Category: News

High Tech Institute proudly announces that the Teacher of the Year Award 2025 has been awarded to the full trainer team behind the Advanced Feedforward and Learning Control training. This recognition goes to Tom Oomen, Tjeerd Ickenroth and Max van Haren (TU/e), Nard Strijbosch (IBS), Lennart Blanken (Sioux Technologies & TU/e), and Joost Bolder (ASML). Together they received an impressive score of 9,8 for their performance.

It therefore comes as no surprise that the June 2025 edition of the training – delivered in collaboration with our content partner Mechatronics Academy – received exceptional feedback. Participants emphasized the safe space that was created to ask questions and the positive interaction between trainers and students.

Participants specifically mentioned the quality of knowledge the trainers possess: “Excellent content, lecturers have extensive knowledge on the topics, and the course has a good pace,” and use “nice examples to sustain knowledge.”

Collectively, the trainers created a highly productive learning experience, partly because throughout the training participants directly implement the learning algorithms themselves and work hands-on with practical exercises and real-life cases – turning theory into immediate, applicable skills. As a result, participants continue to strongly recommend the training to others.

The trainers celebrated on the TU/e campus, paired with cake and a small ceremony to hand out the Teacher of the Year certificates. As the cherry on top, a painting of Ad Raaijmakers was gifted.

Credit: Bart van Overbeeke Fotografie

Congratulations to all trainers involved on this well-deserved recognition!

Bits&Chips and High Tech Institute have entered into a strategic alliance with Mikrocentrum to bolster the software excellence of the Dutch high-tech industry. At the heart of the partnership is the Software Community. This initiative was established by Mikrocentrum and leading high-tech companies to advance software development in hardware-driven environments. The participating companies include ASML, Canon Production Printing, Lely, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Vanderlande and VDL ETG.

The strategic partnership agreement was signed by René Raaijmakers (left), owner of Bits&Chips and High Tech Institute, and Edwin de Zeeuw (right), managing director of Mikrocentrum.

Through collaboration and knowledge sharing, the Software Community works toward a future-ready software approach that helps the entire sector move forward. It targets challenges in areas such as hardware-software integration, quality assurance, security and sustainability. Connecting the community, High Tech Institute and Mikrocentrum organize focused events with experts and thought leaders, as well as specialized software training courses, taught by industry professionals.

The upcoming networking opportunities include the first edition of the Software Café on 12 February, a meeting place and knowledge platform for software professionals in the high-tech and manufacturing industry. On 26 November, the annual Bits&Chips Event brings the community together to exchange experiences in complex software engineering, AI in high-tech, and systems architecture.

This article is written by Nieke Roos, tech editor of Bits&Chips.

First Systems Architect(ing) training in Stuttgart – 20 April 2026 

In April 2026, we are organizing the Systems Architect(ing) training for the first time as an open-enrolment edition in Stuttgart. This marks an important step in bringing this well-established and highly valued training to one of Europe’s leading high-tech regions. 

The training is delivered by Ad Vermeer, an experienced system architect and senior trainer with extensive expertise in complex, multidisciplinary development environments. 

The program gives participants a clear view of the role and responsibilities of the system architect. Using proven frameworks such as CAFCR, participants learn how to handle architectural challenges, balance conflicting requirements, define roadmaps, and lay the foundations for a solid business case. The training combines theory with practical examples and interactive discussions.

We look forward to a diverse and engaged group of participants for an intensive and inspiring training.

The Systems Architect(ing) training starts on 20 April 2026.

Free webinar for software managers, developers and testers

On March 3, 2026, from 3 – 4 PM (CET), High Tech Institute organizes a free webinar on “Application security under the Cyber Resilience Act”. The webinar is presented by Ernő Jeges, an experienced trainer within our Software security portfolio.

Discover how to secure your applications and stay compliant with the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA). This webinar covers CRA requirements, reporting obligations, and practical software security strategies.

Learn how to embed security at every stage of the software development lifecycle – from planning and design to implementation, testing, and deployment – so you can build resilient, safe, and compliant software with confidence.

In this webinar you will learn:

• What changes CRA will bring to software development
• About the cat and mouse game of software security
• The best practices in embedding different CRA requirements into the SDLC.

At the end of the webinar there will be a dedicated Q&A session.

Target audience

Managers, developers and testers.

Program

The Cyber Resilience Act (CRA)

Introduction

• Cyber Resilience Act overview
• Is it relevant for your products?
• Application security fundamentals
• CRA requirements and software security
• Reporting obligations
• How to comply?

Practical steps in the SDLC

• Planning and requirements capturing
• Security by design
• Implementation – secure coding
• Build and integration
• Verification and testing
• Release and deployment
• Maintenance and operations

Learning how not to code.

Trainer
Ernő Jeges

Erno has been a software developer for 40 years, half of which he has spent writing, and half breaking code. In the last ten years he has been focused on teaching developers how not to code. More than 100 classes in 30 countries add to his track record all around the world.

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Free webinar

On May 20, 2025, from 3 – 4 PM, High Tech Institute organizes a free webinar on infamous software failures. The webinar is presented by Ger Cloudt, trainer of the new “Software quality for engineers” and “Understanding software quality for managers” courses and author of the book “What is Software Quality?”.

Objective
Do you realize how much our society depends on software? Did you ever thought about the role of software in your personal life? A proper look at your close environment will convince you that software is ubiquitous.  Your smartphone is run by software, your computer is run by software, your vacuum cleaner is run by software, your television is run by software, your car is run by software. Can you imagine any device that is not influenced by software in some shape and form? What if the quality of that software is inferior? Let’s have a look at three completely different infamous software failures in this session!

Target audience
Everybody interested in what can go wrong in software.

Program

• What is software quality?
• The disappearance of the Mars Climate Orbiter
• Unintended acceleration causing a person to die
• Crowdstrike update crippling airports, train stations, hospitals and more
• Conclusion

Trainer
Ger Cloudt

This year, High Tech Institute is proud to honor not one, but two exceptional teachers as recipients of the Teacher of the Year Award for 2024. Dr. Wilhelm Claussen and Claus Neeleman MSc have both achieved a flawless score of 10 out of 10, reflecting their exceptional expertise, innovative teaching strategies, and profound influence on their participants’ growth.

Given his 25+ years of project leadership experience in the area of high-tech products, it’s no wonder that Wilhelm Claussen scored a perfect 10. His three-day Project Leadership masterclass in December 2024 received outstanding praise.

Some of the quotes course participants wrote about him:

• “Fantastic course, confidence achieved”
• “Absolutely superb”
• “Best training in my career so far”.

Wilhelm Claussen: “My course goes beyond traditional project management— it’s about mastering leadership in volatile environments, turning uncertainty into opportunity, and learning to inspire teams and stakeholders to achieve extraordinary results.”

This is a second win for Claus Neeleman who received his first Teacher of the Year award in 2016.

When the software developer ICT Strypes asked High Tech Institute to host an in-company corporate culture course for their Portuguese engineers we knew Claus was the right teacher to tackle this challenge.

In May 2024 Claus Neeleman traveled to Strypes Portugal to lecture his “How to be successful in the Dutch High Tech work culture” training.

Claus Neeleman is involved in various soft skills & leadership trainings.

For many participants, like José Rodrigues, who writes and tests software at ICT Strypes – this course provided solutions to common workplace problems. Furthermore, the course taught them how to successfully communicate feedback without hurting or making the other person angry. Rodrigues: “If I had taken this course earlier in my career, I would have understood my Dutch colleagues from day one.”

Congratulations to both extraordinary teachers for their remarkable contributions to shaping the high-tech future!

*The “Teacher of the Year” award is selected based on all training evaluation forms in a specific year. Each trainer can only be elected once every five years.

Free webinar

On February 18, 2025, from 3 – 4 PM, High Tech Institute organized a free webinar on the use of AI for code generation. The webinar was presented by Balázs Kiss, trainer of the new “Responsible AI in software development” course.

Watch the recording here.

Objective
Generative AI is inevitably transforming the software industry. Tools like ChatGPT or Github Copilot enable developers to code more efficiently than ever before. While this sparks excitement, it also raises concerns, and so many stakeholders tend to balance this optimism with caution. In this session, we will look at the light and the dark side of AI code generation.

Target audience
All people involved in using GenAI or developing machine learning (developers, testers, managers).

Program

• Intro
• The rise of GenAI in software development
• Responsible AI
• Expainability
• Security
• The light and dark side of AI code generation
• Practical attacks against code generation tools
• Examples
• Conclusion

Trainer
Balázs Kiss

Robert Deckers EngD PhD was announced as “Teacher of the Year” during High Tech Institute’s annual get-together in Eindhoven. His training last September scored high praise and an overall rating of 9.2, as he notched a 9.7 for him as lecturer.

In September 2023, Robert Deckers delivered an edition for open enrollment of his ‘Good Software Architecture’ training to a group of 6 participants. When asked for a recommendation score, participants responded with an emphatic 9.3 points out of a possible 10, and handed the lecturers a score of 9.7. Respondents also offered several praising comments. “Clear explanation and useful assignments,” one of the trainees commented. Another pointed out that the theory was very good with good coupling to daily practice. Other positive comments: “Good lecturer who provides useful tips on the students’ own cases” and “I left inspired.”

Robert Deckers is architecture consultant and coach and is currently also doing research. He developed the “Good Software Architecture” training which is available through High Tech Institute. The 4-day course is intended for people with a technical software background growing towards the role of software architect.

The selection of the “Teacher of the Year” award is based on all training evaluation forms in a specific year. Each trainer can only be elected once every 5 years.

René Raaijmakers congrats Robert Deckers with his title ‘Teacher of the Year’. 

Hans Vermeulen and Kees Verbaan were announced as High Tech Institute’s “Teachers of the Year”. Their in-company training scored high praise and an overall rating of 9.7, as the duo notched a 9.9 for them as lecturers.

In October 2022, the duo was asked to come to Wilton in the USA to deliver an in-company edition of the Passive damping for high tech systems training to a group of 17 employees. When asked for a recommendation score, participants responded with an emphatic 9.7 points out of a possible 10, and handed the lecturers a score of 9.9. Respondents also offered several praising comments. “Thoroughly enjoyed the whole course,” one of the trainees commented. Another pointed out that there was a good blend of theory and practical case studies. Other positive comments: “An excellent course. I am glad that I was able to attend” and “Great hands-on exercises and great engagement with audience and interaction.”

Prof. Hans Vermeulen is senior principal architect EUV-optics at ASML and part-time full professor at the Technical University Eindhoven. Dr. Kees Verbaan is system architect at NTS Group, a first-tier supplier for high tech machine design. They are both part of the lecturing team for the “Passive damping for high tech systems” training of Mechatronics Academy. The 3-day course for all engineers involved in high precision motion systems who want to gain more insight into the possibilities and limitations for the applications of passive damping.

The selection of the “Teacher of the Year” award is based on all training evaluation forms in a specific year.

This article is written by René Raaijmakers, tech editor of Bits&Chips.