A Country of Colourful Variety--Samples of excellent Academic Research in the Netherlands
02 Apr 2010
There are good reasons for the support of world class research. This is the best way for modern societies to progress and compete in the global economic markets. The Netherlands should be at the forefront of these developments. It is in everyone’s best interest. The universities train the scientists and researchers of the future. Leading research paves the way for inspiring, excellent education and provides indispensable incentives for societal and economic innovation.
The research undertaken at Dutch universities is directly relevant to society. Dutch research is of exceptionally high quality, as the rankings confirm. International measures of the impact of research publications reveal that Dutch research ranks third world-wide. Researchers at Dutch universities tie with the Swiss for second place as the world’s most productive scholars, surpassed only by researchers in the United States. The World University Rankings published by the Times Higher Education (THE) magazine, which assesses both research results and international reputation, lists eleven Dutch universities in the Top 200 academic institutions in the world. Research is always in motion. In recent years, there has been an increasing convergence and concentration in those fields in which the Netherlands excels. This overview of examples of current research demonstrates this trend. Dutch scientists maintain a reliable and extensive network of international relationships. Scholars and universities work in close cooperation. Visits of researchers from overseas are a clear sign of the strength of research in the Netherlands.
The superlative research currently being performed traces its roots back to investments in people and facilities made years ago. We would like to maintain that standard in the future. Achieving that goal will require renewed investment in people and facilities – and they need to be comparable to the investments being made by our international competitors. We are far from confident that this is the case. Time after time, the Netherlands has been shown to lag behind the leading countries in Europe. If we seriously want to fulfil our ambitions, this development is taking us in the wrong direction. The figures show plainly where we stand internationally in terms of quality and in terms of investments. The work done by thousands of Dutch scientists proves that the invested funds are being spent wisely. The Dutch universities are the ecosystem for research talent. Close ties between research and education provide new generations the opportunities they deserve.
Finally, It is necessary to explain an extraordinary aspect of research in the Netherlands. The 14 universities are individual institutions and are distinguished by their own achievements. This leads to healthy competition. At the same time – and this is unique in the world today – they work together in close cooperation, as evidenced by the many inter-university institutes presented in this book. It is precisely that combination of cooperation and competition that gives the Dutch scientific landscape its wonderfully colourful variety.