NWO pleased with extra investments in research
The Cabinet has announced several measures which will ensure that NWO's structural budget for the next few years is maintained on balance. The extra 100 million euros per year for research announced in the coalition agreement will be distributed via the NWO system of competition for the best research. This will provide opportunities for further strengthening the collaboration between excellent researchers and ambitious entrepreneurs to work at increasing welfare and wellbeing in the future via strategic knowledge themes.
With these measures the Cabinet is further building upon the joint manifesto of the knowledge organisations and the confederated industry from September 2012. This manifesto called for structural investments in research and innovation to keep pace with the top 5 knowledge economies in the world. The extra investment of 100 million euros for research, which comes from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, starts with 25 million euros in 2014 and increases via 75 million euros in 2015 to 100 million euros from 2018 onwards. In addition to this the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation will make a one-off sum of 50 million euros available to NWO for collaboration between industry and researchers in the area of fundamental research within the framework of the Top Consortia for Knowledge and Innovation (TKIs).
Jos Engelen, chair of the governing board of NWO, is pleased with the Cabinet's announcement: "With these measures the Cabinet has met our request for an early clarification about expenditure of funds included in the coalition agreement via NWO and the need to make these available more quickly. These extra investments are urgently needed to turn around the falling trend of investment in research. An additional budget that will rise to 100 million euros per year means that several thousand young researchers can be appointed over the next few years, mainly at the universities. For NWO the extra funds mean that we are in a better position to meet the contribution we have been asked to make to the top sector policy while still continuing to invest in a broad and excellent knowledge base."
Source: press release NWO.