Netherlands’ main research funder changes internal structure and focus of schemes
The Dutch Research Council (NWO), which is the Netherlands’ main research funder, is changing its policies and structure to further promote international research collaboration.
On 18 September, the NWO announced that it would continue to focus on co-funded partnerships facilitated by the EU’s research and innovation programme. But it said it was also planning to boost joint programming with international partners under its own Knowledge and Innovation Covenant (KIC) scheme, focused on societal challenges, and Dutch Research Agenda (NWA) scheme, which aims to connect science with the wider society.
The funder also announced that it is opening up its Merian Fund to international cooperation with emerging science players beyond the five countries currently eligible: Brazil, China, India, Indonesia and South Africa.
It said its international collaborations would focus on three global transitions: sustainable energy, mobility, and food and water management.
To facilitate the changes, the coordination of its international programmes has been placed under a new International Programmes department, while a unit for global development has been discontinued.
The moves build on other changes at the NWO over the past year to focus its internationalisation work on four pillars: a healthy research culture, improving collaboration between researchers, enabling joint programming and funding, and supporting infrastructures.
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