In 2025, the Belgian Illumination Institute (IBE-BIV), our National Committee in Belgium, marks an extraordinary milestone: 100 years of dedication to lighting standardization in Belgium. To celebrate this centenary, a special event will take place on 13 November 2025 in the historic buildings of KU Leuven.
The festivities will begin at 3:00 pm with an official celebration, followed by a festive dinner. Dr. Jennifer Veitch, CIE President, will share a welcome video message, and Mr. Peter Thorns, CIE Vice-President Standards, will represent the CIE on-site.
All information and registration details can be found on IBE-BIV website.
Places are limited, so please register as soon as possible!
About CIE NC Belgium:
NC Belgium has been involved with the CIE since its very beginnings, dating back to the first meeting at the International Gas Congress held during the Paris Exhibition in 1900. They were among the 400 gas engineers who gathered at the Palais des Congrès at the Exhibition, under the chairmanship of Prof. T. Vautier.
Belgium was thus one of the founding members of the new commission established there. The very first Belgian member who contributed to the founding of the CIE in 1900 was de M. Th. Verstraeten from Brussels, who served as administrator of the Compagnie Générale du Gaz à Bruxelles. Since then, Belgium has continuously held membership in the CIE. Other founding member countries included France, Germany, Great Britain, Austria-Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United States of America (source: CIE 82-1990, page 9).
When the office of Vice-President was first introduced in the CIE, Belgium’s first Vice-President was H. de la Paulle, who served from 1931 to 1935. Since then, Belgium has provided a total of six Vice-Presidents for the CIE.
NC Belgium also hosted a CIE Session in 1959 in Brussels. The welcome address was given by M.L. Morren, Professor at the University of Louvain and Director of the Central Laboratory of Electricity in Brussels. His talk, entitled “Light and People,” closely echoed the theme of the 1958 World Exhibition, also held in Belgium, which was “For a More Humane World.”
This CIE Session was also attended by notable Gold Pin Award recipients, including Gunter Wyszecki, whose scientific contributions resulted in three books, among them the “Bible of colour science,” Colour Science (1982), co-authored with W. S. Stiles, which remains a key reference to this day. Another honouree was Prof. J.B. (Nito) de Boer, who served as CIE President from 1979 to 1983 and had worked with the CIE since 1939. He was recognised as an expert in road lighting and signalisation.
Website link: https://ibe-biv.be/fr/home-fr/
