As CCER community we have completed our first full calendar year. The year 2018 was busy with many of you active in calls for proposals.

This resulted in additional funds for PhD and PostDoc positions, and allowed us to welcome several new staff last year. We also made CCER more visible by organizing, together with NWO and Shell, the inaugural edition of the Applied Computational Science (ACOS) symposium. I think we can all look back with pride at our joint achievements.

Meanwhile, in the outside world the conversation about the energy transition is changing. More and more people start realizing the enormity of the challenge ahead and the desperate need for breakthroughs in energy research. Over time, this ‘sinking in of reality’ will without any doubt create additional opportunities for all involved in energy research. You probably all have noticed that in the Netherlands the energy discussion focuses on the actions needed to realize the national climate agreement goals of halving carbon emissions by 2030, and of realizing up to three more halvings before mid-century. The first halving already presents a formidable challenge, and the latter halvings will increasingly rely on innovations in energy technology.

As CCER, our role is to enable and accelerate these innovations. While the urgency for changes in the energy system is becoming more pronounced, our focus will be to build on this increased public attention, and forge collaborations that will successfully compete for national and international research funding.

I thank all of you your sustained efforts and commitment. I wish you a happy and productive 2019, and I look forward to the next steps in our joint journey!

Vianney Koelman