction exerted on external parties because of the wider knowledge offered.'
IMPACT participates in the national research schools for process technology (OSPT), fluid dynamics (J.M.Burgerscentrum), catalysis (NIOK), solid mechanics (Engineering Mechanics) and mathematics (Mathematical Research Institute). The institute also provides a 'considerable contribution'to the technological top institutes for polymers (DPI) and metals (NIMR). An intensive cooperation exists with various great technological institutes (TNO, ECN) in knowledge centres.
