Rudi Bekkers

My role and background

I hold the chair of Standardisation and Intellectual Property at the Eindhoven University of Technology. I received a PhD degree for a multidisciplinary study on the development and diffusion of mobile telecommunications standards in Europe, and hold an M.Sc. in Technology and Society and a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering.

Research

As a researcher, I published in a range of journals, including Research Policy, California Management Review, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Technovation, Industrial and Corporate Change, Telecommunications Policy, and more. I also presented at a range of conferences including those of the NBER, the Academy of Management, DRUID, Schumpeter, and EMAEE.

Teaching

As a teacher, I focus particularly on innovation processes in relation to technological environments and contribute to the M.Sc. program Innovation Sciences and in the B.Sc. program Sustainable Innovation. One of my largest activities is a series of undergraduate courses on Patents, Design Rights and Standards (USE Learning Sequence PDS).

Commissioned studies

I have executed over 75 commissioned studies and reports for international organisations, national governments, semi-public bodies and other organisations, including the European Commission, the OECD, the US National Academies of Science, ETSI, UN/ITU, and many others. Many of these studies are performed within Dialogic Innovatie & Interactie, a research and consultancy firm based in Utrecht, The Netherlands, with whom I am affiliated with.  

My group

Within the TU/e, I work in the Technology, Innovation and Society (TIS) group, which comprises approx. 55 staff members working in the area of economics, history of technology, and transitions. From 2014-2019 I also served as the chair of this group.

External roles

I currently serve on several external forums, boards and committees: 

• In 2023, I was appointed as a member of the EC High-Level Forum (HLF) on Standardization, a body established to advise the EC on strategic political matters in this field and is chaired by Euro Commissioner Mr. Thierry Breton. I serve as the chair of the HFL Horizontal Workstream Education & Skills.
• As of 2021, I serve as an external reviewer for NWO for VENI research proposals.
• As of mid-2020, I serve as the chair of programmaraad SOONS, an association that funds and promotes research and teaching on standardization.
• In 2018, I was appointed by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs as member of the Forum Standardisatie. This body advices the Dutch government on standardization matters.
• Since 2016, I serve as a member of the “Raad van Advies – Kring van IP-professionals” in the Netherlands.
• In 2014, I was appointed as a member of the IEEE-SA Europe Advisory Council (and re-appointed in 2017).
• Since 2002, I am a member of NELO, the Dutch Platform of ETSI member

In the recent past, I served as a committee member at the National Academies of Science (NAS) in the US, where we investigated the impact of patents in standards. I was also appointed by the European Commission as independent expert to the Expert Group on “Knowledge Transfer”.

Services to university / internal committees roles

I currently serve on the following committees:

• Deputy member College van Beroep Examens (since 2020) 
• Advisory Committee Academic Integrity (since 2019)
• Interdepartmental Advisory Appointment Committee (BAC/IFC) (since 2019)
• IEIS ICT committee (since 2016)