For many years, Jean Frijns has emphasized the use of adequate modelling tools as an important input for the investment process of a pension fund. He has therefore strongly encouraged interaction between academia and the asset-management and pensions industries. His efforts to stimulate initiatives with this aim (including Inquire Europe, the Tilburg Center of Finance, Netspar7]) as well as his personal encouragement of many academics to discuss real-life issues, have substantially reduced the gap between academia and practitioners.