UT strengthens chip talent with Summer School in Kuala Lumpur

The University of Twente organised an important Summer School in Kuala Lumpur as part of the Netherlands-Southeast Asia Semiconductor Short Talent Programme 2025. With this, UT is taking a key role in the so-called Beethoven plans: attracting and educating microchip talent, with a special focus on Southeast Asia.

Thanks to an allocation of €20.5 million up to 2030, the University of Twente can now fully move ahead with the execution of the Beethoven plans. This brings momentum to the region’s ambition to educate more technical talent at vocational, applied sciences and university level - within Twente’s total budget of €72 million. The plans are the result of strong collaboration between educational institutions, industry, and regional governments in Twente.

52 students

The Summer School in Kuala Lumpur brought together 52 selected bachelor’s and master’s students from six Southeast Asian countries. They took part in an intensive programme of lectures, group assignments, and company visits. Among other places, they visited NXP and Mimos, where cleanrooms and labs were opened to them.

"The link between the content and the company visits worked really well," says Leontien Kalverda, programme manager of the Microchip Sector Talent Enhancement Plan at UT. "Students could immediately see what the sector looks like in practice and what opportunities lie ahead."

UT played a coordinating academic role, together with Nuffic, which led the programme. Kalverda herself provided a workshop on intercultural collaboration. "I tried to convey that everyone’s contribution matters - precisely because each person looks at the same issue from a different background."

’International cooperation is crucial’

The programme also drew high-level attention: the Malaysian Minister of Foreign Affairs opened the Summer School, and several Dutch ambassadors attended. That is significant for the region, Kalverda explains: "Southeast Asia, like the Netherlands, wants to build more knowledge and capacity of its own in order to be less dependent on major powers such as the US and China. We can learn a lot from each other. This is not something that can be solved regionally alone; international cooperation is crucial."

In addition to the organisational role, three UT scientists contributed substantively to the Summer School:

Maarten Bonnema, Professor of Systems Engineering, gave lectures on system design and multidisciplinary collaboration in chip technology.

Cora Salm, Programme Director of Electrical Engineering, shared her expertise on the reliability of microand nanoelectronics and CMOS processes.

Herbert Wormeester, Programme Director of Advanced Technology and Nanotechnology, covered nanotechnology and thin-film characterisation.

Their contribution highlighted how Twente’s knowledge and research have a direct international impact.

The impact of the Summer School is already tangible. Several of the 52 participants expressed interest in continuing their studies in the Netherlands. One student has already chosen a PhD position at a Dutch technical university. "Our aim was to recruit at least three master’s students here," says Kalverda. "That already looks achievable."

For Twente, this means that the Microchip Sector Talent Enhancement Plan is delivering concrete results. The programme, part of the national Beethoven strategy, is strongly focused on attracting new talent. "If we keep doing what we’ve always done, we won’t reach the numbers," Kalverda concludes. "With initiatives like this Summer School, we increase the influx and connect talent to Twente and the Netherlands. That is crucial for the future of the chip sector."