On 26 July, following a positive backbench consultation, Universities of the Netherlands and the employees’ organisations FNV, FBZ, CNV Overheid and AOb converted the cla negotiating settlement which was concluded on 28 June into a definitive agreement. The collective labour agreement (CAO-NU) is in effect from 01 April 2023 through 30 June 2024.

Dutch universities will take a more critical stance towards global university rankings. These ‘league tables’ have methodological shortcomings and their assessment of the research achievements of universities is too one-sided, being based on the number of publications and citations. This is at odds with the Recognition & Rewards programme, through which Dutch universities emphasise quality rather than quantity. So concludes an expert group advising the Board of the Universities of the Netherlands.

On 28 June, negotiators representing the employers’ organisation Universities of the Netherlands and the employees’ organisation reached a negotiation settlement on the 2023 Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU). The parties in the collective agreement agreed to a 9.0% salary increase from 1 August, in addition to a one-off gross payment of up to €1200. The universities also agreed that the number of lecturers with a temporary contract (expressed as a percentage of the total academic teaching staff) must be reduced from 15.0% to 13.5% in three years’ time. This will result in approximately 300 new permanent positions.

During the Recognition & Rewards Festival on Thursday, 13 April, more than 250 participants actively engaged with each other on the different elements of the Recognition & Rewards programme. Robbert Dijkgraaf, Minister of Education, Culture and Science, also participated in a workshop and engaged in a dialogue with scientists. During the festival, he was also handed the recently published road map 'Room for everyone's talent in practice' by the national Recognition & Rewards steering group. 

Minister of Education, Culture and Science, Robbert Dijkgraaf, has today submitted the Letter to Parliament on Internationalisation in Higher Education to the House of Representatives. In this letter he sets out a number of actions that are designed to enable more effective regulation of the intake of international students. The Minister will set to work immediately on a bill that will give universities legal powers to control the intake of international students more effectively at degree programme level from academic year 2025-2026 onwards.

Dutch knowledge institutions and research funders are taking a new step forward in the Recognition & Rewards programme. This will involve the publication of a road map of concrete plans for the immediate future, including new career and development paths for academics.

Today, Universities of The Netherlands (UNL) is presenting transparent principles for the transfer of intellectual property to (university) spin-offs. These deal terms, as they are called, regulate how to deal with intellectual property and universities’ share ownership in spin-offs that involve a researcher terminating their employment.

On 28 and 29 September 2023, Universities of the Netherlands will host the UNLimited Festival: a multidisciplinary gathering for everyone who works at, with and for universities.

Horizon Europe is one of the world’s largest international funding programme for science and innovation. Nonetheless, the Dutch universities, the university medical centres and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) have found that the Horizon programme could still be better equipped to make a real difference with regard to the great challenges we face.

UNLimited is the leading meeting of 2023 for everyone who works in, with and for universities.

The first Recognition and Rewards magazine is out now!

In the 2022 academic year, approximately 340,000 students are enrolled at a university. This is similar to the previous academic year, according to the provisional enrolment figures of the Universities of the Netherlands (UNL). While around 4,000 more students are enrolled in Bachelor’s programmes, there are around 4,000 fewer students enrolled at Master’s level. This makes the total number of enrolments roughly equal to last academic year. UNL President Pieter Duisenberg: ‘The stabilisation of student numbers at our universities gives us the space to use the substantial investments from the coalition agreement to get the fundamentals in order when it comes to workloads and more time for research. However, the expectation is that student numbers will continue to increase in the years ahead. In the future study with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, we will examine what this will require from universities and from measures taken by the ministry.’

As per December 1, 2022, Nettie Buitelaar started as managing director of Biotech Booster. Biotech Booster was awarded almost €250M by the National Growth Fund last April, to accelerate the translation of biotech knowledge to the market and society.

Academics regularly face threats, harassment and hate speech. To address this issue, Universities of the Netherlands (UNL), the Dutch Research Council (NWO) and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) are launching the platform WetenschapVeilig today. Academics who are being threatened or harassed can visit this website (www.wetenschapveilig.nl) 24 hours a day for help. UNL President Pieter Duisenberg: ‘Academics fulfil a crucial social function. It is unacceptable that they should have to face threats, harassment and hate speech in their work. This has an enormous impact on our people, and we view such threats as an attack on academic freedom. With the launch of WetenschapVeilig, we wish to support our academics as best as possible.’

Find the perfect next step for you at www.universitairdoorleren.nl

The Netherlands Federation of University Medical Centres (NFU), the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), the Dutch Research Council (NWO), Universities of the Netherlands (UNL) and each of the 14 individual universities sign the European ‘Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment’. This agreement between the European Commission, Science Europe and the European University Association (EUA) endorses the objectives of the national Recognition & Rewards programme. The agreement contains arrangements about how research results must be assessed in order to enhance the quality and impact of the research, but also ensure integrity. In addition, attention is explicitly given to recognising and rewarding academics for the various tasks they perform. In total, 350 organisations from more than 40 countries have indicated that they will sign the agreement. ZonMw also intends to sign.

Universities of the Netherlands is working on various projects, together with the Interuniversity Committee for Teacher Training (Interuniversitaire Commissie Lerarenopleidingen, ICL) and partners in the field of education, to train more academically trained teachers and make sure they stay in this profession.

Universities of the Netherlands (UNL) and the Netherlands Federation of University Medical Centres (NFU) have joined forces to present an ambition statement for animal-free innovations in academic education.

Minister Dijkgraaf today approved the first part of the university sector plans based on the positive recommendation of the National Sector Plans Committee. The Minister will make a total of €60 million available for 2022. In the spring of 2023, the remaining funds – amounting to a structural total of €200 million – will follow. Pieter Duisenberg, president of Universities of the Netherlands: 'We are making substantial investments in the foundations of universities by means of the sector plans. For example, universities and university medical centres wish to appoint around 1500 extra FTEs in the coming years. This will allow us to seriously reduce the workload and make a targeted contribution to major social challenges such as the digital transition, climate change and safety.'

Substantial investments will be made in universities in the coming years, totalling more than €1 billion per year in higher education and research. Before the summer, universities reached an administrative agreement with Minister Dijkgraaf regarding the allocation of these investments. On this basis, the 2023 Dutch national budget earmarked €300 million for starter and stimulation grants and €200 million for sector plans. The government is also investing in other areas such as student well-being, research facilities and knowledge security.

The shortage of student accommodation has grown continuously in recent years. According to the National Student Accommodation Monitor (Landelijke Monitor Studentenhuisvesting), presented today, there is now a shortage of almost 27,000 student housing units. The shortage is expected to increase to a total of 44,800 units in the twenty largest university cities by the 2029/2030 academic year. The National Action Plan for Student Accommodation (Landelijk Actieplan Studentenhuisvesting) was signed today to address this problem. The plan presents agreements among the government, accommodation providers, universities and student organisations on actions to be taken over the next years. The action plan’s goal is to make an additional 60,000 affordable student housing units available over the 2022-2030 period. 

On Monday 5 September all Dutch universities will be starting their academic year. This time the Opening of the Academic Year (OAY) has a specially festive aspect because this year the first of the new government investments are reaching universities.

Research universities, universities of applied sciences and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science conclude administrative agreement on higher education and research

Research universities adopt common internship agreement

Corona update 25th of August 2021: Update service document  The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science has published a new version of the Service Document for Higher Education.

On the 27th of June Universities of the Netherlands (UNL) organised, in collaboration with ARMA-NL, a Learning Community session for Research Support Offices (RSO). More than one hundred grant advisors, RSO heads, research managers and other interested participants from all over the country joined the event. The main aim was to exchange knowledge and best-practices to further strengthen and professionalise Research Support Offices.

Research and innovation are key enablers for the implementation of the Green Deal. There is an enormous urge to work together among different types of stakeholders. Long term mission-oriented funding schemes and sufficient human capital are needed to deliver on the ambitions. These were some of the key points raised during the hybrid event on the Green Deal and research, jointly organized by Neth-ER and Universities of the Netherlands on June 21st, 2022.
 

Pieter Duisenberg, president of Universities of the Netherlands: ‘The universities will use this money to reduce the heavy workloads of staff and give researchers the opportunity to conduct further research. We are pleased that we will now be able to work towards a Normal Academic Standard.’

Neth-ER and Universities of the Netherlands cordially invite you to join the forthcoming hybrid event ‘European Green Deal: Impact and vision of Dutch research’ on June 21st from 15:30-17:30.

4% salary increase, one-off gross lump sum payment of €400, study into teachers’ career prospects and improvement of parental leave scheme

The Russian military assault on Ukraine has profoundly shocked knowledge institutions in the Netherlands, as represented by Universities of the Netherlands, the Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Dutch Research Council, the Dutch Federation of University Medical Centres and The Young Academy. This is a direct assault on liberty and democracy, which are the fundamental values undergirding academic freedom and cooperation. Dutch knowledge institutions remain fully committed to providing help to Ukrainian students and staff.

All 14 universities affiliated with Universities of the Netherlands have received a request under the Government Information (Public Access) Act from The Rights Forum to disclose ‘the institutional ties of Dutch universities with universities, institutions and businesses in Israel and with organisations that propagate support for the State of Israel’. This request has prompted a number of questions and caused considerable unrest. All universities governed by the Government Information (Public Access) Act will petition the party that submitted the request for a delay, so that they have time to process it.

Dutch universities are ecstatic that students will be able to return to university buildings as of 18 February. The maximum group size will also lapse at that time, and the need to wear face masks will lapse on 25 February. The recommendation to work from home has already been relaxed. The recommendation is now to work from home if possible and to spend no more than half of your working hours at the university. Universities will discuss this with their employees. Additionally, to the universities’ relief, the proposal to introduce COVID certificates in higher education has been withdrawn.

In the 2021-2022 academic year, 340,346 students are enrolled at Dutch universities. This is over 13,000 (4%) more than the record year 2020-2021, when there was an increase of 24,000 students (8%), partly due to the coronavirus crisis. This is evident from the final enrolment figures of the Universities of the Netherlands (UNL). The growing numbers of students will ensure that the pressure on universities remains unabated.

Maximum of 75 people in one room and face masks mandatory

Dutch universities and university medical centres are delighted with the substantial investments to be made in education, research and impact.

Today, the Dutch government decided that it is not yet safe for VET colleges, universities and universities of applied sciences to reopen.

Higher education and senior secondary vocational education must take place in person again as soon as possible. This is what the student unions JOB, ISO and LSVb, the Netherlands Association of Senior Secondary Vocational Schools, the Association of Universities of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands Association for Psychiatry, the National Youth Council and the Universities of the Netherlands are calling for. In a letter to the Outbreak Management Team, the organisations argue that educational institutions must be able to welcome all students back on campus as soon as possible. This is crucial to the quality of education and students’ well-being. 

Using Covid passes to keep universities open is possible, but not in the way the government is proposing. That was the gist of a letter we sent to the government, together with the universities of applied sciences.

Structural investments in research and science, as described in the proposal from the Knowledge Coalition, will be amply recouped. This is the finding from an independent analysis undertaken by RaboResearch, which has calculated the effects of the Knowledge Coalition's plans on its own initiative.

On 14 April, the advisory committee of the National Growth Fund announced which Growth Fund applications would be granted in the second round, following which the government has decided to facilitate further development of the relevant projects. Many universities are involved in the various projects for which Growth Fund applications have been granted, confirming their essential contribution to knowledge development, creating impact and valorisation. Pieter Duisenberg, President of Universities of the Netherlands: ‘Through top-class education and research, universities are contributing to solutions to major social challenges facing the Netherlands, including digitalisation, lifelong learning and research into biotechnology. Thanks to the huge investments made through the National Growth Fund, we can now speed up our contribution and deploy our knowledge and expertise in projects that ensure that our social impact can grow.’ In addition to the participation in projects by individual universities, Universities of the Netherlands is itself a consortium partner in three projects for which Growth Fund applications have been granted: Biotech Booster, National Lifelong Learning Catalyst (Nationale LLO-Katalysator), and Education Digitalisation Drive (Digitaliseringsimpuls Onderwijs).