NWO's activities in 2004 in a nutshell

 Accountability Indicators 2004 (pdf, 717 kb, 17 pages, Dutch language only)

The Netherlands is one of the countries at the forefront of the global knowledge economy. NWO aims to sustain this position together with national and foreign partners. Innovation and quality are the two most important building blocks of this policy. NWO therefore encourages Dutch fundamental scientific research of excellent quality.

NWO invests among other things in research themes that lead to innovations in scientific research, both fundamental and application-oriented, and are inspired by societal needs. NWO invites scientific workers to take up research within the (thematic) programmes developed by NWO, as well as to put forward research proposals in the open competition on the basis of subjects chosen by themselves.

NWO’s mission is stated in the NWO law; her vision and strategy are formulated in the strategic paper Themes with Talent, the key targets of which are: Themes, Talent, Internationalisation, Cooperation, Infrastructure, Communication and knowledge dissemination, and Administration.

In 2004 renewed attention for knowledge and innovation put science in the spotlight as well. NWO closely follows these developments in science and society. As part of the knowledge economy government and (governmental) organisations are seeking ways to bring innovational and technological policy to a higher level. Europe is to become a leading economy in the world. The Netherlands, which in 2004 took over the EU presidency for six months, is glad to be able to contribute to this.

NWO incorporates the call for curiosity-driven and application oriented research in her policy and commits itself to creating a strong knowledge society. Her new strategy (2007-2010), which was initiated in 2004, will provide an embedment for these goals.

Important factors:

Dutch researchers continue to perform at a high quality level international competition, cooperation and exchange (including between companies and knowledge institutions) takes on increasing importance focus and critical mass (spending a substantial sum of money on one research question) offers the best chance of success

Talent

NWO invests in the intellectual capital of young scientific talent in order to secure a future leading position in science for the Netherlands. To achieve this goal NWO uses instruments such as:

  • the Innovational Research Incentives Scheme
  • the NWO/Spinoza prize
  • the Talent-programme
  • the Casimir-programme
  • encouraging groups which need special (financial) help (women, ethnic minorities)
  • at the various NWO divisions, subsidy schemes aimed at individual researchers and relating to their specific area of expertise
  • the career website Science’s Next Wave
  • the NWO/Next Wave Talent Days and Talent Classes.

Themes

NWO confronts society’s issues of ever increasing complexity by initiating multidisciplinary research. Nine themes epitomise that approach: Shifts in Governance, Cognition and Behaviour, Cultural Heritage, Digitalisation and Information Technology, Ethical and Social Aspects of Research and Innovation, Fundamentals of Life Processes, Nano-sciences, Emerging Technologies, and System Earth. Within the framework of these themes already 95 research programmes are in progress; new ones are on the way.

Internationalisation

NWO is convinced that international cooperation and competition contribute to the quality and innovative character of research. The problems facing the Netherlands are global issues. NWO therefore is actively involved in international developments, among other things by

  • participating in the ERA-nets, Technology Platforms and EURYI
  • organising international congresses
  • participating in the EuroHORCs and the preparations for the ERC
  • cooperating with countries such as China, Japan, Russia etc.

Infrastructure

An efficient infrastructure is a vital factor in creating a challenging and exciting research environment. NWO contributes both nationally and internationally in various ways to strengthening the research infrastructure. These ways include:

  • various investment programmes and investments via the NWO institutes
  • coordinating and sponsoring the national high-end computer infrastructure via NCF
  • financing use time at national and international research facilities (computing time, measuring time, cruising time)
  • providing access to large databases via WSA
  • participation in e-IRG and ESFRI

The regular means in the Netherlands are insufficient for conducting large-scale top-quality research and attracting eminent researchers and companies. By way of the Innovation Platform another 40 million euro will become available for large research facilities in the course of 2005.

Cooperation

NWO can only implement her mission effectively in cooperation with other parties. She does this

  • with other intermediary organisations in and around the field of science, the universities and other scientific institutes (such as KNAW, VSNU, TNO, VNO*NCW, COS, SenterNovem)
  • increasingly with organisations from the public and private sectors (for instance, with the Ministry of Economic Affairs in STW, with the Health Ministry in ZonMw, with the Ministries of Education, Economic Affairs, Agriculture, Health and Housing in the Netherlands Genomics Initiative, with Economic Affairs and chemical industries in ACTS, with the Ministries of Education and Economic Affairs in ICTRegie, with the Ministry of Justice in HIIL)
  • in many specific research programmes
  • via the NWO institutes, combining their expertise with that of other (international) research institutes.

Communication and knowledge dissemination

NWO puts great store by a self-conscious and transparent accountability, good communications with the various fields, a well-organised presentation of subsidies, and an up-to-date overview of the results of NWO-financed research. These objectives are reached by

  • corporate communication
  • policy communication and Public Affairs
  • subsidy communication
  • stimulating and facilitating scientific discourse
  • knowledge transfer
  • communicating science to the press and general public

Management

Reducing researchers’ managerial burden is a key target of NWO policy. In addition, the cuts imposed by the Ministry of Education increase the need for greater efficiency in NWO’s organisation and for a lower overhead. This results in an improved service to researchers and a better positioning vis-ā-vis clients, not to mention a greater satisfaction among NWO employees.

Other noteworthy facts about 2004:

  • the number of objections was 0.2 per cent of the total number of 3,472 approvals and rejections
  • ALW and NGI will intensify their cooperation in the field of life sciences
  • the collective labour agreement (CAO) became an object of strategic reassessment, which is to lead to a long-term agenda for future agreements
  • sick leave was again down, from 2.9 per cent in 2003 to 2.7 per cent in 2004
  • as part of Dare/NARCIS software was developed to exchange research information, as laid down in NWOdelfi, with the systems of the universities and vice versa

In 2004 the liquid assets remained at the same level. The Governing Board is seeking a reduction in liquid assets and has decided, in a long-term perspective, to spend 37 million euros extra, among other things on ICTRegie (5 million), the Physical Sciences Division (4 million) and CW/ACTS (7 million euro).