News item | 03-10-2022 | 06:30
Minister Dijkgraaf (OCW) gives 60 million euros this year for the first round of sector plans. YOUUniversities and UMCs will use this money to start with more cooperation within the various sectors of science. With these sector plans, institutions have made clear choices and sound agreements about which opportunities and bottlenecks they will tackle together. This contributes to strengthening Dutch research and education at the highest level. The allocation of this first 60 million euros was decided on the basis of the positive advice of the National Committee on Sector Plans (NCSP). It was previously announced that a total of 200 million euros will be structurally invested per year in the sector plans: the second part of the allocation (140 million euros) will follow in the spring of 2023.
The government is committed to a healthy and strong basis for the higher education and science system, with peace and space for students, researchers and lecturers. Earlier, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science announced a structural investment of 200 million euros annually for sector plans in the policy letter for higher education and science. In order to address the most urgent bottlenecks for higher education as quickly as possible, it has been decided to make 60 million euros structurally available from 2022. This money is intended for the four domains: social sciences and humanities, science, technology and medical sciences.
Minister Dijkgraaf: “We have so many institutions in the Netherlands that provide fantastic education and conduct research. Sometimes, however, we have to collaborate even more and dare to make choices about what we are going to do where and by whom. Because not everyone has to want to do everything. So that we have the right knowledge in the right place and therefore continue to lead the way, also internationally.”
Sharp choices
Sector plans improve the cohesion and cooperation between education and research. But also for more peace and space through the use of more permanent contracts. In addition, they contribute to making joint, sharp choices about the division of tasks and profiling between and of universities. For example, it is sometimes much smarter for an institution to focus more on knowledge A and another institution to focus on knowledge B, but agreements have to be made about this. The sector plans will help with this. In this way, the cabinet, in collaboration with the universities, is increasing the quality of education and research.
Themes sector plans
The technology sector plans focus on major societal challenges such as energy and sustainability, as well as agriculture, water and food. Key technologies are also central. The sector plan for the medical and health sciences deals with the themes of prevention, data-driven innovation and the chain from fundamental research to application. In the beta sciences sector plans, the connecting themes are climate, energy, health and biodiversity.
In the social sciences and humanities, collaboration is strengthened in an interdisciplinary program on prosperity, participation and citizenship in a digital world. Furthermore, the social sciences focus on five spearheads in interdisciplinary research, including youth resilience, the human factor in new technologies and social inequality. Finally, the humanities choose to strengthen the basis of research and education in modern foreign languages and Dutch.
National Committee on Sector Plans
To assess the corresponding investments of the sector plans installed in the National Committee on Sector Plans (NCSP). The task of the committee is to advise Minister Dijkgraaf on the quality and deployment of the sector plans and to advise on the approach to monitoring the sector plans and the instrument as a whole.
The NCSP writes: “The committee greatly appreciates the work that the four domains have done. In a short period of time, high-quality plans have been drawn up for applying for sector planning funds. The sector plan process demonstrates that deans, faculties and institutions make substantive choices and actively collaborate in drawing up research and teaching activities that match those choices. […] Each of the choices contributes significantly to strengthening the national university system.”
New plans in spring 2023
Minister Dijkgraaf recently received the attached advice from the National Committee on Sector Plans about these investments in the sector plans. The committee concludes that good plans have been drawn up in a short period of time and that there is good cooperation in the process. This provides sufficient confidence for the allocation of 60 million euros this autumn. After allocating the resources, the NCSP process will enter the second round. In the spring of 2023, Minister Dijkgraaf will receive the second advice on the sector plans, and will be able to allocate the full amount on that basis.