Structural investment in proven solutions
The government is reversing major cuts to university budgets and strengthening research across the board, whilst minimising the regulatory burden. Successful temporary measures introduced by the Rutte IV government are also being made permanent.
Focus on world-class research and European cooperation
One of the measures for which more funding is being allocated is for universities to sharpen the focus of their research. For one university, for example, this might mean specialising in research into digitalisation and AI, whilst for another it might be biotechnology or security and resilience. Recent years have shown that world-class research is much more likely to get off the ground in this way. An additional €132 million per year will be allocated for this. There will also be an additional €80 million per year for researchers to help them even more effectively secure European research grants, which already fund a great deal of crucial research in the Netherlands.
Practical research and the Einstein Telescope
Additional funding is being provided for major scientific infrastructure, such as a national supercomputer and the Einstein Telescope. First and foremost, these kinds of state-of-the-art instruments are indispensable for scientists to carry out high-quality research. But secondly, they act as a magnet for innovation, as well as for jobs and regional revenue over the long term.
The government also intends to make additional structural investments in practice-oriented research at universities of applied sciences (€69 million per year) and research at senior secondary vocational education institutions (€17 million per year). This research is an important source of innovations that can be put to immediate use.
Extra attention is also being paid to security. That is why educational institutions will receive additional funding over the coming years – totalling €80 million – to help them with their knowledge security and to strengthen their cyber resilience.
Ambitions
Strengthening science and reversing budget cuts is in line with the ambition set out by the government in the coalition agreement. The intention is for the funding to become available from next year. The next step is to submit these investments, as part of the overall budget, to Parliament for approval. This will take place on Prinsjesdag.
