Key target: Talent

Research is a human enterprise and innovative research requires ideas from new research talent. That is why NWO is working hard to improve the influx, retention and development of scientific talent, as clearly stated in the title of the strategic memorandum Themes plus Talent.

Innovational Research Incentives Scheme

The renewed Innovational Research Incentives Scheme is an important new instrument to retain talented researchers in science and to further stimulate their development. It was set up in 2001 by NWO, KNAW and VSNU at the request of the then Minister for Education, Culture and Science. This programme contains three categories:

• Veni: for researchers who have just gained their doctorates
• Vidi: for researchers with several years of postdoctoral experience
• Vici: for experienced researchers who have successfully demonstrated that they can develop their own innovative line of research.

In the Innovational Research Incentives Scheme is, just like Rubicon (see below), researchers from abroad affiliated with foreign universities and institutes, may apply.

Other multidisciplinary, person-specific programmes

Furthermore, in recent years a number of other multidisciplinary, person-specific grant programmes have been launched:

• Spinoza
• Van der Leeuw
• Rubicon
• Aspasia
• MEERVOUD
• Mosaic

The programmes are aimed at researchers in different phases of their career and/or special groups that need an extra stimulus. The proportion of women working in science, compared to neighbouring countries, is still depressingly low. This is a constant source of worry for NWO and stimulating measures such as MEERVOUD and Aspasia are still necessary to realise a change in this. Also the participation of scientists from traditional ethnic groups needs to be encouraged, as revealed by a study that the Governing Board commissioned in 2002, resulting in Mosaic.

Other Talent activities

NWO is cooperating with Next Wave from the weekly magazine Science, a careers website for young researchers which has had a Dutch version since April 2002. In 2003, NWO and Next Wave organised four so-called Talent days, aimed at young researchers. On these days they were served an attractive programme with workshops. Some 600 visitors attended these days. More Talent days were held in 2004 and 2005, augmented with Talent Classes; another series is currently running.