1. Royal Philips - Leader in Innovation and International Strategic Alliances
By Genevieve Fraser
For over 100 years, Royal Philips has been a leader in scientific exploration and
development for a myriad of products - common household items as well as
devises used to advance human health and well-being and enhance the quality of
life in cities and towns around the globe. These innovations have not only brought
Philips income but also cross-licensed intellectual property rights which set the
stage for further partnerships that continue today through strategic alliances.
According to Cees Bijl, head of strategic alliances and emerging business areas at
Philips, as a multinational corporationdoing business with other multinationals,
designing and executing very robustalliances and managing alliances is a key asset
for Phillips. “You need to know what you’re after. Then it’s a matter of knowing
where you’re going to get it, where the key partners are, how structured the
alliance is. Then you need to manage the alliance and keep it fresh, make sure the
alliance continues to deliver results for bothcompanies so it’s a win-win in the
end. Basically what the alliance team has done over the past 15 years is execute
that process.”
Headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Royal Philips is not only multi-
national in scopebut a diversified technology company, focused on improving
people’s lives through meaningful innovation in the areas of healthcare, consumer
lifestyle and lighting.
Philips opened a physics lab in 1914 which soonbecame a global center of
technical competence and innovation. In the early years, the laboratory’s primary
focus was on improving the incandescent lamps Philips had been manufacturing
since 1891 and later on understanding the materials and manufacturing process,
including magnetic materials that led to the invention of the Rotary shaving
system. They also pioneered work on x-ray tubes, which led to improved x-ray
diagnostic equipment, and on radio valves, broadcasting and receiving set-ups that
produced radio sets as well as television and recording equipment built on research
from the 1930s.
But to expand on the development of innovative products that utilized transistor
technology, Philips established strategic alliances with partners such as Bell
Laboratories on IP exchange - telecommunications interconnection - and initiated

2. research into semiconductormaterials and processing. Their strong patent position
on magnetic materials led to the compactaudio cassette and magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) and innovations in television cameras and silicon process
technology used to insulate MOS transistors used in the design of a large scale
integrated circuits.
In the consumer electronics area, Philips Research’s innovative digital optical
information storage on a disc was a major breakthrough. In a strategic partnership
with Sony, Philips launched the compactdisc in 1979 which was later built upon
with the DVD and Blu-ray Disc. They have also been leaders in mobile phones
and LED lighting fixtures.
In a PodCastwith Peter Simoons, Cees Bijl, stated, “Strategic Alliances are of
increasing importance to Philips. The changing industries in lighting and
healthcare ask for companies who are able to operate in ecosystems. Working in
ecosystems is not new to Philips. Having been a driver in setting the standards for
the CD player and the blue ray systems, Philips has always been quite active in
working in ecosystems.”
In April, the 68th Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly
proclaimed 2015 as the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies
(IYL 2015). The International Year of Light is the initiative of a large consortium
of scientific bodies with UNESCO as lead agency. Shortly afterwards, the IYL
2015 Consortium announced that Royal Phillips - global leader in lighting
solutions – was their first Patron Sponsor.
In proclaiming an International Year focusing on the topic of light science and its
applications, the United Nations recognized the importance of raising global
awareness of how light-based technologies promote sustainable development and
provide solutions to global challenges in energy, education, agriculture and
health.
The International Year of Light has five main aims:
 promoting light technologies for improved quality of life in developed and
developing world
 reducing light pollution and energy waste
 promoting women’s empowerment in science
 improving education among young people
 promoting sustainable development.

3. UNESCO has described Philips as a 'a natural partner' for the awareness raising
campaign. The corporationhas been a champion of LED lighting which is highly
energy efficient and has worked with a number of cities to modernize out-dated
public lighting systems. “Furthermore, in collaboration with The Climate Group,
Philips is undertaking a global 'consultation process' with states and
regions internationally to identify and address barriers to the adoption of low
carbonLED street lighting in cities. These experiences ensure the company will
be well-equipped to work with UNESCO in delivering the benefits of light to
citizens worldwide,” the UNESCO announcement stated.
Harry Verhaar, head of Global Public and Government Affairs at Philips Lighting,
stated in announcing their alliance, “The transformative power of light is immense
as we have seen over the last 120 years of Philips’ history – from the launch of the
first commercial incandescent bulb through to connected LED lighting solutions.
Lighting has now entered a digital era, where sustainable LED technologies are
connected to networks, devices and apps and placed to address the world’s
challenges like never before.”
Philips will supporta key program of the International Year of Light, “Study after
Sunset” which addresses the fact that for over 1.5 billion people around the world,
night-time means either darkness or the dim glow of an unhealthy kerosene lamp
or candle. “Study after Sunset” will promote the use of portable solar-powered
high-brightness LED lanterns in regions where there is little or no reliable source
of light.
The chairman of the IYL2015 steering committee, John Dudley, professor of
Optoelectronics and Photonics at the University of Franche-Comté in France
commented, “Light technology is used in phones and in surgery. Endoscopic fiber
optics uses photonics to see, to inspect the stomach. Lasers are used for
pharmaceutical manufacturing and to cut circuit boards. There are so many
technological uses. Light not only illuminates, it is a tool without which modern
society wouldn’t exist.”