Newsletter for NWO-I employees
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Excellent SEP-evaluation score for all institutes
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Recommendations mainly about national role, gender balance and attention for PhDs
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In autumn 2023, all NWO Institutes were visited by an international assessment committee in the context of the SEP evaluation (Strategic Evaluation Protocol). At the end of May, the committees’ reports were published. Without any exceptions, the institutes scored ‘excellent’ in terms of scientific content and their position. Across the spectrum, the SEP committees’ recommendations mainly concerned the institutes’ national role, gender balance and attention for PhDs. Peter Spijker (NWO-I office), Martin van Breukelen and David van Walderveen (DIFFER), and Jessica Dempsey (ASTRON) look back at the SEP evaluations with satisfaction.
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Peter Spijker, Martin van Breukelen, David van Walderveen and Jessica Dempsey
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Negotiations on new collective labor agreement for research institutions started
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Credits: Shutterstock.com
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On 5 June, negotiations started on a new collective agreement for research institutions (CAO-OI). The current collective labor agreement expires on 1 July 2024. The negotiations started with the exchange and explanation of the so-called Letter of Intent from employee organisations and the Memorandum of Intent from employers. These initial consultations took place in a good atmosphere. Three meetings are scheduled in the month of June where the parties' aim is to reach an agreement on the new collective labor agreement by 1 July 2024. Once that agreement is in place, it must then still be submitted to the members of the workers' organisations and the boards of employers for approval. The final agreement is expected later in July 2024.
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Looking back at the switch to Youforce
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At some NWO Institutes, it was already a trusted system, whereas for others, it is completely new: this year, all institutes and the NWO-I office switched to the personnel information system Youforce. From now on, all NWO-I personnel will use the portal for tasks such as requesting salary slips, inspecting personal data and filing in AVOM (Tailor-made Terms of Employment) requests. P&O departments will also use Youforce for all personnel processes. Now that everybody has switched to this new system, it is time to take stock of how things have gone. Inside NWO-I asked P&O employees Gael Ndombele (CWI) and Robin Delenclos (DIFFER), and project leader Youforce Henry Bruins (NWO-I office) about their experiences.
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From left to right: Gael Ndombele, Henry Bruins and Robin Delenclos. Credits background image: Shutterstock.com
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Highlight ASTRON: NWO Institute has turned 75
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Credits: ASTRON/Harm Stiepels
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Last April it was 75 years ago that SRZM (Netherlands Foundation for Radio Astronomy) was founded. This organisation would later become NWO Institute ASTRON. It all started with Henk van de Hulst’s discovery that every single hydrogen atom in our Milky Way can be a tiny radio transmitter. To be able to detect these signals, the Dwingeloo Radio Telescope was built and officially taken in to use in 1956. For a brief time, it was the largest movable radio telescope in the world. In 1970, they officially took the WSRT (Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope) into use, and in 2010, HM queen Beatrix opened LOFAR, which is currently the largest radio telescope in the world.
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Digital Competence Center (DCC) can respond even better to institutes’ wishes
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Implementation Plan Investments Digital Research Infrastructure facilitates exploration of AI applications
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Since 2021, NWO-I has had a Digital Competence Center (DCC), which is led by Reinder Radersma. This DCC was established to support researchers at the NWO Institutes in data and software use. On 1 May this year, Olga Minaeva was appointed to support Reinder. Her appointment is partly due to the institutes’ wish for workshops that will give them more insight into new digital techniques, such as artificial intelligence (AI) applications. What does the DCC do and what are its plans for the coming period? Reinder and Olga tell us more about this.
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Reinder Radersma and Olga Minaeva
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A travel insurance from OHRA
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Holiday, insurance & discount
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Credits: Shutterstock.com
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Whatever you do during your (summer) holiday, you want to be genuinely free. And you want to enjoy yourself without any worries. That’s why a good travel insurance is so handy: in case something goes wrong, your things are stolen or there is an emergency back home, which means you need to come back earlier. NWO-I has made collective agreements with healthcare insurer OHRA. As an employee of NWO-I, you also get a discount on your travel insurance from OHRA.
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A look behind the scenes at the mechanical workshop of DIFFER
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‘Here, science and craftsmanship meet’
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NWO Institute DIFFER in Eindhoven has unique facilities for energy and materials research. The design and making of these facilities is in the hands of a team of experienced researchers, mechanical engineers and technicians. We take a look behind the scenes at the mechanical workshop: the location where (some of) the DIFFER facilities see the light of day. Leon Römers (precision instrument maker and coordinator), Anton van den Bogaard and Hans Vullers (both draughtsmen and construction engineers) talk about their work, but also about the atmosphere, dynamics and energy at DIFFER.
Text: Rianne van Hoek
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Hans Vullers, Leon Römers and Anton van den Bogaard. Credits: DIFFER
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Highlight ARCNL: creating patterns in the metal ruthenium with lasers
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Schematic illustration of a focused laser beam. Credits: ARCNL/Paul Planken
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Lorenzo Cruciani (ARCNL/UvA PhD researcher) found a discovery by chance. He discovered a new method to directly write patterns of ruthenium with a laser. The incident laser light oxidizes the surface of a layer of ruthenium due to a local rise of temperature. Bleach removes the ruthenium, leaving the exposed ruthenium on the substrate. The metal ruthenium is of interest for the semiconductor industry as a possible replacement of copper as a nanoscale conductor. Since this new laser writing method does not require the use of photoresist, it is an easy way to create patterns. Cruciani and his colleagues are eager to further explore the method.
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NWO/NWO-I looks back on successful LGBTIQA+ network event
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On the 22nd of May NWO/NWO-I organized a wide LGBTIQA+ event in Utrecht, called "Connecting Identities through Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)". The event started with interesting talks from speakers Kshitij Mor (Utrecht University), Ella Bosch (NWO-I office) and Julien van Campen (TU Delft). Next came a closing debate, led by NWO-I diversity adviser Judith Kreukels, followed by drinks. It was great that NWO Vice President Caroline Visser opened the event and, again, showed the great support that the LGBTIQA+ network gets from the NWO board. The event also highlighted the relaunch of the LGBTIQA+ ERG, plus the announcement of the new name for this ERG: PRISM.
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Ella Bosch, Kshitij Mor, Julien van Campen and Judith Kreukels. Credits: NWO/Anneke Bloemen
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News from the works councils
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The work of the works councils is highly diverse and it without exception concerns subjects that are important for employees. In the coming months there is a lot on the agendas of the different works councils as well. Will your team at the NWO-I office be expanded? The Group Works Council of NWO-I (GOR NWO-I) will issue advice about that. Does NWO-I devote sufficient funds to the development of its employees? The GOR NWO-I keeps its finger on the pulse. Will NWO-I be expanded to include a tenth institute? The Central Works Council of NWO (the COR NWO) will advise about the appointment of an external adviser to examine this. Meanwhile, a delegation from the COR NWO is negotiating about several subjects in the Implementing Regulations. This is a selection of subjects currently on the agendas.
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As an NWO-I employee, you receive the personnel newsletter Inside NWO-I. The newsletter publishes important news and announcements for you as an employee. Do you disagree with NWO-I using your email address to send Inside NWO-I, and would you like to stop receiving the newsletter? Then please let us know this by sending an email to info@nwo-i.nl.
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NWO-I, the Institutes Organisation of NWO, is an independent foundation belonging to NWO. The following nine institutes are part of NWO-I: AMOLF, ARCNL, ASTRON, CWI, DIFFER, Nikhef, NIOZ, NSCR and SRON. The workgroups in which physics research takes place at Dutch universities and knowledge institutes are also part of NWO-I.
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