Dutch launch €50 million fund to attract top researchers

The Dutch government will open a new €50 million fund this summer to bring leading international researchers to Dutch universities and research institutes.

In March the NWO and Dutch universities association UNL called on the government to set up a fund to attract American academics who had been sacked by the Trump administration.

The aim, education minister Eppo Bruins said, is to attract world-class scientists currently working outside the European Union, particularly those looking for a more stable research environment. “The research these scientists carry out in our country will contribute to a stronger and more resilient Netherlands and Europe,” Bruins said.

The fund is open to researchers of any nationality, including Dutch nationals currently based outside the EU.

Each selected researcher will receive up to €1 million in funding to support their work over the coming years. Eligible projects must be led by researchers with a strong international track record and the focus is on healthcare, the energy transition, agriculture, water management and housing, the ministry statement said.

“The Netherlands already has many excellent researchers, and we know that one top-level scientist with their own research line can advance an entire field,” Bruins said. “Fifty of them can help move a whole country forward. In times when we’re making broad cuts to research, this is a chance we should not miss.”

The call to attract foreign scientists comes at a time when the government is trying to cut back on the amount of English in use at Dutch universities, and on the number of foreign students.

Research staff too have been hit by the government’s planned €1.2 billion in spending cuts on education.

However, a spokeswoman for the minister told Dutch News that measures to combat “internationalisation” in higher education are focused on bachelor degrees, not top research.