The Temporary Task Forces at NWO
Four so-called Temporary Task Forces have a semi-permanent status. They collaborate with industry experts in order to accelerate the development of promising technologies. They are housed in the NWO building in The Hague.
Netherlands Genomics Initiative (NGI), founded in 2002, controls the distribution of the budget of 280 million euro made available for the genomics research between 2008 and 2012 in the Netherlands. Central is the search for the genetic composition of man and nature, and the manner in which those hereditary characteristics appear in the behaviour of, ultimately, the whole organism, in particular with regard to health, food, sustainability, technology, safety and society-inspired research, communication and education. There are sixteen genomics centres, that collaborate with universities, research institutes, the industry and public organizations.
Advanced Chemical Technologies for Sustainability (ACTS) started in February 2002 as a new platform for non-competitive research into catalysis, rate acceleration in chemical reactions by materials that are endlessly reusable. The platform brings together businesses, knowledge institutes and the national government. Research is conducted for the benefit of a sustainable society, since catalysis makes chemical production processes more efficient, cleaner and faster. ACTS’s ambition is to become a world leader in catalytic research.
The National ICT Research and Innovation Authority is operational as per 11 January 2005. It aims at acquiring more unity and cohesion in Dutch ICT research, among other things by bringing together supply from knowledge providers and demand from businesses.
Walking and talking. Learning and planning. Enjoying and wondering. Everything we do, whether individually or collectively, is directed by our brain. Scientists around the world are trying to unravel its many mysteries. Not just for the sake of understanding, but also to find concrete solutions to brain-related problems in society. The National Initiative Brain & Cognition was created to support this important mission. This major Dutch umbrella programme, placed at the interface of science and society, aims to use cutting-edge science to study the human brain and its role in our social behaviour.
