Peter Simkens, VKI Business Development Manager

Peter Simkens was born in Belgium in 1961, and holds a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering (1984) and a PhD about “3D graphical simulation of sensor controlled robots” (1990), both obtained from KULeuven.

During more than 10 years, Peter Simkens was involved in development of space projects for ESA, including training and simulation facilities for European astronauts, and real-time IT-systems for ground control systems, test benches, on-board software for satellites and earth observation data processing centers. He was project manager and business development manager at Sabena Technics and Trasys Space.

In 1998, Peter Simkens became managing director of DSP Valley, the technology network for the design of micro-electronics hardware and embedded software for signal processing applications, headquartered in Leuven, Belgium. He developed DSP Valley to an outstanding business and research cluster, where all participants are connected through strategic partnerships. He also developed the internationalization, by setting up an international network of networks, enabling inter-cluster matchmaking opportunities for the cluster members. He recently rebranded DSP Valley to the cluster for Designing Smart Products.

Since March 2019, he supports the Flemish region in developing a cluster based strategy for nanoelectronics KETs and a smart specialization about Nanotechnologies for Health.