Reading time about 2 minutes
The innovations that should keep science attractive are only slowly taking off. Researchers are still judged primarily on their research and are dissatisfied with the room they have to develop other core tasks.
who Notes Rathenau Institute in the report Balance of science The institute reports on the performance of Dutch science compared to targets set by the government.
National Program
Five years ago, a national program was launched to give researchers more room to develop in other fields, such as education or management. But according to the Rathenau Institute, this program has not yet gained a foothold everywhere.
Many researchers say they are still judged mainly on “traditional criteria such as excellent research.” Other tasks, such as teaching, are devalued. The proportion of teachers with a teaching qualification remains stagnant at 60 percent.
The number of academic staff at universities has increased by 22 percent in recent years to nearly 32,000.
old habits
According to research coordinator Alexandra Vinkens from the Rathenau Institute, science is still “too stuck in old habits, which mainly revolve around Peer review “Research.” Now that the influx of employees has increased, it is important to retain talent. This can be done, for example, “by giving them opportunities to develop further and more broadly when it comes to team performance, leadership and management,” according to Finkins.
According to the Rathenau Institute, young researchers often feel insecure due to competition, temporary contracts and relatively poor job prospects. As a result, they are exposed to more work pressure. In addition, more than a quarter of researchers and university teachers work a lot of overtime every week.
Small improvements
The institute noted “slight improvements” compared to the last time it checked the state of Dutch science, in 2020. For example, 27% of researchers had temporary contracts, compared to 24% now. And although the Netherlands is still below the European average in terms of the share of female scientists, this share has risen from 27% to 30%.
The quality of Dutch science also remains high, and the number of scientific staff at universities has increased significantly in recent years, as the government has more money available for research. Public trust in science is average internationally. In Western Europe, an average of 59% of respondents indicated that they have a lot of trust in science, and in the Netherlands this figure is 57%.
Fourth Edition
It is the fourth edition of Balance of Science Published by the Rathenau Institute. The first appeared in 2016 as a joint initiative between the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences, the Advisory Council for Science, Technology and Innovation and the Rathenau Institute.
The final edition was prepared to publish the main outline agreement of the Schoof Cabinet, in which major cuts in education and research were announced.
