The new Dutch cabinet has been sworn in. What do the plans outlined in the coalition agreement mean for scientific research in the Netherlands? The economists at the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis took a closer look.
Rianne Letschert, soon-to-be minister of Education, Culture and Science, rose rapidly through the academic ranks to become a university administrator. She has received widespread praise for her style.
For the first time, a novel by Kader Abdolah is set entirely in the Netherlands, in Delft to be exact. One of the most stately buildings ever owned by TU Delft forms its decor.
TU Delft has expressed satisfaction with the new coalition agreement, which sets aside 1.5 billion euros for education. The university announced this in a press release on Friday. The umbrella organisation UNL also responded positively to the presented plans.
The minority cabinet of D66, CDA and VVD wants to reverse the cuts in education and is allocating 1.5 billion euros for this purpose. There will be no major investments in science, except perhaps through defence.
ABP, the public sector pension fund, has reduced its holdings of US government bonds by 10 billion euros. However, the fund is investing hundreds of millions in Palantir, a controversial company that, according to Amnesty International, facilitates the persecution of immigrants and student protesters in the United States.
Following a brawl in a campus bar at VU University Amsterdam in November, two students were arrested. Both of them are members of the far-right student party VSP. Earlier, the university magazine Ad Valvas had already pressed charges against the party.
Transparency is fine, says Caspar van den Berg, chairman of the umbrella organisation Universities of the Netherlands (UNL). According to him, public universities do not want any exceptions to the law that compels them to be open.
There is a lot at stake for students in the Dutch coalition talks. The chairpersons of student organisations ISO and LSVb would like to be involved. Meanwhile, they are looking for new board members.
