Jacques primary motivation to donate is his personal experience: “TU/e and the people who worked there during my study, proved to be essential to my success in life. Looking back, I realize their importance and I want to help give future generations a similarly positive experience.”
Jacques loves to support the development of creative and innovative ideas: “Many good plans and intentions suffocate because of bureaucracy. That’s one of the things I want to help prevent.”
It started with metal Fuels
The first project Jacques donated to, was the Metal Fuels project, run by Dr. Mohammadreza Baigmohammadi, a postdoctoral researcher in the Power&Flow group. This group is led by Professor Phillip de Goey and focuses on innovations in 'combustion'. In this project metal powder particles serve as fuel in engines modified to control the combustion. You can read all about it in this article. Or you can watch this one minute video explaination by Mohammadreza.
Jacques: “It was and still is a project with enormous potential, but also very specific challenges. Because metal, and especially its ignition, is difficult to control. Mohammadreza has been making great progress and the project is sufficiently funded now.”
A new donation
In 2023 Jacques wanted to make another donation: “This time, it’s what I call an ‘open donation’, so it’s not meant for a specific project. There are several themed funds to choose from, and now I’m still in talks with the University Fund Board on what to spend it on. It could be one specific project or a contribution towards several goals.”
My personal preference lies in projects that aim to reduce energy consumption and a more efficient use of cars. The number of vehicles is still growing, although we don’t need that many. So, there’s much room for improvement. And my own area of expertise and faculty - mechanical engineering - still holds a special place in my heart. Contributing to that would also be a good way to spend my donation.”
There’s more to projects than the results
Jacques is a fan of projects like Stella Terra and Team Polar: “I love to support projects like these. But it’s about more than just the technical innovations they come up with. Projects like this help students hone their social skills. They learn to work together and discover their strengths as individuals and as a team."
According to Jacques, we need more creativity. Because that’s a force of change you can’t hold back. He references people like Elon Musk, who shook a very conservative industry to its core. Jacques: “And at TU/e, there’s Philip de Goey who not only knows how to invent but also how to sell his inventions. I believe creativity is something you need a scientist nowadays. Because you have to move forward and sell what you created to the outside world.”
Sharing wealth with the world
To Jacques, donating is a very logical way to give back to society: “How can we expect scientists to make true progress when they’re spending 90% of their time selling their research and begging for money?
The government is backing away from funding fundamental research more and more. And companies think in terms of risk and profit. Not in opportunities, possibilities and what is best for the world in the long term. Hoarding money helps just one person. Sharing helps the whole world. That’s why it feels like a moral obligation to me.”
Read the 2021 interview with Jacques here and find out more about his ideas on science, creativity and funding research.