Evaluations NWO institutes

2023 Evaluations of NWO Institutes

The institute evaluations have been carried out for many years in accordance with the Strategy Evaluation Protocol (SEP). This joint protocol of the Universities of the Netherlands, NWO and KNAW is reviewed and adopted every six years.

Under the SEP 2021–2026, nine NWO institutes were evaluated by committees of independent international experts at the end of 2023 and rated as ‘excellent’. The scientific research they carry out is of the very highest quality. The institutes are praised, amongst other things, for their groundbreaking research, the access they provide to their scientific field to major national and international consortia or infrastructures, and their role in bringing the field together. They are therefore an indispensable link in the landscape of scientific research in the Netherlands. 

The committees carried out a thorough review and provided the institutions with useful recommendations. These recommendations show that the institutions are on the right track and serve as an encouragement to continue in this vein.

How does an evaluation work?

The SEP is a flexible tool designed to maximise the benefits of research evaluations with minimal effort. The institutes are free to decide for themselves which indicators they consider suitable for evaluating their own research. 

The evaluation is based on a self-evaluation report. The SEP evaluations provide the board and the institutes with the opportunity to monitor and improve the quality of research as part of the ongoing institutional quality assurance cycle. No quantitative assessment criteria are provided to the institutes; the emphasis is on qualitative assessments that the institute can use to guide its future work. 

The evaluation also addresses aspects such as Open Science, Academic Culture, HR policy and PhD policy. This ensures that societal developments – such as recognising and valuing researchers in a different way – are taken into account.

Six-yearly review of the SEP

Together with the KNAW and Universities of the Netherlands, NWO has set up a working group to monitor and further develop the SEP. In addition, a number of experts from the field have joined the working group. 

At the end of 2023, the joint working group began preparations for the evaluation of the current SEP for the period 2021–2027.  Following the establishment of administrative priorities at the end of 2024, the revised SEP was developed through workshops, wide-ranging consultations, a national working session and several rounds of drafting. Further information about the working group, the interim evaluation and the substantive amendments can be found on the UNL website (in Dutch).

New evaluation protocol 2027–2033

By the end of 2025, the boards of NWO, KNAW and UNL had approved the text of the new SEP for the period 2027–2033. The new protocol has been published on the UNL website (in Dutch). This new protocol will be applied during the next round of evaluations of the NWO institutes in 2029. 

In addition to the assessment of the quality and societal relevance of the research and the institute’s future viability, within the framework of the portfolio of the KNAW and NWO institutes, explicit attention is also called for  regarding the institute’s national role.

Contact over SEP

Would you like to find out more about the SEP? If so, please contact Peter Spijker, Head of Administrative Support and Strategy at NWO-I: p.spijker@nwo-i.nl