Pauline van der Meer Mohr

De affaire Stapel heeft, meer dan enige andere wetenschappelijke fraudezaak, geleid tot het inzicht dat mogelijk de onderzoek cultuur in verschillende wetenschapsdomeinen aan herijking toe is. Het rapport van de commissie Levelt dat gisteren verscheen, toont aan dat de discussie over wetenschappelijke integriteit eigenlijk pas nu op stoom komt. De commissie heeft een titanenkarwei geklaard [...]

Thanks to all for your encouraging words regarding my writer’s block (blog?) earlier this week. Have received numerous comments on my NRC guest column about the future of Europe – I am glad it apparently struck a chord. The week was eventful with yesterday’s Mandeville lecture delivered by Joop van den Ende. What a brilliant, [...]

I am writing this blog on my way to an offsite meeting with my colleagues from all Dutch universities, united in the so-called VSNU AB (algemeen bestuur). The agenda contains big themes, such as the future of the university landscape under the current government. Tomorrow, Staatssecretaris Halbe Zijlstra will grace us with his presence. Looking [...]

My colleague Bart Straatman must have gained a few pounds these last couple of weeks. He hosted a series of breakfast meetings to engage in a dialogue around the BV 2013 project. I attended one on Thursday and found a group of roughly 80 colleagues actively debating the deliverables of this improvement project. My table [...]

With the sounds of Abba still ringing in my ears (don’t you think it is time for a fresh new classic?) let me wish you all a very happy and healthy 2011. The time between Christmas and New Year is a great time for cleaning out cupboards, clearing the backlog on the bedside table and tidying the [...]

As the week is drawing to a close, and Christmas hampers are being exchanged, my desk is filling up with cards and my inbox with e-wishes (some of them are spam). I will now take a break and hope you will, too. What a difference with my ‘previous life’, where the final weeks of the [...]

It took us over a year, to go from a letter of intent in August 2009 to a signed agreement with the City of Rotterdam to further strengthen our cooperation. But finally, on 6 December we were able to sign and seal the long awaited agreement, together with launch of SMART port. Now it is [...]

Last week, a EUR delegation visited  Brazil, together with Mayor Aboutaleb and his team. The programme was packed with visits to 3 of the main universities in Sao Paolo (USP, UNESP and business school Getulio Vargas) as well as research funding institute FAPESP. On Tuesday I had the pleasure to host a Science dinner for [...]

The day after the night before we sing the blues. A melancholy tune to reminisce over the blessings of this year’s dies natalis. If you were there – thanks for taking the time. If you weren’t: sorry to have missed you. It was a memorable event. Honorary doctor Geoff Norman, flanked by FSW dean Henk [...]

In many ways, I do not envy my colleagues in the UK. Despite the impeccable reputation of Oxbridge, St Andrews or LSE, to name just a few, universities across the Channel are now destined – and resigned – to substantial reductions in their public funding. It’s not the lack of opportunities that will determine how [...]