It’s one of the last weeks before the summer vacation. Soon, the buildings of HZ in Vlissingen and Middelburg will be quiet for a while. Though I often hear researchers say that "research doesn’t stop during the summer vacation," many will also enjoy the summer break in the coming weeks, just like our teachers, staff, and students.

When I went on vacation as a child, my parents always gave me a double-thick summer book from Donald Duck or another magazine for the long car ride to sunnier destinations. I loved those books. They kept me busy for a large part of the car ride and I also often picked them up at the campsite.

I hope you do the same with this HZ Discovery. The puzzles, coloring pages, comics, and letters to the editor are missing, but in this edition, you’ll read several great stories about applied research at HZ.

For example, read the interview with 70-year-old Jan Maas, who still teaches about green hydrogen with great enthusiasm. Or get to know Sterre Hoenderop, who has received a prestigious doctoral grant from the NWO, and then read the story with Andres Caballero and Evelot Westerink from the Supply Chain Innovation research group. "We’ve had a tough year," Andres says in the interview.

He, evelot and their colleagues are ready for a well-deserved vacation, with plenty of time for fun activities like reading HZ Discovery. I wish them and you a good vacation and happy reading.

Eugène de Kok, Editor HZ Discovery