Netherlands
Policy Background
Research and innovation policy is incorporated in the document of the Ministry of Economics, Agriculture and Innovation entitled To the top: Towards a new enterprise policy, published in 2011. A special report Quality in diversity: Strategic Agenda Higher Education, Research and Science was published in July 2011. These documents provide the foundation for the Dutch research and innovation policy. Nine top sectors are identified for research and innovation:
- Agro-food
- Horticulture and propagating stock
- High-tech materials and systems
- Energy
- Logistics
- Creative industry
- Life Sciences
- Chemicals
- Water.
Transport research greatly contributes to transport policy in the Netherlands. A number of strategy and policy documents provide the foundation for the transport policy and research:
- White Paper on Dutch Aviation, April 2009;
- Policy Framework for Utilisation A pillar for better accessibility published in 2008;
- Strategic Road Safety Plan 2008–2020;
- National Planning Strategy up to 2020 and for the period 2020–2030.
Thematic White Papers are regularly issued which provide guidelines for the preparation of national legislation and regulations on transport.
Institutional framework of transport research
The organisations in research and innovation system and its governance are the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science responsible for higher education, science and basic research and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation, responsible for application-oriented research and innovation.
The governance system includes several advisory bodies involved in policy analysis and evaluation:
- Advisory Council for Science and Technology Policy
- Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis
- Scientific Council for Government Policy.
Policy is implemented by four intermediary organisations:
- Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research
- Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
- NL Agency
- Technology Foundation STW.
The Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment is responsible for developing transport policy. This responsibility is shared by several Ministerial departments:
- Inspectorate for Transport, Public Works and Water Management
- Directorate General for Civil Aviation and Maritime Affairs
- Directorate General for Mobility and Rijkswaterstaat.
The key themes for the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment are knowledge, innovation and strategy and are developed in specific Directorates.
Different sources are available to fund transport research including public funds, dedicated transport research programmes, and international and EU programmes.
Organisation responsible for institutional framework and funding: