The SIM² KU Leuven governance structure consists of the following organs:
Steering Committee
The Steercom is the highest decision-making body of SIM² KU Leuven. The roles of the Steering Committee* are:
- Strategic planning of SIM² (project strategy, publication/IP strategy, business plan etc.);
- Synergy creation with other MRC Research Lines (e.g. Materials for Energy) and future KU Leuven Institutes;
- Alignment of research strategies RLs and flagship initiatives (SOLVOMET, CR³, HiTemp Centre, EIT RawMaterials, SIM Mares, Moonshot Programme on climate neutrality of Flemish industry);
- Organisation of General Assembly meetings, Industrial Sounding Board meetings and thematic researcher meetings;
- Organisation of dissemination events, conferences and symposia;
- Strategic management of the SIM² KU Leuven hub website and the associated social media channels;
- Decision on admission of new members to the General Assembly and on the modification of the Steercom composition and Research Lines;
- Organisation of new, future-oriented education activities/opportunities (cf. EIT Master Programmes, ETNs, Summer Schools, Bootcamps).
Six Research Line Teams
Every RL Team brings together all KU Leuven professors, researchers, research managers active in the field. Academic partners (ZAP, IOF, senior postdocs) in SIM² KU Leuven can be part of different research lines. The Six Research Lines are:
- RL1: Geological exploration and advanced resource characterisation
- RL2: Remanufacturing and demanufacturing
- RL3: Sustainable metallurgical processes
- RL4: Upcycling processes for primary and secondary resources
- RL5: Sustainability assessment and policy research
- RL6: Process intensification and digitalisation
General Assembly
The GA consists of the following members, involved in SIM² KU Leuven: ZAP, IOF Managers, Research Experts/Managers and Senior postdocs. Its core tasks are:
- Interactive information exchange stimulating new collaborations, transcending the borders of the SIM² KU Leuven Research Lines;
- Discussion on new project and equipment ideas;
- Providing input for long term vision/strategy;
- Providing input for communication and dissemination agenda;
- Making suggestions as regards admission of new members to the General Assembly and with respect to the modification of the Steercom composition and Research Lines
SIM² KU Leuven, Pre-General Assembly Meeting, February 2020, Leuven
Industrial Sounding Board
The ISB (Industrial Sounding Board) consists of external parties (companies and also governmental and civil society actors). Once per year these parties are invited to the open SIM² annual meeting where research results are shown and research roadmaps are discussed. Currently, the ISB is also used as a virtual entity, which is targeted with tailored communication and dissemination products. Apart from “open” ISB meetings, SIM² KU Leuven also foresees more specific activities, such as “SIM² KU Leuven dinners” (on specific topics) and “SIM² KU Leuven vision meetings” (on-invitation only, VP level).
*The SIM² KU Leuven Steering Committee currently consists of
- Dr. Peter Tom Jones (Director KU Leuven Institute for Sustainable Metals and Minerals – SIM² KU Leuven)
- Prof. Bart Blanpain (Department of Materials Engineering)
- Prof. Yiannis Pontikes (Department of Materials Engineering),
- Prof. Karel Van Acker (Department of Materials Engineering and Centre for Economics and Corporate Sustainability & Centre for Economics and Corporate Sustainability),
- Prof. Koen Binnemans (Department of Chemistry)
- Dr. Lieven Machiels (Department of Chemistry, Research Manager),
- Prof. Tom Van Gerven (Department of Chemical Engineering),
- Prof. Philippe Muchez (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences),
- Prof. Valérie Cappuyns (Centre for Economics and Corporate Sustainability, acts as link to KU Leuven campuses outside Leuven and to University Colleges),
- Prof. Xing Yang (Department of Chemical Engineering),
- Prof. Anouk Borst (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences),
- Prof. Ruben Snellings (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences & Department of Materials Engineering)
- Prof. Jef Peeters (TC Mechanical Engineering, Group T Leuven)
The Steercom composition is open for changes depending on key evolutions and opportunities.
