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Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO)

 

NWO has the following statutory mission. The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research:

  • is responsible for enhancing the quality and innovative nature of scientific research as equally initiating and stimulating new developments in scientific research
  • mainly fulfils its task by allocating resources
  • facilitates, for the benefit of society, the dissemination of knowledge from the results of research that it has initiated and stimulated
  • mainly focuses on university research in performing its task.

In fulfilling its responsibilities NWO pays due attention to the aspect of coordination and facilitates this where necessary. NWO wants to ensure that Dutch science continues to be amongst the best in the world and that the currently strong position is further strengthened. NWO would also like to see a more intensive use of the results from scientific research by society, so that the contribution of scientific research to prosperity and welfare can be further increased.

 

In 2001, NWO published its strategic memorandum Themes plus Talent for the period 2002-2005. In Themes plus Talent, NWO has analysed several important scientific and societal developments and has translated this into a new strategy. The most important developments that NWO has noticed are: a) the increasingly faster succession of scientific trends; b) the growing significance attached to scientific knowledge by society; c) the increasing international competition and cooperation within science; d) the limited attractiveness of science as a career and its increasingly capital-intensive nature

Based on these developments NWO has chosen the following key policy targets to realise its ambitions:

  • Talent (funding of talented researchers)
  • Themes (funding of large-scale thematic research programmes)
  • Internationalisation
  • Infrastructure
  • Cooperation
  • Communication and knowledge transfer

In the beginning of 2006 the new strategic plan for the period 2007-2010 will be published.

 

The Research Council for the Humanities is responsible for research policy and the allocation of financial resources in the field of the humanities. It is one of the eight research councils of NWO. It allocates resources to research projects and research programmes of very high quality. In addition, the Research Council develops and funds research programmes bearing on themes that have been determined beforehand.

 

The Research Council for the Humanities has nine members. It has a broad composition in terms of disciplines and university background. The Research Council is accountable for its policy to the Governing Board of NWO, which also appoints the members of the Research Council. The Council is assisted by a number of multidisciplinary assessment committees. The assessment and ranking of applications takes place per type of grant, so that applications of a similar type but originating from different fields within the humanities compete with one another. Expert advisers are consulted in connection with the assessment. Furthermore, several programme committees, councils and steering committees operate in the field of the humanities for the development and management of large-scale thematic research programmes.

 

Contact

Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research

Council for the Humanities

Ms Annemarie Bos

P.O Box 93425

2509 AK Den Haag

The Netherlands

 

Tel: + 31 70 3440836/825