Independent journalism about VU Amsterdam | Since 1953
20 February 2025
Magazine
Nederlands

Science & Education

Science 14 October 2024

Algorithms won’t save you in times of disaster

Climate change and other complex problems of our time are often approached by scientists and policy makers in terms of risk analysis. But it’s more effective to focus on social networks and cooperation, says scientist Ian Scoones at the Sense…
Science 10 October 2024

AI model gives first-ever predictive advice during surgery

Surgeons at Amsterdam UMC will be the first in the world to test a predictive AI model during surgery. The model can predict which colon cancer patients are most at risk of complications.
Internationalization 4 October 2024

‘Abolishing English-language higher education impoverishes Netherlands’

If all Bachelor’s programmes became Dutch-taught, higher education would shrink by 8.6 percent, researchers from Groningen have calculated. International students and scientists will stay away and this will end up costing the Netherlands a lot of money.
Politics 3 October 2024

Minister makes cutbacks, but demands reduced workload at universities

Cutbacks or not, the workload in science must be reduced. That is what Minister Eppo Bruins writes to the House of Representatives. It’s “worrying” that after all these years, universities haven’t turned words into deeds.
Science 19 September 2024

Feasible or not, cutbacks are going ahead

Fewer international students, the slow-progress penalty… Even if the plans turn out not to be feasible, the cabinet is going to cut the higher education and research budget by hundreds of millions of euros.
Society 9 September 2024

‘I am easily framed as the angry Muslim man’

For some scientists, their role in society is (almost) as important as their research. Ad Valvas portrays three activist scientists. Younes Saramifar put his residence permit at risk because of his statements against Israel and European colonialism.
Science 6 September 2024

International researchers bag most EU grants

Fifty-one young academics at Dutch universities and research institutes will receive a European Starting Grant of an average of 1.5 million euros. Two-thirds of the winners are international researchers.
Education 4 September 2024

Cutbacks are main focus at alternative opening of the academic year

About two hundred protesters came to Domplein in Utrecht on Monday morning for the ‘Alternative opening’ of the new academic year. Down with the cutbacks, was the message. Perhaps there will even be a strike.
Education 4 September 2024

Minister defends recruiting international engineering students

With the rising popularity of engineering courses, programmes in healthcare and education might be affected, acknowledges Education Minister Eppo Bruins. This is one reason why engineering programmes continue to recruit students from abroad.
Science 27 August 2024

State of science: good news with a downside

Dutch science has flourished in recent years, sees the Rathenau Instituut. But the required cultural change is coming about slowly, the workload is still sky-high and the new government wants to make cuts yet again.