NWO's activities in 2003 in a nutshell

 Accountability Indicators For the Year 2003 (PDF, 14 pages, Dutch language only)

In its strategic paper Themes Plus Talent NWO describes the ways in which it proposes to implement its mission in the current period. This strategy closely follows developments in science and society, such as the ever growing speed with which scientific trends succeed one another, the increasing significance attached to scientific knowledge, the growing international competition as well as cooperation in science, its limited attraction as a career opportunity, and its increasing capital-intensity.

With this strategy - focusing on the seven spearheads of talent, themes, internationalisation, infrastructure, cooperation, communication and transmission of knowledge, and management - NWO intends to strengthen the position of Dutch science at the forefront of research around the globe. NWO aims to intensify the social use of the results of scientific research in order to increase its contribution to prosperity and welfare.

Talent

NWO puts her money on talent - because research is done by people and innovative research requires the ideas of new research talent. Some important NWO instruments for promoting the influx, flow and preservation of scientific talent are the Vernieuwingsimpulse scheme, NWO/Spinoza-prize and Van der Leeuw-programme; in addition there are many subsidies per research council. 

  • Women: In various ways NWO works to preserve and increase the number of women in science - a number which is still relatively small. In the Vernieuwingsimpulse scheme, for instance, the object is to award a fixed percentage of applications by women. There are also cross-disciplinary stimulation programmmes aimed at preserving women for science, as well as programmes within the various disciplines. Targeted information about subsidies for women also seems to be having effect.
  • Ethnic minorities: The Mosaic programme offers ethnic minority graduates the opportunity of a four-year doctoral research appointment.
  • Onrushing talent: NWO has created the career website Science’s Next Wave and the NWO/Next Wave Talent days for young or promising researchers in order to inform and enthuse (young) talented people about scientific careers.

Themes

In nine NWO-themes major financial means are used to give an extra boost to important developments which on account of their speed, breadth and required scale are beyond the capacity of individual research institutes. Optimal use of the second flow of funds, combined with the endeavours of the universities in the first flow, produces research that scores high points. A total number of 86 research programmes have so far been set in motion as part of the NWO-themes, amounting to 82.3 million euro, which is 17.4 percent of the total NWO budget.

NWO continues to use the instrument of the ‘open competition’ in order to guarantee permanent innovation and keep track of the themes of the future.

Internationalisation

NWO is (pro)actively involved in international developments, since the promotion of cooperation and competition contributes to the quality of research. NWO has again taken major steps towards finding a new position in the international arena. Cooperating with sister organisations and providing support to NWO’s researchers are two of the main objectives. These activities relate to some of the following fields:

  • the EU’s Sixth Framework Programme (particularly NWO’s active role in creating and hosting EDCTP) and the preparations for the Seventh Programme
  • ERA-net (facilitating a European research space)
  • EUROHORCs (the united heads of European Research Councils)
  • ESF (European Science Foundation)
  • EUROCORES (the transnational European research programmes)
  • Technology Platforms (which bring together national governments, knowledge institutes and industries in specific strategic areas of technology)
  • various bi- and multilateral collaboration schemes, especially with (developing) countries in Europe and Asia

Under the chairmanship of Peter Nijkamp the Task Force EU-presidency Research and Science was established.

Infrastructure

NWO contributes (inter)nationally to strengthening the research infrastructure by developing and acquiring national research facilities. Researchers can use the available facilities with the help of NWO funding. These activities relate to some of the following fields:

  • the investment programme NWO-Medium, in which 30 applications (about 11.1 million euro) were approved
  • NCF, which is responsible for the national high-end computer infrastructure
  • operating time (computing, measuring, time on board) of large facilities 
  • accessibility of secondary databases

Cooperation

The borderline between curiosity-driven and socially motivated research is gradually disappearing. NWO will increase its efforts to join up with other social players. NWO wants to be the preferred partner in the interplay of those who require and those who offer research, particularly for ministries and industries. These activities relate to some of the following fields:

  • Technology Foundation STW, expert in the field of knowledge transfer
  • NROG, which coordinates genomics research
  • ACTS, which coordinates research into catalysis for sustainability
  • successful (coordination of) applications in the BSIK-round
  • joint venture with/facilitating of Senter (and the ministry of Economic Affairs, TNO-STB), COS, the ICT-Forum, KCGS

Communication and knowledge dissemination 

NWO regards communication with scientists in the field as essential for defining trends in science, in addition to effective and efficient communication on subsidies and application requirements. A permanent dialogue with the business world, politics, media and the general public is also the basis for giving a public account of the spending of taxpayers’ money, and moreover a way of conveying the ‘use’ of science, its qualities, limitations and future. These activities relate to some of the following fields:

  • policy communication and Public Affairs, by such means as personal effort and management contacts, lectures, prizes, press releases, the science magazine Hypothese (and its digital counterpart Hypothese Online) and newsletters, both for the political and scientific communities and for the general public
  • subsidy communication, with an important part played by the remodelled website
  • scientific discourse, through countless meetings with and for scientists, newsletters, financial assistance for publications
  • science communication, through press and research notices, books, and the hugely popular National Science Quiz

Management

Improving the quality of scientific research also entails reducing researchers’ managerial burden. With the help of INK quality schemes a more effective and efficient service to researchers and others is being created. NWO’ s own organisation too comes under scrutiny: the more efficient NWO is, the lower overhead expenses will be. These activities relate to some of the following fields:

  • reducing bureaucracy and managerial costs for researchers
  • the proper disposal of and reduction in the number of appeals and objections
  • adaptations at bureau level (merger of CW and ACTS and of IB and WOTRO, creation of the N division)
  • better accommodation for the institutes
  • unceasing attention to staff policy and welfare
  • careful and conscientious financial management

Climate and instruments

During 2003 knowledge and innovation increasingly came under the public and political spotlight. The social climate is more favourable than in the recent past, while the feeling of urgency regarding the need for new investments is growing. On the other hand these positive developments are partially cancelled out by cuts in the research budgets of ministries and budget cuts at universities.

NWO promotes scientific research in all disciplines practised in the Netherlands by means of around 150 different subsidies. These temporary subsidies can roughly be divided into two categories: on the one hand thematic/programmatic research in which the subject matter is defined in advance in general terms, on the other hand non-thematic research (by means of personal support or otherwise) in which the subject matter can be freely chosen (the above-mentioned ‘open competition’).

NWO fulfils its funding assignment not according to the laws of distributive justice, but in keeping with severe quality standards: only the best is good enough. In addition to these long-term programmes NWO also supports scientific research in designated fields which is being carried out on a permanent basis by her own nine institutes. All NWO spearheads are yielding an ever richer harvest, both through the NWO office and through the institutes.