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On Friday 15 November, a large delegation from Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ attended the presentation of the position paper ‘’. A special joint initiative of all 14 universities united in the VSNU, the university medical centres (NFU), the KNAW as well as research funders NWO and ZonMw. The paper indicates how we aim to more broadly recognise and reward the work of academic staff. This includes placing less emphasis on the number of publications, and a greater emphasis on the other domains in which the academic is active, such as education and impact. An academic does not have to excel in all these areas, but within the universities it is expected that academics are sufficiently competent in both research and education.

Connecting with talent and motivation

Over the past few decades, science has developed an overly one-sided emphasis on research, the value of which, moreover, is read only along the lines of measurable output. This contributes to the high workload in science and does not match the talents and motivation of academics. This broader form of recognition and appreciation is better suited to the current core tasks of knowledge and educational institutions and what society requires of these establishments. New developments relating to Open Access and Open Science are placing different demands on modern-day academics as well. 

Committee 'Erkennen en waarderen'

Each university appoints an institution-wide committee to stimulate discussion about the new system of recognition and validation within the institution. At Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ, this committee started last spring under the chairmanship of Prof. Dr. Paul Boselie. Prof. Dr. Manon Kluijtmans, academic director of the Centre for Academic Teaching, is a member of this committee. She was also a member of the committee under the chairmanship of Prof. Dr. Hans de Bresser, who has developed an instrument that can help academics and their managers to determine development opportunities in different phases of the academic career and to value educational achievements. Click here for more information about this instrument. 

For more information, visit the  en  websites.