'More than just the top sectors'
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Category: Alumni World
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On 7 October around 500 alumni gathered in TU Delft’s Aula for an alumni symposium. Big names from the worlds of politics, business and science came together to debate the government’s innovation policy and its effects on science in the Netherlands.
Robert Dijkgraaf, president of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), expressed his concern about the government’s innovation policy. “In recent years we have created a healthy and competitive scientific climate in the Netherlands. The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) has played a key role in this for all fields of science. The decision to fund the ‘top-sector policy’ with exclusively existing means is going to cause problems. Before you know it, the entire NWO budget will be used to finance the top-sector policy. That would be a disaster for science policy in the Netherlands.” Dijkgraaf believes there is more to science than top sectors alone. “There is also a degree of biodiversity in science. We have many disciplines. If you look at where the fundamental breakthroughs were made in the long term, some occurred in unexpected areas. That is why we need to protect that biodiversity. Key questions, such as how the world works, ultimately lead to answers with enormous implications. We must protect this culture of science.”
Dangerous
Frans Heemskerk, former State Secretary of Economic Affairs and member of the Executive Board of Royal Haskoning, shares Dijkgraaf ’s concerns and regards the NWO cutbacks as dangerous. Rein Willems, the chair of the top team for the Chemistry sector and former Member of the Senate for the CDA party, stated that less money will indeed be available for innovation, but the plan does not mean less funding will go to science and research. “We will fight to maintain the high standard of fundamental, curiosity-driven research at the NWO.” However, he does feel that it should focus more on the top sectors. “This means that we will no longer do everything in the Netherlands. Ultimately, however, the balance between fundamental and applied research should not change. In addition to this debate, there were also presentations by Delft scientists, lectures and a Coach Café. Reactions to the alumni symposium were largely positive. Most respondents found the plenary component particularly interesting. The use of Twitter combined with propositions that were advanced led to an interactive meeting. The alumni felt they would have liked the panel discussion to have gone on for longer.
