KNAW and NWO-I present joint vision statement
In a joint vision statement, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and the Foundation for Dutch Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) present the social and scientific added value of their twenty-two national research institutes.
22 national research institutes
Together, the KNAW and NWO-I have twenty-two research institutes spread across the Netherlands, often located near a university. Twelve of these institutes are part of the KNAW, ten are part of the NWO Institute organisation, or NWO-I.
The institutes are active in the humanities and social sciences, life sciences, natural sciences and engineering. In total, more than 3,000 professionals work at our organisations, striving every day to push the boundaries of our knowledge through fundamental research. This knowledge is used to tackle major societal challenges, such as climate change, the energy transition, the fight against social inequality and democratic decline and curing or preventing diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's.
Reinforce research communities
The national research institutes of the KNAW and NWO-I play an important role in the Dutch national knowledge landscape. For example, they reinforce their research communities by developing valuable scientific instruments and providing access to large and important collections and to national and international research infrastructures.
In their research, the institutes collaborate intensively with universities and other public or private partners. For example, more than 180 staff members at a KNAW of NWO Institute hold a professorship at a Dutch university. These partnerships stimulate innovation and provide scientifically based insights for a broad range of audiences, from governments and NGOs to businesses.
Insights and breakthroughs
The expertise and long-term vision of the institutes make them an indispensable link in both the Dutch and international knowledge landscape. Over the past decades, they have contributed to important social and technological insights and breakthroughs. Examples include the development of wireless communication and new biomarkers for the national heel prick test for newborns, as well as the discovery of organoids as a replacement for animal testing in drug research and the long-term consequences of historical events such as world wars and genocide.
This new knowledge and these breakthroughs have led to new companies, licensing agreements and policy changes, and have shaped agenda-setting processes throughout society.
Vision and mission
The KNAW and NWO-I published their joint vision statement as national research institutes on their respective websites. There you will also find more information about the underlying strategic lines of each organisation and summaries of the objectives and activities of each institute. View the mission and vision statement of NWO-I, and the joint vision statement of the KNAW and NWO on the NWO-I website.
More information and contact details
Would you like to know more about the work of the KNAW? Please visit the KNAW website. More information about NWO-I can be found on this website. If you have any questions about the mission and vision statement of NWO-I, please contact Peter Spijker.