Friday 4 June saw the Dutch universities unanimously reappoint Pieter Duisenberg as President of the Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU). Anton Pijpers, Member of the Executive Board of the VSNU and President of the Executive Board of Utrecht University: ‘Pieter has been working tirelessly for the universities over the past few years. The Dutch universities are convinced that he will be able to make a significant contribution to our sector over the next four years as well. We appreciate Pieter’s energy and have full confidence in him as President.’ The reappointment means that Pieter Duisenberg will hold the post of President of the VSNU until 1 October 2025.

Pieter Duisenberg: ‘I am eager and excited to continue doing my utmost for the universities and their efforts to contribute to solutions to the major challenges facing society, such as those related to climate, food, health, technologies and inclusivity. The ambition is to achieve world-class education, research and impact. To this end, creating space for everyone’s talent and reducing workloads will be crucial, as will sufficient investment in scientific education and research. The universities are keen to engage in dialogue with the new government to redress the inadequate funding recently identified in PwC’s report and to move towards a level of 3% of GDP to be invested in R&D, which is one that similar countries like Germany and Denmark have already surpassed.’