Business developer/ industrial liaison officer (F/M/X)

As a Business Developer, you will foster and support the collaboration between DIFFER and (industry) stakeholders. Your focus, in particular, will be to open up our unique facilities to private sector users and further develop DIFFER’s network. Additionally, you will act as Industrial Liaison Officer for Fusion for Energy and ITER: the two most significant public European fusion organisations with which DIFFER closely works. Your role will be the linking pin between Fusion for Energy and ITER and Dutch industry. Being part of the strategic support team, you will tie together the strengths and strategic priorities of (inter)national public research and the ambitions and qualities of the private sector.

Concretely, you will:

• Analyse and interpret industrial developments (opportunities and threats) relevant to DIFFER research, as well as the needs for Fusion for Energy and ITER, and proactively advise the management team and scientific staff about them.
• Advise about valorisation, public-private partnerships, and the pros and cons of industry collaboration. Set up processes and policies about these topics when needed.
• Proactively find opportunities for collaboration, valorisation, knowledge transfer, and intellectual property.
• Maintain and manage, together with scientists and your colleagues, stakeholders and ongoing collaboration with external parties.
• Represent DIFFER, as well as Fusion for Energy and ITER, at conferences, meetings and (inter)national networks. Be part of the BigScience.NL network.
• Set up and lead a committee on intellectual property to foster the generation and protection of intellectual property.

• Ability to communicate fluently and respectfully in Dutch and English.
• Knowledge about the Dutch, and preferably also European, research, funding, and industrial landscape.
• Understands and/or has experience in the private sector (interests and processes).
• Able to understand and effectively explain the scientific and technical projects of DIFFER.
• Able to identify co-development projects and valorisation of scientific results.
• Proactive attitude.

The position is for 0.8 to 1 FTE. You will be offered a two-year contract with the possibility of an indefinite period upon good performance. Pay scale 10 or 11 (between €3241 and €6002 gross per month), depending on your experience and skills. You will be based at DIFFER on the campus of the TU/e in Eindhoven but can partly work from home and are expected to visit stakeholders and conferences regularly.

DIFFER is part of the institute organisation of NWO (NWO-I). You will get employee status at NWO-I and can make use of excellent employment conditions: https://www.nwo-i.nl/en/working-at-nwo-i/informationforapplicants/

As we believe that a workforce diverse in gender, age, and cultural background is key to excellent performance, we strongly encourage everyone to apply.

Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research

The Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research (DIFFER) performs leading fundamental research on materials, processes, and systems for a global sustainable energy infrastructure. We work in close partnership with (inter)national academia and industry. Our user facilities are open to external academic researchers and industry. As an institute of the Dutch Research Council (NWO), DIFFER plays a key role in fundamental research for the energy transition.

We use a multidisciplinary research approach applicable to two key areas: solar fuels for the conversion and storage of renewable energy and nuclear fusion for clean energy.