AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Universities, industry and the government must collaborate more closely in Europe than they have in the past to safeguard prosperity , Peter Wennink, chief executive of technology group ASML, said on Monday.
“I’m concerned about the earnings power of the Netherlands and of Europe, that we’re at risk of falling behind,” Wennink said.
He noted that the United States dominates big software platforms while Asia is ahead in car battery technologies and China is spending heavily on technical research.
“Every bloc sees the challenges, but they will do it (invest in business-academic partnerships) no matter what,” he said at the opening of the academic year at Eindhoven Technical University.
“How are we going to compete? We have to start working closer together, now.”
In April, ASML announced it would build a new centre at the university including a dust free ‘clean room’ with space for 500 researchers to work on studying and experimentation with materials, photonics and quantum computing.
The executive said that while politicians respond to incidental problems, and praised initiatives such as Europe’s Chips Act, they “lack vision” and don’t invest structurally enough in science, education and industry.
(Reporting by Toby Sterling; Editing by David Goodman)
