In this context, practice-oriented research acts as a ‘catalyst for change’: it provides immediately applicable solutions for businesses and public organisations, particularly regional SMEs, which account for three-quarters of the more than 64,000 research partners.
In practical terms, universities of applied sciences are focusing on the four strategic areas of industrial policy: semiconductors, biotechnology, defence-related applications and digital services.
Investing in scaling up
To fulfil this role to the full, universities of applied sciences are calling for a doubling of research funding and a shift towards a 75-25 per cent teaching-to-research ratio.
The aim: to strengthen the Netherlands’ earning capacity and make society more resilient and robust.
