Leiden University positive about coalition plans, with a few concerns
Dutch universities have responded positively to the new coalition plans. Investments in education, research and innovation will be prioritised, and the stringent cutbacks proposed by the previous cabinet will be reversed. Optimism is the order of the day in Leiden, though caution is advised.
The coalition agreement presented yesterday included an investment of one and a half billion in education and science. The investments are in line with the ambition of the coalition to invest three per cent of the country’s GDP in research and innovation. The precise distribution of these investments over the different education sectors still has to be decided, and support has to be garnered from the opposition parties.
A talent strategy is also proposed under which the Netherlands must attract, educate and retain enough talent for the employment market and for science. The coalition is abolishing the compulsory test for foreign-language education and wants to maintain the current offering of foreign-language programmes, including the English-language bachelor’s programme in Psychology. By doing so, the coalition partners say that they ‘aim to create a future-oriented and fully workable approach to international talent and international science.’
The new coalition also intends to invest in the mental wellbeing and resilience of students, and will offer educational institutions room to strengthen their support and guidance. The coalition plans recognise the problems caused by performance pressure and drop-outs.
‘Good news’
In an initial reaction, Caspar van den Berg, President of Universities of the Netherlands, described the plans as ‘good news’: ‘The coalition parties fully endorse that investing in education, research and innovation is crucial for the country’s future. These investments will enable universities to make an important contribution to resolving the major societal issues facing the Netherlands.’
Luc Sels, President of the Executive Board, is positive about the plans of the new coalition parties. ‘Leiden University sees in this coalition agreement a clear recognition of the value of scientific education, research and innovation. This means that we can now continue with our international programmes, which is very good news for our students and staff in the Department of Psychology. It also offers us good opportunities for further growth via structural investments in science, innovation and regional ecosystems such as the LBSP, for example, and all the developments in the area of space and quantum in our region.’
Valorisation
The strong emphasis on knowledge valorisation is in itself a good step, Sels believes. ‘This will allow universities to continue to show how enormously valuable they are for the business sector and the economy as a whole. We are very happy to collaborate in this area and as a university we are actively engaged in applying our social scientific knowledge for society, for example in the area of fake news. We are also working actively on creating new economic activity through targeted efforts to improve and accelerate the creation of spin-off companies.’
Need to remain cautious
On the other hand, the strong focus on positioning, valorisation and employment market relevance entails certain risks. ‘Yes it is in general good news, but we also have to remain cautious. The emphasis on employment market relevance may have some disadvantages for small programmes. We also run the risk that the value of education and research, for example in the humanities and social sciences, could be underestimated, even though these disciplines have major socio-economic value.’
‘That the coalition is focusing on scientific and technical fields is good and, of course, understandable, because these are often the driver of innovation. But to build the strong, resilient society that this coalition is aiming for, we will also have to invest in knowledge about the law, public administration, culture, history and human behaviour. These are also essential building blocks, and this is a message that we will have to continue to convey.’