Government-commissioned analysis calls for policies to reduce dropout rates and tackle skills shortages

The Netherlands’ higher education system needs to do more to ensure that students’ choices work better for them and for the nation’s economy, according to a report commissioned by the Ministry of Education and Science.

While noting that Dutch universities perform well internationally, the report states that high dropout rates and course switching, contributing to poor educational performance, show that too many students are not choosing the best institution or course for them.

Dropout rates are 8 per cent for university students, and 15 per cent for those taking courses in higher professional education. For students switching courses, the figures are 17 per and 19 per cent, respectively.

The report makes several policy proposals aimed at reducing these figures. One key recommendation is to improve study information and guidance, including mandatory orientation programmes, to help students make better choices and increase their chance of completing their studies successfully. It also suggests shared first-year courses between vocational and research-intensive institutions, to give students experience of both options.

The report also advocates the introduction of a flexible learning credit system, similar to that used by the Belgian region of Flanders. This system would give students more control over their educational careers and encourage institutions to focus more on increasing completion rates and reducing course durations.

Labour shortages

Students are also not on the right courses to meet the demands of the Netherlands’ labour market, the report concludes. It calls for policies to direct students to sectors with skills shortages, such as engineering, healthcare and education—although, given the difficulty of predicting future labour needs, recommends that interventions should be small-scale.

One way to address shortages, it says, would be to increase the number of international students remaining in the Netherlands to work after their studies. This number has almost doubled over the past decade, but should be higher still, the report says.

Another challenge identified concerns the regional spread of students. Demographic trends will lead to student numbers levelling off or decreasing, potentially leaving those in underserved areas unable to find suitable programmes, and making some regions inaccessible to higher education. The report calls for regional and sectoral policies to shore up accessibility and promote cooperation between institutions.

Funding reforms

The report explores a number of different options for reforming the funding regime to promote the changes it advocates. These include changing the relationship between fees, funding and the duration of study, so as to encourage students to complete their courses more quickly, and increasing the cost of master’s degrees to encourage graduates to enter the workforce.

In total, it estimates that its policy package would save between 10 and 20 per cent of the total annual higher education budget, currently standing at €11.7 billion. Implementing such reforms would be “a major task, requiring sharp choices”, it notes.

The report, ‘Effective Higher Education: Talent in the right place’, is an Interdepartmental Policy Study, produced by officials from various ministries, based on research and interviews with experts. It was published on 17 July.

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Prior winners in Dutch National Growth Fund, which is being phased out, unlock extra support

The Dutch cabinet has approved funding of around half a billion euros for five projects supported by the National Growth Fund, following the recommendations of the fund’s advisory committee.

The five ongoing projects will receive €466.2 million, with a further €51.1m of conditional funding available. These are previously approved projects that needed to further substantiate their proposals to qualify for the next part of their funding.

In the new coalition government’s outline agreement, the parties decided to phase out the National Growth Fund while honouring the agreements of the first three rounds, including these projects.

Two of the projects focus on artificial intelligence. The National Education Lab AI will get €11.9m and a further award of €51.1m conditional on submitting a supplementary plan. AiNed, which aims to increase investment in and application of AI in a human-centred way, will get €28.5m for funding a fellowship programme called Elsa Labs.

Also in the tech sector, Quantum Delta NL will receive €272.8m as it aims to reinforce the Netherlands’ strong position in quantum research and convert this into economic benefits.

Ships and plastics

Another project, the Maritime Master Plan, aims to develop more reliable, competitive and sustainable ships. The scheme will receive €110m in total for initiatives including the development of around 40 demonstration ships by public-private consortia.

Finally, Circular Plastics NL will receive €43m for research into reducing greenhouse gas emissions and pollution by making the plastics value chain fully circular.

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This week: funding for rising stars, investment in lifelong learning and research on boosting innovation

In depth: A government-commissioned analysis argues that university courses and funding models should be reformed to reduce dropouts and course switching, also saving 10-20 per cent of the university budget in the process.  

Full story: Too many Dutch students are on the wrong course, says report

Also this week from Research Professional News

Cabinet approves €500m for tech and sustainability projects—Prior winners in Dutch National Growth Fund, which is being phased out, unlock extra support

Here is the rest of the Dutch news this week…

Support for early career researchers

The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has awarded grants of up to €320,000 to 174 researchers working across the full range of academic disciplines. The Veni awards are for researchers who have recently completed their PhD, enabling them to develop their own research programmes over the next three years. Of the grants, 53 went to researchers working in the natural sciences, 69 to social sciences and humanities, 25 to applied and technical sciences and 27 to health research. The 174 winners were chosen from 1,308 applicants.

Lifelong learning projects awarded €40m

The Dutch cabinet has allocated €40 million to 36 projects aimed at boosting skills in green energy and sustainable raw materials. The money comes under the second application round of the LLO Catalyst programme for lifelong learning, part of the National Growth Fund, and will support regional collaborations between businesses and educational institutions aimed at retraining and upskilling professionals. Education and science minister Eppo Bruins said that “with this investment, the education sector will be better connected to the regional labour market” and the “transition to clean energy and more efficient use of raw materials will be accelerated”.

Innovative approaches to innovation

Research into how best to use innovation to build sustainable prosperity has won support from the Dutch Research Council’s Knowledge and Innovation Covenant programme. The project will be led by Delft University of Technology, with partners in research, government and industry in the Netherlands, Norway and Canada. It aims to bring different groups together to collaborate on the design, governance and financing of new products and processes.

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This week: Dutch and German manufacturers share concerns, and calls on hydrogen and healthcare

In depth: The Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity is to be updated based on the recommendations of an independent evaluation committee.

Full story: Dutch code of conduct for scientific integrity to be updated

Also this week from Research Professional News

Consortium launched to probe hydrogen use and impacts—Universities and industry given €13 million to investigate societal acceptance and technical challenges

Here is the rest of the Dutch news this week…

Dutch and German manufacturers share concerns

Manufacturing companies based in the Netherlands and Germany have many shared concerns, according to the Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers (VNO-NCW). They include a delay to the Delta Rhine Corridor, an infrastructure project for transporting hydrogen and carbon dioxide between the two countries, which also links with Belgium. This connection is “crucial for the energy transition” of industry, the confederation warned. The discussions, during the visit of VNO-NCW and its German sister organisation to the Chemelot industrial park in South Limburg, the Netherlands, also touched on the need for EU support for manufacturing.

Green hydrogen call launched

A call offering €26.8 million for research to accelerate the uptake of hydrogen in the Dutch economy has been launched by the National Growth Fund’s dedicated scheme, GroenvermogenNL. As explained by the Dutch Research Council (NWO), the call is focused on labour-related research in the regions. Seven projects are expected to be funded, one in each region. Two workshops on the call will be held in November.

Call focuses on long-term care

The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) has launched a call offering a total of €3 million for research into the effectiveness of long-term healthcare, with each project to receive a maximum of €500,000 to cover work of up to four years. An online information session is being held on 3 September, ahead of the call deadline of 1 October. Projects must involve at least one healthcare institution.

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Universities and industry given €13 million to investigate societal acceptance and technical challenges

A consortium of universities and businesses has been funded to research the societal impact of making hydrogen a key part of the Dutch economy.

Hydrogen holds promise as an environmentally sustainable fuel because, when it burns purely in oxygen, the only byproduct is water. Hydrogen can itself be obtained from water using a technique called electrolysis, but the process is energy-intensive.

The consortium, called HySuccess, includes 10 universities, five universities of applied sciences, four companies and a trade association. It has been given more than €13 million by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) and the National Growth Fund scheme GroenvermogenNL, which is dedicated to facilitating greater use of hydrogen in the Netherlands.

The group will look at the socioeconomic factors that will influence the use of hydrogen, as part of attempts to make the Dutch economy more environmentally sustainable. 

It will also devise strategies to overcome challenges such as possible social resistance to equipment like wind turbines to power electrolysis, and hydrogen storage, each of which would have to be accommodated as infrastructure.

“Environmental impacts of the use of green hydrogen will be evaluated, and measures will be developed to mitigate negative effects,” the NWO announced on 12 July. 

“These insights will clarify the potential of green hydrogen in future energy and materials systems.”

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Revision will account for developments such as artificial intelligence and debates around diversity

The Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity is to be updated based on the recommendations of an independent evaluation committee.

The code sets out principles, guidelines and standards for how research should be conducted, serving as an educational tool and facilitating self-regulation by the sector. It was first published in 2004 and last updated in 2018.

The evaluation committee, led by Ineke Sluiter, professor of Greek language and literature at Leiden University and a former president of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), stressed in its report published on 15 July that the code “is intended to be a dynamic document that can be adapted to scientific and societal developments”.

“Current examples of such developments include generative artificial intelligence and recent debates concerning social safety and diversity, and their relationship to research integrity,” the committee said.

Committee suggestions

Based on interviews with users of the code, the committee found that it is much appreciated by the sector. It has proved “essential in fostering dialogues about research integrity and it offers a framework for the system of complaint processing”, the committee said.

For example, there is appreciation that the code covers “every type of scientific and scholarly research”, and it is seen as having “a well-defined, logical structure and being based on broadly supported principles”.

But the code could still be improved, the committee concluded.

Considerations related to research culture, such as around diversity and inclusion, are relevant to the code, the group said, but the code should not shift its focus away from integrity itself.

“The code should not include detailed discussions of related topics such as social safety, academic freedom or diversity and inclusion. Instead, the evaluation committee recommends that the code acknowledge the relevance of such themes to research integrity but otherwise restrict itself to references to other codes and regulatory documents in the relevant domains,” the report said.

Similarly, the updated code should specifically mention artificial intelligence but should not go into too much detail about it, instead providing links to other relevant documents on the matter.

A chapter on institutional duty of care was added in 2018 and can be further developed, according to the committee. For example, closer attention should be paid to “the relationship between individual, collective and institutional responsibilities for research integrity”.

Other recommendations included that the code should have more content on applied science and collaboration with non-scientific partners, as well as on researcher participation in public debate. In addition, the committee made recommendations to the science ministry stressing the importance of “a robust funding model that avoids undue competition for grants and appointments”.

Next steps

The evaluation was commissioned by the boards of the organisations that developed the code, including the KNAW, the Dutch Research Council (NWO) and Universities of the Netherlands (UNL), as well as by the science minister.

The KNAW said in its announcement of the report that a committee would start working on an update to the code later this year.

The UNL said that the organisations behind the code would provide more details of the process in due course.

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This week: innovation performance, funding for exploring societal transitions, and support for research commercialisation

In depth: Health should be considered in all policymaking around ‘transitions’, such as those taking place in energy and food systems, according to two experts.

Full story: Consider health in transitions policy, researchers urge

Also this week from Research Professional News

EU drug proposals need scrutiny, Dutch government advised—Further clarity is needed around evidence generation and regulatory expertise, consultancy says

Here is the rest of the Dutch news this week…

Netherlands remains European innovation leader

As in 2023, the Netherlands has ranked fourth in the latest European Innovation Scoreboard, behind Denmark, Sweden and Finland. But the Dutch government highlighted that the country’s score has declined, along with those of 10 other countries. Economic affairs minister Dirk Beljaarts said: “We see on several international rankings that the Netherlands is among the top, but is also slowly losing ground; for example, because [small companies] have too little time for innovation due to regulatory pressure. Moreover, due to a lack of financing, we are not converting sufficient high-quality knowledge into new products and services.”

Call on role of values in transitions

The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has announced that it will launch a funding call in August focused on transitions in society, such as the need for environmental sustainability and digitisation. Specifically, the call is focused on making such transitions faster, larger and more inclusive, to contribute to broad prosperity. Proposals should lead to knowledge about how values play a role in transitions and how actors can apply that knowledge, the NWO said, and it wants to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration with the call.

Take-off projects funded

Forty projects have been allocated funding from the Dutch Research Council’s (NWO) Take-off scheme, which is designed for researchers to test the feasibility of commercialising innovative research results. Among the 40 projects are 31 feasibility studies and nine early-stage projects. Several early-stage startups also received funding to build a business. Due to the open nature of the funding call, the project topics are “again very diverse”, the NWO said.

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Further clarity is needed around evidence generation and regulatory expertise, consultancy says

The Dutch government has been advised to scrutinise elements of the EU’s proposed new pharmaceuticals legislation, to ensure that it best supports innovation while offering maximum benefits to patients.

Put forward by the European Commission in 2023, the proposals aim to make EU regulations on new medical treatments more streamlined and efficient, better able to support innovation, and supportive of treatments being rolled out quickly across Europe.

The Dutch government asked the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) to analyse regulatory elements of the proposals. ZonMw contracted this work to the consultancy Technopolis and published the resulting report on 9 July.

Based on a trend analysis and interviews with stakeholders, Technopolis found that several areas of the proposals for new medicines warranted further scrutiny. These included generation of clinical evidence for new treatments and the structure of scientific regulatory committees.

On evidence generation, Technopolis said that new sources of data have resulted in randomised clinical trials no longer being always the best means of testing whether potential new treatments are safe and effective. The proposals from the Commission suggest using regulatory sandboxes to test new treatments, it said, and recommended that the government support this but ensure there is sufficient guidance.

The consultancy recommended that the government withhold its support for a proposed restructuring of the European Medicines Agency’s scientific regulatory committees, until sufficient assurances have been made that the new structure, intended to be simpler, will have sufficient expertise.

“The Commission has shown significant ambition [that] opens up significantly greater space for innovations,” Technopolis concluded. It said the “rather open and technology-agnostic” approach could accommodate innovation but “leaves a degree of uncertainty among regulators and developers as to when and how some of these new measures may be used”, meaning there is a need for further clarity and dialogue.

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Rathenau Institute paper points out health implications of transitions in energy and food systems

Health should be considered in all policymaking around ‘transitions’, such as those taking place in energy and food systems, according to two experts.

Sophie van Baalen, a medical technologies researcher at the Rathenau Institute, and Jaswina Elahi, a cultural studies researcher at Utrecht University, who used to work at the institute, wrote an essay on the issue, titled Health in all transitions.

While health is already intended to be a consideration in all policymaking in the Netherlands and some other countries, the paper, which the institute published on 9 July, argues that the Dutch government’s focus on systemic transitions provides an additional opportunity to make progress on health.

Need for broad vision

In transitions such as the move away from fossil fuels towards sustainable sources of energy, there are opportunities to consider people’s health in design and policy choices around technological innovations, van Baalen and Elahi suggest.

Health problems are linked to many factors, such as the environment, and pressures on healthcare are expected to grow in the coming years due to population ageing and the increased prevalence of chronic diseases and obesity.

Van Baalen and Elahi say that policies around transitions should promote healthy lifestyles and environments, as well as improve healthcare, or at least not have worsening impacts.

STI links

Transition policy leans heavily on science, technology and innovation, which are often seen as important accelerants. But STI can have both positive and negative effects on health, so policies around transitions should better consider the impacts of STI on physical, mental and social health, the authors argue.

One example they cite is the increased use of sensors in farming to monitor animals and fine-tune their nutrition, medication and other resources to their individual needs. According to the authors, this has the potential to optimise rather than transform livestock farming, making it more difficult to develop a more sustainable, animal-friendly and healthier diet through a transition to more plant-based proteins.

The authors say that considering health effects in STI and transition policy requires an understanding of the connections between climate, environment, agriculture and health systems. What is good for one can be bad for another, they point out.

“If as a society we are committed to transitions…let us make sure that these also promote our health,” they say.

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This week: AI research projects, opposition to student fines and new members of KNAW board

In depth: University leaders have written to the Netherlands’ new education and science minister setting out concerns about the newly installed government’s plans to cut funding for the academic sector.

Full story: University heads warn new minister over budget cuts

Also this week from Research Professional News

‘Human-AI collaboration can boost research’—Combination of human understanding and artificial intelligence elevates both, say TNO experts

Here is the rest of the Dutch news this week…

National Growth Fund supports AI research

Ten projects researching elements of artificial intelligence are being supported by the National Growth Fund under its AiNed scheme. The projects, which are all collaborating with at least one European partner, span the application of AI to topics as broad as earthquake prediction and detection of strokes in the brain. They will all advance science regardless of their findings, according to the Dutch Research Council (NWO).

Governing parties’ youth oppose ‘study fine’ plans

Plans from the new coalition government to reintroduce fines of €3,000 on students who do not manage to complete their bachelor’s or master’s courses within the usual timeframes are facing opposition from social and political youth groups, including those from two of the governing parties: the NSC and VVD. “Young people are more united than ever and are joining forces against the reintroduction of the long-term study fine,” said Mylou Miché, candidate chair of the Intercity Student Consultation.

New KNAW board members appointed

The KNAW Science Academy has appointed three new board members who will start from 1 October. Adriana Esmeijer will become director of general affairs, Iwan Holleman will be director of operations, and Geert de Snoo will be the director of research policy. Esmeijer sees the position of director of general affairs as appealing, mainly because of the academy’s high public importance, especially as a “carrier of the importance of scientific knowledge for society”.

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Combination of human understanding and artificial intelligence elevates both, say TNO experts

Combining human creativity and understanding with the processing power of artificial intelligence provides benefits that can reshape how research is carried out, according to two AI experts from the Dutch applied research funder TNO.

AI systems are better than people at generating a large number of hypotheses and calculating their likelihoods very rapidly, researcher Isabelle Tilleman said in an article published by the funder.

Complementing this, people are “very good at assessing situations based on intuition and feeling”, she pointed out.

At present, many researchers still lack an understanding of and trust in AI, Tilleman acknowledged. But she suggested that researchers asking AI systems what they can do is a way to overcome these knowledge barriers. “Then you know where you stand,” she said.

Mutual understanding

“People and AI systems can complement each other perfectly. But that only works if they understand each other well and work closely together,” said fellow researcher Wico Mulder.

He agreed that a promising approach is one of “teamwork, in which people and AI systems not only look for solutions together, but also ask each other questions and, thus, gradually learn from each other what works and what doesn’t”.

The increased use of principles from social psychology in the development of AI could also help build collaboration, the pair suggested.

This should help AI meet people’s expectations of it, said Mulder. “For example, it would help enormously if AI systems could better explain how they arrive at certain results and if they could also include people’s insights in their data analyses,” he said.

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Plans of newly installed government risk undermining Netherlands’ knowledge sector, board chairs say

University leaders have written to the Netherlands’ new education and science minister setting out concerns about the newly installed government’s plans to cut funding for the academic sector.

The Universities of the Netherlands (UNL) association of executive board chairs wrote to Eppo Bruins (pictured) on 2 July, saying they are “extremely concerned” about the intentions he endorsed in the government’s outline agreement for its term of office.

These include scrapping the next rounds of the National Growth Fund, which has supported research and innovation investment.

The “drastic cuts” planned for education and research have put their quality and accessibility in a “danger zone”, the chairs said.

“We are not only very concerned about the consequences of this for our students and employees, but also about the negative impact of these measures on the future of the Netherlands,” they said.

According to the chairs, the plans would bring about the loss of more than 5,000 jobs at a rapid pace, possibly resulting in forced redundancies and reorganisations. They said such losses will reduce the quality of education, could result in a reduced range of courses offered and, in the long term, threaten the competitiveness of the Dutch economy.

The Netherlands will also be able to achieve less in scientific research, the chairs warned, further harming its economy, undermining its ability to undertake major societal transitions and making it less attractive to international talent. Academics might also leave the profession due to increased workloads, resulting in a “lost generation”.

The university group also set out legal objections to the plans, suggesting they constitute improper governance given agreements made with the previous government in 2022.

Minister responds

Bruins, a former MP and physicist who has led two research institutes and was chair of the Dutch Advisory Council for Science, Technology and Innovation until his ministerial appointment, told Research Professional News: “I understand the concerns in science very well, partly because I worked in and around science for over 20 years.”

But he added: “At the same time, financial choices have to be made…In the coming period, in coordination with the parties in higher education, universities and science, I will look at how the sector plans fit in with the austerity tasks ahead of us.”

Labour agreements reached

Meanwhile, UNL has reached a labour agreement with employee organisations that includes a wage increase of 3.7 per cent from 1 September and a one-off payment of €300 on the same date. On 1 January 2025, wages will be increased by another one per cent. Agreements were also reached on work pressures.

Margot van der Starre, vice-president of Utrecht University and delegation leader on behalf of UNL, stressed the need for responsible wage increases in these financially uncertain times. “Due to the new cabinet’s announced cuts, universities are in financially uncertain times. That is why we and the unions opt for responsible wage increases,” van der Starre said.

Universities and unions together attach great importance to improving wellbeing at universities, UNL said, adding that achieving a socially safe working environment requires a cultural shift. The groups have agreed that universities will invest in awareness-raising, create a central hotline at each institution and evaluate the ombuds function in autumn 2024.

The groups also want to further tackle work pressure by linking the causes of work pressure with solutions in a more structured way at all levels of universities. They stressed the importance of taking leave to facilitate recuperation and said they will launch a campaign to reduce work pressures.

University leaders and staff hope the collective bargaining agreements show that, despite the financial uncertainties, there is still room for positive change within the sector. Universities remain committed to their staff and the quality of teaching and research, their leaders said, while preparing for the challenges posed by the announced cuts.

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This week: a campaign against cuts, a nomination for science minister and slow academic reforms

In depth: A controversial recruitment policy implemented by Eindhoven University of Technology has achieved a gender-balanced intake of new academic staff, the institution has announced.

Full story: Controversial policy levels gender balance of academic intake

Also this week from Research Professional News

Dutch researchers report dozens of threats over 13-month period—Intimidation and threats show need for increased measures to protect academic freedom, report says

Here is the rest of the Dutch news this week…

Medical centres launch campaign against cuts

The Netherlands Federation of University Medical Centres has launched a campaign against research cuts with the support of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. The groups argue that scientific knowledge is desperately needed for the major societal challenges ahead and that the proposed cuts by the incoming Dutch cabinet are diametrically opposed to another intention of the same cabinet, which is to strengthen the knowledge economy and innovation. 

Academic reform programme lacks impact

According to the Universities of the Netherlands, the ambitions of the Recognition and Rewards programme, an initiative to improve how variety within academia is valued, are “widely supported” by researchers. But the majority of academics surveyed about the initiative reported experiencing “little or no change” as a result of its efforts since it was conceived in 2020. These findings will now be discussed to shape the future of the programme.

Advisory council chair nominated for science minister

The New Social Contract, a political party that forms part of the incoming coalition government, has nominated Eppo Bruins to be minister for education, culture and science, according to media reports. Bruins, a former MP, has reportedly suspended his activities as chair of the Dutch Advisory Council for Science, Technology and Innovation with immediate effect pending his accession to the new cabinet.

The post Netherlands news roundup: 22-28 June appeared first on Research Professional News.

Intimidation and threats show need for increased measures to protect academic freedom, report says

Dozens of threats were made against researchers in the Netherlands between November 2022 and December 2023, a report has said.

The Universities of the Netherlands (UNL), the Dutch Research Council (NWO) and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) set up a platform in November 2022 to monitor intimidation, hate and threats against researchers.

Incidents reported to the platform in its first 13 months led to 45 one-off and 14 structural security measures being taken to protect researchers and university staff, the groups said on 24 June. They created the platform in response to concerns about the safety of researchers, and they said that the measures taken included contact details being taken offline and staff being relocated.

Responses to an accompanying survey of universities and research institutes indicate that societal changes have led to stronger responses from the public to scientific communication, especially around controversial topics such as climate change and migration, which is making researchers more reluctant to communicate their results.

Women and younger researchers are particularly targeted by threats and intimidation, the survey found, and the groups concluded that there is a need for increased measures to be taken to protect academic freedom and researchers.

UNL president Caspar van den Berg said: “It is unacceptable and terrible if researchers have to worry about their safety after sharing their research results. The survey shows how important it is that we all continue to stand up for our researchers.”

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Eindhoven University of Technology hails impact of preventing men from applying for jobs

A controversial recruitment policy implemented by Eindhoven University of Technology has achieved a gender-balanced intake of new academic staff, the institution has announced.

In 2019, Eindhoven began preventing men from applying to academic job vacancies in the first six months that they were open, saying that the aim was to promote equal opportunities for women and increase the quality of research and teaching. 

“This caused a stir internationally when it was introduced,” the university acknowledged on 17 June as it provided an update on the impact of the policy, implemented as part of its Irène Curie Fellowship programme.

After a ruling from the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights that the policy ran contrary to the Dutch law on equal treatment, Eindhoven narrowed it to targeted areas in 2021. 

Nonetheless, over the past five years, the gender balance of new academic staff has been about equal, the institution said, whereas previously the ratio was about 70 per cent male.

Attracting top talent

“This programme has enabled us to attract a lot of top female talent from all over the world. We have been able to take a big step in terms of gender balance, and the culture around diversity is changing noticeably. We are proud of that and it has inspired other institutions to also come up with innovative plans,” said executive board president Robert-Jan Smits.

Over the same period, the number of female academics permanently employed by the university has risen from 134 to 208, or from 22 to 29 per cent. Smits added: “We are not going to rest on our laurels: we want every department to achieve at least 30 per cent. We are going to work hard on that over the next five years.”

A 30 per cent share means the minority group has a “fully fledged position and influence”, according to the university, which added that it would aim to achieve this share across all departments by maintaining the Irène Curie policy in those departments where it is needed.

More support

In addition, all female starters in departments where there are not yet enough women on the academic staff will receive a startup package of €100,000—not only the participants in the Irène Curie programme as previously. “The goal is to help launch their research in order to remove the disadvantage they face as a minority and contribute to their success,” the university said.

Furthermore, from now on newcomers will be partnered with an “Irène Curie friend”—an experienced researcher who can help them navigate the university and the Dutch academic landscape more broadly.

Another problem the university said it wants to address is retaining female talent, as women are more likely to leave than men. This calls for culture change, better facilities and career advancement opportunities, it said.

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This week: urban innovation, Education Council leadership and offshore windfarms

In depth: Some of the Netherlands’ leading researchers have condemned the new government’s plans to curb science expenditure. 

Full story: Prominent Dutch scientists raise alarm over budget cuts

Also this week from Research Professional News

Surge in European patents enforced by the Netherlands—Country’s validation of European patents rose by 28 per cent in just one year

Here is the rest of the Dutch news this week…

Institute celebrates 10 years of urban innovation 

The Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions, a collaboration between Delft University of Technology, Wageningen University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has celebrated its 10th anniversary. The institute came into being following a design competition organised by the city of Amsterdam in 2014 and focuses on developing science-based solutions to urban challenges.  

Education Council gets new chair

Louise Elffers is to be the next chair of the Education Council, a body that provides advice on education policy to the government and parliament. Elffers, who was put forward for the role by outgoing science minister Robbert Dijkgraaf, will take up the position on 1 September. The University of Amsterdam professor has campaigned for years against inequality of opportunity in education, the government said, and she is committed to strengthening connections between science, policy and practice, with room for different perspectives and types of knowledge. 

Offshore windfarm licences granted

The Netherlands Enterprise Agency, together with independent expert committees, has licensed offshore windfarms to the consortia Noordzeker and Zeevonk II. Noordzeker will focus on enhancing the natural environment of the North Sea, while Zeevonk II will pursue smart integration of windfarm technology with the wider energy system. Each windfarm will have a capacity of at least two gigawatts and must be operational by 2029.

The post Netherlands news roundup: 15-21 June appeared first on Research Professional News.

Winners of major prizes speak out against government plans to reduce research spending

Some of the Netherlands’ leading researchers have condemned the new government’s plans to curb science expenditure. 

In an open letter published in the NRC daily newspaper on 17 June, Peter Hagoort, representing 78 scientists who have won Spinoza and Stevin Prizes, express concerns about proposed cuts to education, research and innovation.

The Spinoza and Stevin Prizes, awarded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO), are colloquially known as the ‘Dutch Nobel Prizes’. The laureates fear that government plans to cut €215 million a year from 2026 onwards will have ruinous consequences, especially for early career researchers.

The letter follows concerns already expressed by the NWO, Universities of the Netherlands and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. The cuts were detailed in an outline agreement between the parties that are set to make up the coalition government, led by the far-right PVV party of Geert Wilders (pictured).

In 2022, funds were strategically allocated at the request of the science minister to create 1,200 new research posts in fields that had been identified as priority areas for the Netherlands. Those positions are now more precarious because universities do not have sufficient budgets to absorb the cuts and keep paying the researchers.

“Don’t leave those 1,200 young researchers out in the cold,” Hagoort’s letter pleads.

Wider concerns

The budget reductions also pose a risk for society more widely, the letter says, because that strategic approach made Dutch science more nimble and efficient, leading to faster innovations across fields including healthcare and water management. 

“Cutting back on research means discovering medicines and solutions less quickly,” Hagoort writes. 

Research and science directly contribute to the country’s economy and so reducing research expenditure comes with a risk to the Netherlands’ fiscal security, he warns. Rabobank, a banking and financial services firm, has also calculated that the loss in economic growth resulting from the cuts will be greater than the savings made.

The continuity and quality of research is also threatened by layoffs of young researchers and the financial uncertainty that Dutch universities now face, which may lead to a wider loss of trust in governance, the letter says.

Public opinion

According to one survey, the government’s plans also appear to go against the prevailing attitudes of the Dutch public.

A 2020 poll carried out by the Pew Research Center showed that 81 per cent of the Dutch public thought government spending on scientific research was worthwhile.

Some 70 per cent of Dutch people agreed that being a world leader in scientific achievements was either somewhat important or very important, whereas just 29 per cent thought it was not too important or not at all important.

Time for a rethink

In the open letter, the laureates make an urgent appeal to the new cabinet to abandon these “ill-fated cuts”.

The scientists stress that investing in education and research is crucial for the long-term prosperity of the Netherlands. Instead of short-term cost savings, the government should invest in science and innovation to yield multiple economic benefits, they argue. 

With this call, the Spinoza and Stevin laureates hope that the government will reconsider its course and continue to invest in science strategically.

These concerns and recommendations are a strong signal from the top of the Dutch scientific community. The cabinet’s decision will not only determine the future of 1,200 young researchers but also the Netherlands’ position as a leading knowledge economy.

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Country’s validation of European patents rose by 28 per cent in just one year

The number of European patents validated in the Netherlands rose by 28 per cent between 2022 and 2023, according to the latest annual report from the Netherlands Patent Office.

“The increase shows that the Netherlands is an interesting country for innovative companies,” the government said in a statement on 17 June.

The total number of patents approved in the Netherlands rose by more than 22 per cent in 2023, despite the number of patent applications filed in the country actually decreasing by 18 per cent. The increase in patent approvals is explained by the patent authorities getting to grips with a backlog in applications. 

Mechanical engineering was the most prolific discipline, responsible for 41.7 per cent of new Dutch patents. The electronics industry grew its share by 3.5 percentage points to 14.3 per cent.

The region around the city of Delft continues to lead the Netherlands in patent numbers, with a rate of 248 successful applications per 100,000 inhabitants. The region is home to prosperous small and medium-sized enterprises and Delft University of Technology. The region around Eindhoven took second place, with 106 patents per 100,000 people.

Since 1 June 2023, the unitary patent has been in force, giving patent protection across 17 European countries at once—including Germany and France. A Unified Patent Court has also been created between these 17 countries to decide on infringement and patent disputes.

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Netherlands directed around €1.1 billion in EU funds to research and innovation in 2022

Of the EU funding received by the Netherlands, more is used for research and innovation than for any other activity, according to an analysis.

In total, the Netherlands received €2.9 billion from the EU in 2022, Statistics Netherlands reported on 31 May. It said that 38 per cent of this, which was the biggest share and amounted to about €1.1bn, was used for R&I. Most of this went to higher education institutions.

Agriculture and maritime policy received 29 per cent of the pot (€847 million), making it the second-largest recipient. The third largest was a category including people, social cohesion and values, which received €265m, or 9.1 per cent.

This pattern makes the country an exception, according to Statistics Netherlands. Across the EU, spending on agriculture and maritime policy is the largest share on 39 per cent, followed by regional development and cohesion on 31 per cent, a pot that got only 3.9 per cent in the Netherlands.

Investment in people, social cohesion and values also came third in the EU, on 12.5 per cent, followed by R&I on 8.2 per cent.

Among the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany and Poland, the second-highest proportional expenditure on R&I was that of Belgium, at 26.3 per cent.

Of the 27 EU member states, Germany and then the Netherlands received the least per capita, with people in the Netherlands getting the equivalent of €200 each.

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This week: support for open science, funding for psychedelics research and fears for investment expertise

In depth: Rectors of Dutch universities have said they do not intend to stop collaborating with institutions or academics in Israel over the conflict in Gaza.

Full story: Dutch rectors: ‘We should not break ties with Israeli academics’

Also this week from Research Professional News

Biggest share of Netherlands’ funding from EU used for R&I—Netherlands directed around €1.1 billion in EU funds to research and innovation in 2022

Here is the rest of the Dutch news this week…

NWO joins initiative to promote open science

The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has joined the European Open Science Cloud Association, an international alliance working to promote open science by developing a federated infrastructure for sharing and analysing research data. The NWO said that membership of the association would help it put its support for the principles of open science into practice. The EOSC Association now has over 250 members and observers, having been founded in 2020 at the initiative of the European Commission. 

€2.6m for research on therapeutic use of psychedelics

The Dutch government is making €2.6 million available for research into therapeutic applications of psychedelic drugs, through the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport and the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw). ZonMw said that the government views such research as important and wants to encourage it, adding that there is a high demand for healthcare in this area that is not being met by the market.

Council warns against losing investment expertise

Researchers at the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy are concerned that the expertise the government has recently built up on using investment to boost the earnings power of the country is being lost. They expressed the view in a paper on the National Growth Fund, the future of which has been cast into doubt by the new coalition government. Politicians should consider how to shape a more stable investment agenda, the researchers recommended.

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Group says collaboration with a country should stop only on instruction from the government

Rectors of Dutch universities have said they do not intend to stop collaborating with institutions or academics in Israel over the conflict in Gaza.

In a letter published in the daily newspaper Trouw on 8 June, the rectors of 15 Dutch universities said they “see no reason” to sever ties with Israeli or Palestinian academia given that the academic ethos enshrines the value of being open to debate.

The rectors said they realised that this “may not be the answer some [academics] want to hear” in light of the protests against the Israeli government that have taken place across Dutch universities over its attacks on Gaza in recent months. Those attacks came in response to a Hamas offensive on Israel last year.

“There are countless ways in which the terrible conflict now unfolding in Gaza is viewed, weighed and interpreted by scientists, politicians, citizens and stakeholders,” the rectors said, adding that for this reason and others, “engaging in open, academic conversation and debate, especially at this difficult, polarising time, is very important”.

Continued dialogue

“What makes the university a unique institution is our commitment to academic freedom: the freedom to research, think and debate, even if this conflicts with our and others’ deepest beliefs,” the rectors said. Scientific collaboration is “an important channel to continue the dialogue about our fundamental core values ​​with institutions where these core values ​​may be under pressure”, they added.

The fact that important institutions of justice and peace are located in the Netherlands requires Dutch academic institutions to engage with those in places where core values are violated or to distance themselves from cooperation with them when conversation proves impossible, the rectors said.

They said that they would “never” cut ties with an entire country unless told or advised to by the government, as was the case with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

The rectors regretted that some of the protests at universities had degenerated into violence and vandalism.

Parliamentary letter

In a detailed letter to parliament on 31 May, outgoing education and science minister Robbert Dijkgraaf wrote that Dutch academic institutions “have the right and freedom to decide on entering into, adapting or breaking international collaborations within the framework of the law”.

He added that there should be an open and robust discussion within the academic community about which areas and which institutions are appropriate for international cooperation. In essence, he said that academic institutions themselves should decide on their collaborations with Israel.

Dijkgraaf said that a demand from demonstrators that institutions should sever academic ties with Israeli institutions ignored the way institutions come to decisions on international cooperation on the basis of careful, substantive and democratic processes, free from intimidation, pressure or threats of violence.

“Indeed, it is a core academic value that scientists are allowed to freely decide with whom and on what questions they conduct research,” the minister said.

A version of this article also appeared in Research Europe

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This week: green hydrogen, virtual reality and applied research

In depth: The Dutch company ASML, which is a global leader in semiconductor manufacturing with a current market value of just under €400 billion, is to substantially increasing its research partnership with Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e).

Full story: TU/e boosts its collaboration with semiconductor giant 

Also this week from Research Professional News

Dutch academy to fund study of its own colonial past—Independent investigation will delve into KNAW’s involvement in the Dutch imperial era 

Here is the rest of the Dutch news this week…

Green hydrogen development at ‘tipping point’

As MPs debate hydrogen as an energy source, the Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers (VNO-NCW) has said that the country is at a “tipping point” in the development of green and low-carbon hydrogen. The organisation believes that with the right conditions, the Netherlands has a chance to gain a technological lead in hydrogen technologies and production, thanks to its ports and other existing infrastructures designed to transport natural gas. The confederation therefore welcomed a new round of subsidies announced this summer and worth €1 billion, which it said will be helpful in overcoming the high cost of transporting hydrogen.

Virtual reality ‘is best meeting venue’

Research by the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) has found that meeting in a virtual 3D environment creates more engagement and better concentration than online videoconferencing. It is also more pleasant than physical meetings, according to the organisation. A major problem, however, is that the technology to hold meetings in a virtual 3D environments is still in its infancy.

Applied projects funded

The Dutch Research Council (NWO) is contributing €5 million to six applied research projects, with an extra €1m coming from industry and other organisations. One of the projects is looking into innovative technologies to valorise methane; another is looking at ways to develop molecules that can influence protein-protein interactions as a potential basis for new drugs.

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Independent investigation will delve into KNAW’s involvement in the Dutch imperial era

The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) has announced plans to examine its participation in the country’s imperial history.

The study, to be conducted by an independent party and funded by the academy, will investigate not just the past but also the continuing impact today.

“The KNAW believes it is important to account for the past and to reflect on the values of its own organisation in the present. Knowing one’s own history in all its aspects forms the basis for a future-proof and inclusive organisation,” the academy said.

Founded in 1808 by King Louis Bonaparte, who had been placed on the Dutch throne by his brother Napoleon, the organisation was tasked with reinvigorating academia in the Netherlands.

Since 1812, the KNAW has been housed in the Trippenhuis building in Amsterdam, which was built by the Trip brothers, who traded in weapons, guns, bullets, ammunition, iron and tar.

The Netherlands’ colonial past is often at the forefront of the KNAW’s work; last year, for instance, it published a report on controversial statues and monuments in public spaces.

The KNAW will discuss the scope of the new study over the coming months. Experts from the academy will contribute ideas on the purpose and question of the research, forming the basis for the actual investigation, which is expected to take two to three years.

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Eindhoven University of Technology and ASML sign agreement to significantly expand their joint projects

The Dutch company ASML, which is a global leader in semiconductor manufacturing with a current market value of just under €400 billion, is substantially increasing its research partnership with Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e).

Under a fresh accord, signed on 23 May, the two organisations will train more PhD students together in fields such as plasma physics, mechatronics, optics and artificial intelligence.

“With this agreement we will expand our long-term collaboration with TU/e. [It] is the purveyor of talent in the region and an important academic partner. The collaboration will increase the availability of PhD scientists, which our industry greatly needs, and will provide scientific insights that are relevant to the chip industry and society,” said Roger Dassen, ASML’s chief financial officer.

Dutch support for chips

The agreement follows a previous government announcement in March about Project Beethoven, in which the Netherlands committed itself to spending €2.5bn on the Dutch microchip sector. “Dutch companies and knowledge institutions are among the top players in the global microchip industry,” said the government in a statement. “These organisations are reaching their limits. There is a shortage of staff, space and energy.” 

Project Beethoven was set up by the outgoing cabinet to prevent large companies such as ASML from leaving the Netherlands. This latest contract with TU/e is seen as a vindication of that aim because ASML will make further investments in the Netherlands and maintain the location of its statutory, fiscal and actual headquarters in the country.

“With this, we invest in science in the Netherlands and in training experts,” said Dassen.

Semiconductors—also known as microchips—are constructed from small pieces of silicon that have been manipulated so they can alter the conduction of electricity to perform calculations. They are a crucial component in smartphones and other devices, including internet routers and other communication infrastructures. Because of their importance in communication, governments around the world are beginning to see semiconductor industries as important to national security.

New facilities and more researchers

ASML has agreed to invest a total of €80 million in its collaboration with TU/e over the next 10 years, including contributing to new research and teaching facilities. The university is also expected to spend more than €100m on building new facilities and funding PhD students. The new buildings will be focused on research, education and fostering startups within the semiconductor field. The facilities are expected to be larger, with more modern infrastructure than the university’s current facilities.

More than 700 researchers from 25 research groups at TU/e already work on semiconductor technology and this number is now expected to grow considerably.

“We are proud that we are giving an enormous boost to the strong collaboration we have had for decades,” said Robert-Jan Smits, chairman of the TU/e executive board. “This development once again shows the exceptional strength of TU/e in terms of collaboration with the business community. For us, the agreement is extra special because it is our largest agreement ever with an industrial partner. And it is an important recognition of the quality of our university.”

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This week: electricity plans, a Global Research Council appointment and an evaluation of NWO institutes

In depth: The Rathenau Institute has identified four broad issues that it believes will shape the future of science in the Netherlands.

Full story: Dutch science policy needs ‘new instruments’, report says
 

Also this week from Research Professional News

Academies fear effects of science funding cuts—Incoming Dutch coalition’s proposed cuts will “undermine ambitions for strengthening the knowledge economy”
 

Here is the rest of the Dutch news this week…

NWO chair elected to Global Research Council board

Marcel Levi, chair of the Dutch Research Council (NWO), has been elected to the governing board of the Global Research Council for a three-year term. Levi, who also chairs the Dutch Knowledge Coalition, a research and innovation lobby group, has been an interim member of the GRC board since November. He now has a permanent place on the board following the election. Levi said he looks forward to working with his colleagues on major global challenges such as climate change and social issues such as poverty.

‘Top quality’ institutes still have room for improvement

An international evaluation committee has assessed the scientific research carried out by the nine Dutch Research Council (NWO) institutes as being “top quality”. The evaluation is carried out every six years using a Strategy Evaluation Protocol created by the NWO, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and the Universities of the Netherlands (UNL). The evaluators recommended, however, that mentoring programmes for postdocs and PhD students should be improved.

New regulations needed to expand power grid

The Dutch national electricity grid is under pressure, causing delays in the transition to a more sustainable economy, according to climate minister Rob Jetten. To deal with this, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy wants to modify planning regulations to speed up the completion of regional and national energy projects. A key measure is the rapid expansion of the full power grid by designating electricity projects from 25 kilovolts and above as being of “major societal interest”.

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Incoming Dutch coalition’s proposed cuts will “undermine ambitions for strengthening the knowledge economy”

The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and its Young Academy have expressed concern over the austerity plans contained in the outline agreement of the incoming coalition government.

The coalition partners, led by the far-right PVV party, proposed a wide range of cuts to higher education and science in the agreement published this month.

On 28 May, the KNAW and the Young Academy warned that the cuts will “undermine ambitions for strengthening the knowledge economy” in the Netherlands—a strengthening that the coalition partners describe as one of the goals of their agreement.

A cut of €215 million for ‘sector plans’—investment agreements to boost education and research—“will remove funding for 1,200 permanent contracts that have only just been offered to university lecturers”, the KNAW said.

These contracts were offered in line with the agreed sector plans in order to reduce the very high workloads among staff and ensure quality in research and teaching. “In this, the government has shown itself to be an unreliable partner,” the academies said.

Knowledge and innovation under threat

They added that a cut of €150m a year for the Research and Science Fund from its total budget of around €500m a year will have an impact on efforts to promote knowledge security, open science and social safety.

Scrapping the last two rounds of the National Growth Fund, meanwhile, will severely hit the country’s innovation capacity and have knock-on effects on the creation of businesses and jobs, according to the KNAW.

The Lisbon target of investing 3 per cent of GDP in knowledge and innovation is already far from being achieved even without the proposed cuts, it said.

Finally, the two academies are concerned about further reductions in funding for international collaborations and movement. This is an area in which the Netherlands has built a strong reputation, but this is under threat due to the reductions in opportunities for international students.

Minister dejected

Outgoing science and education minister Robbert Dijkgraaf expressed his dejection at the plans in what will presumably be his final parliamentary debate.

“I do have to say that it hurts my heart that plans are now being made to reverse many of those investments, such as the sector plans through which we created some 1,200 new positions for young researchers. We did that together,” Dijkgraaf said on 21 May.

“The Netherlands often stands out internationally precisely because we do things in collaboration rather than in competition. These plans make me feel somewhat sad. It feels a little bit like we were leading the pack and are now applying the brakes ourselves.”

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Think tank says developments including digitalisation and changing international relations will profoundly impact science

The Rathenau Institute has identified four broad issues that it believes will shape the future of science in the Netherlands.

In a report published on 23 May, the science policy think tank examines the potential impact on science of digitalisation and artificial intelligence; an increased emphasis on coordination and cooperation; the increasing urgency of societal challenges; and changing international relations.

These developments are “likely to lead to fundamental changes and innovations” affecting the scientific process, the organisation of science, the relationship between science and society and the international position of Dutch science, it says. New policy instruments will be required to guide them.

Scientists and policymakers will need to find a new balance “between the role of public institutions and private organisations in knowledge development; between competition and cooperation in the distribution of resources; between long-term and short-term research and innovation; between openness and knowledge security; and between doing research for society and with society”, it says.

A changing picture

Digitalisation is seen as the most important structural development affecting the scientific process. On one hand, digital technologies can make research more efficient and open up opportunities for new types of investigation. But they will also create a growing demand for researchers with advanced ICT skills and knowledge of quantitative and statistical methods, the report warns.

Many of these new methods are being developed by large technology companies, which are therefore gaining a larger role and making the private sector more important. Ultimately, there are concerns about the dominance of these companies, Rathenau says.

Changes are also occurring in the organisation of science. The pursuit of excellence has created intense competition for research resources. The question now is how to conduct science with less competition and greater cooperation, the report suggests.

Society has increasingly called on science to provide solutions to pressing problems, but this also creates expectations that may not be achievable. This imbalance raises questions as to what the public should expect from publicly funded institutions and what should be done to maintain their independence.

Finally, there are concerns about the international position of science in the Netherlands. Promoting open science is important, but international relations are changing, the institute warns. This gives “cause for reflection” about which external organisations should be suitable for strategic collaborations and how to identify reliable partners in the search for scientific knowledge.

The overall aim of the report is to create an open debate about science and the future of science, said Paul Diederen, the study coordinator. “The question now is which new instruments are needed for science policy, so that policy is equipped to deal with changing science. It is important to start this open dialogue about the future of science today. Our study provides the tools for this.”

A version of this article also appeared in Research Europe

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Incoming coalition government criticised over planned cuts

Some of the Netherlands’ biggest science and research organisations have condemned the incoming Dutch government’s proposed cuts to higher education and research.

“The Netherlands will fall further behind if we implement these cuts in the field of knowledge and innovation,” warned Marcel Levi, chair of the Knowledge Coalition, a partnership between entrepreneurs and scientists, which includes Universities of the Netherlands (UNL), the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and the Dutch Research Council (NWO).

Last week, the parties that are set to make up the coalition government presented their outline agreement, which detailed large cuts to education, science and research. The coalition will be led by Geert Wilders’s far-right PVV party—although Wilders (pictured) dropped his demand to become prime minister months ago in a bid to entice other parties to engage in coalition talks.

The Knowledge Coalition is concerned that the incoming government’s plans will have a major impact on science, research and innovation, saying that the Netherlands is now unlikely to meet its aim of spending 3 per cent of GDP on R&D by 2030. 

The UNL calculated that the cuts amount to more than €500 million and put the position of 1,200 scientists at risk.

“The cuts in education and science are a blow to our students and employees who are already under enormous pressure. Together with the major intervention in the international character of universities, these cuts are damaging our high-quality education and research,” said Jouke de Vries, interim chair of the UNL.

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Dutch universities need to improve their workplace culture, says watchdog

The Netherlands Labour Authority has vowed to intervene with warnings, fines or other punitive measures if Dutch universities do not make greater strides to improve their workplace cultures.

The NLA held interviews with academic employees at 14 public universities, analysed health and safety documents and conducted an online survey of academic and teaching staff. In total, more than 9,000 people responded. 

It reported this month that over 70 per cent of workers said they had experienced more than occasional stress due to cumbersome workloads, particularly in relation to extra tasks and responsibilities that fall outside their core responsibilities. Respondents worked an average of six hours a week beyond their standard hours, according to the report.

Inappropriate behaviour was also highlighted as being worryingly commonplace. The report defined such behaviour as verbal or physical aggression, sexual harassment, bullying, discrimination or “academic-related undesirable behaviour”, which includes falsely claiming authorship of a paper.

A sizeable 54 per cent of respondents said they themselves had experienced at least one form of this inappropriate behaviour in the past two years. In addition, 69 per cent said they had witnessed colleagues suffering from such behaviour. Bullying is the most common problem, followed by discrimination, according to the report.

‘Unacceptable’

Universities of the Netherlands (UNL), an association of Dutch universities, said the report’s findings painted a damning picture. “It is unacceptable that so many employees have to deal with undesirable behaviour. A safe working environment is not only a fundamental right of all staff and students but also an essential condition for good research and teaching,” said Rianne Letschert, president of Maastricht University, in a statement on behalf of the UNL.

The group stated that many steps have been taken in recent years but have not yet led to the desired improvements in social safety and work pressure. Better social safety also requires a culture change that takes several years, which means the effects are not always measurable in the short term, the UNL wrote. The organisation therefore wants to put more effort into prevention and policy monitoring.

The hierarchical structure of academia and a culture of pressure to overperform are contributing to the problems, according to the NLA. Its report also suggested that universities have little grip on, or insight into, the actual hours that employees work.

The problematic workplace culture of Dutch universities is well documented—the NLA had already requested that universities draw up action plans to deal with it in 2020, but the authority is dissatisfied with the progress made and said that not remedying the situation is leading to absenteeism and health complaints. 

Measures to counteract the problems are being taken by universities, but they are mainly focused on the individual, the NLA said. In this way, underlying causes are not being removed. It also said that many staff were unfamiliar with the measures that had been put in place and were not making use of them.

Threat of enforcement

The NLA stated that universities must do more to provide a healthy and safe working environment. It has given them until 2025 to put their house in order, saying that if they are not found to have made sufficient progress before the NLA conducts an inspection next year, it will take enforcement action.

“It depends on a case-by-case basis. All investigations we do require customisation,” a spokesperson from the NLA told Research Professional News.

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This week: a microchip envoy, money for innovation and inconsistent rules for startups

In depth: The Netherlands Labour Authority has vowed to intervene with warnings, fines or other punitive measures if Dutch universities do not make greater strides to improve their workplace cultures.

Full story: Authority could intervene over university working conditions

Also this week from Research Professional News

Major concerns raised over new cabinet’s plans for Dutch science—Incoming coalition government criticised over planned cuts 

Here is the rest of the Dutch news this week…

Special envoy to strengthen Dutch microchip industry

Hans de Jong, former national president of the electronics company Philips, is to start work as a special envoy for the National Reinforcement Plan for microchip talent in the Netherlands. As envoy, he is tasked with boosting the Dutch microchip sector by promoting the availability of well-trained staff. De Jong must present his plan to achieve this to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science by 1 July.

Record innovation investments

Dutch companies invested a record €8.7 billion in new technology in 2023, according to an annual report from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy. Government subsidies and support were a major driving force behind the investments, the ministry said. Popular technologies in 2023 included artificial intelligence, energy materials, hydrogen, semiconductors and quantum-related technologies.

Fragmented vision holding back European startups, TNO says

Startups are not given the same opportunities to grow in Europe as they are in countries including Singapore and the US, research by the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) has found. This is due to a fragmented vision that means costs and rules for entrepreneurs differ from country to country, the organisation said. “Europe has enormous innovation power, but together we need to use it better for our economy,” said TNO researcher Sabine Kerssens.

The post Netherlands news roundup: 18-24 May appeared first on Research Professional News.