Newsletter for NWO-I employees |
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“Nikhef is a powerhouse of technological and scientific knowledge” |
Introductory interview with Nikhef director Jorgen D'Hondt |
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After an impressive 25-year career at the Vrije Universiteit in Brussels, Jorgen D'Hondt has been director of Nikhef since last October. He succeeds Stan Bentvelsen. In this interview with Inside NWO-I, he discusses his plans and challenges for Nikhef, Dutch directness, the Einstein telescope and writing a children's book about the universe. |
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Have you already made arrangements in case of disability? |
Attractive disability insurance at Loyalis for NWO-I employees |
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NWO-I has made arrangements with Loyalis to provide an attractive disability insurance (AOV - arbeidsongeschiktheidsverzekering) for NWO-I employees. You can take out this insurance yourself online. Normally, taking out insurance includes an intake with some questions about your health. During this action, Loyalis does not ask any health questions. Want to know more about the AOV and why it is important? On the NWO-I website you can find more information and a link to a webinar on 15 April. |
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Credits: shutterstock.com |
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Meet Freek Zijlstra, Procurement Adviser at NWO-I |
New role to drive smooth tender procedures |
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Freek Zijlstra has been responsible for procurement at the NWO-I Office since September 2024. In this new role, he advises and supports the NWO Institutes, including with regard to tender procedures. Freek: "The Public Procurement Act helps focus colleagues’ minds on which services or products they need from an early stage. There is plenty of scope within NWO-I to improve awareness of our obligation to issue calls for tenders" |
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Vanessa Evers appointed new director of CWI |
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The Board of NWO-I appointed Prof. Vanessa Evers as director of CWI, the national research institute for mathematics and computer science in the Netherlands. In mid-2025, she will succeed the current director, Prof. Ton de Kok, who has led the Institute since 2020 and will retire. Vanessa Evers is a leading researcher in the field of social artificial intelligence. "Vanessa Evers is nationally and internationally recognised for her expertise. She is an excellent scientist and an experienced director. I am very pleased with her arrival at CWI. With her inspiring leadership and broad network, she will help sustain the high-quality research taking place at the institute, both now and in the future," said Marcel Levi, president of the Foundation Board of NWO-I. |
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Traditional knowledge development across the board, that is what NWO was founded for in 1950 in post-war Netherlands. First under a different name: the ‘Netherlands Organisation for Pure Scientific Research’ (ZWO). Today, we fund and facilitate a broad palette of research: from fundamental, to applied, to practice-oriented - across much of the knowledge chain. Researchers from all disciplines can turn to NWO to claim our funding. Internationally leading research is also conducted within NWO's ten national research institutes. |
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Visit Expedition Next in Roermond this May holiday |
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All children, parents, carers and friends beware! Children's science festival Expedition NEXT is coming to Roermond in Limburg this year on Wednesday 30 April. The inner city will be immersed in science during the May holidays. There will be experiments, real scientific research, mini-lectures and spectacular shows! More information about the festival can be found on the festival website. The programme will be completed soon. You can also sign up as a volunteer, for example to help at the box office or with setting up and dismantling the festival. |
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CWI highlight: how AI improves 113 Suicide Prevention's counselling services |
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Mathematician Salim Salmi (CWI) recently completed his PhD on an AI tool that can support 113 Suicide Prevention's counsellors in chat conversations with people thinking about suicide. From many real chat conversations with 113 counsellors, a picture formed of which conversations led to a ‘good’ result. With this data, Salmi trained an AI model that provides suggestions when chat conversations get stuck. Salmi used Machine Learning (ML) and Natural Language Processing (NLP), a subfield of AI that focuses on the interaction between computers and human language. The next step is an extension to phone calls. Salmi is also starting a new project: exploring how to integrate the tool into the platform people use to ask for help at 113. |
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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 ten institutes are part of NWO-I: AMOLF, ARCNL, ASTRON, CWI, DIFFER, HFML-FELIX Nikhef, NIOZ, NSCR and SRON. |
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