Wim van Saarloos appointed as programme director NWO transition
Christa Hooijer candidate interim director FOM
With effect from 1 June, FOM director Wim van Saarloos will take up an appointment as programme director transition at NWO, responsible for leading the preparation for and implementation of the NWO transition. He will step down as director of FOM. The intended decision of the Executive Board of FOM is to appoint Christa Hooijer as interim director of FOM until the new organisation has been formed.
Van Saarloos has been director of FOM since 2009. With effect from 1 June he will step down. Today, the Executive Board of FOM announced its intended decision to appoint Christa Hooijer (1972) as interim director to take over his tasks with effect from 1 June until the new organisation has been formed. She is currently deputy director of NWO Physics and prior to this worked for 13 years as a programme coordinator at FOM. The decision has been submitted for advice to the Central Works Council of FOM.
Niek Lopes Cardozo, chair of FOM: "We are really proud that the director of FOM has been asked for this key position, especially as this has happened with very broad support from within the NWO organisation. FOM is very grateful to Wim for the fantastic manner in which he has fulfilled the directorship over the past six years, with a broad vision and unbridled energy. Qualities that now make him ideally suited for leading the transition. We wish him every success with this unique challenge. At the same time, his departure does leave a considerable gap that is a challenge to fill. The Executive Board is convinced that in Christa Hooijer it has found an interim director who, with her considerable experience at both FOM and NWO, is ideally suited to lead FOM through this transition, together with the current management team. These are major and sudden changes, but the board has every confidence that the organisation is in good hands."
Implementation new NWO organisation
The changes at FOM are related to the start of the implementation of the new NWO organisation, the contours of which were announced on 14 April. A steering group will manage the implementation process of the NWO transition. In the first meeting on Monday 18 May the steering group decided to appoint Wim van Saarloos as programme director NWO transition with effect from 1 June. In this position he will lead the transition to the new NWO organisation.
Funding instruments remain unchanged in 2015
FOM and NWO will continue to keep employees and relations up-to-date with any new developments. Researchers will be informed well in advance about any possible changes in the funding instruments in the coming years. In 2015 the funding instruments and submission deadlines will not change.