{"id":102680,"date":"2019-09-06T12:06:15","date_gmt":"2019-09-06T10:06:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=102680"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:24:27","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:24:27","slug":"you-cant-survive-with-a-focus-on-top-publications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2019\/09\/06\/you-cant-survive-with-a-focus-on-top-publications\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018You can\u2019t survive with a focus on top publications\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

At Monday\u2019s Opening of the Academic Year, Erasmus University launched its new strategy 2024. The main outlines had already been presented a year ago, but now the direction has also been set out. And if the Executive Board gets its way, from now on we will now be working and studying the Erasmian way<\/em>. President of the Executive Board Kristel Baele and Rector Magnificus Rutger Engels about being an Erasmian<\/em> and what exactly positive impact is.<\/p>\n

The aim of the strategy is \u2018creating positive societal impact\u2019, and \u2018we\u2019 do that in the \u2018Erasmian way\u2019. Which of the five associated values \u2013 socially engaged, world citizen, connecting, enterprising and open-minded \u2013 fits you best personally?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kristel Baele: \u201cWhat I like most is the world citizenship. Because I spend much of my life working in a different country and in a different culture and my whole working life has been about internationalisation. And enterprising in a broad sense: enterprising in attitude and mind, that appeals to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rutger Engels: \u201cThis isn\u2019t just a top university, but a top university in a diverse city. I hope that staff and students will increasingly start to realise that and radiate the fact that they live and work in a very diverse city.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t
\n\t\t\u2018In the new strategy, research, education and working on social impact are therefore given equal footing,\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t–<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKristel Baele\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

The new strategy is being called a \u2018fundamentally recalibrated direction\u2019. What has fundamentally changed?<\/strong><\/p>\n

KB: \u201cThe complexity of the issues facing society is increasing, both internationally and locally. And more than was the case five years ago, for example, people are looking at universities to come up with solutions. In the new strategy, research, education and working on social impact are therefore given equal footing. In terms of time and money, these three issues are equally important.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>

Rutger Engels at the opening of the academic year 2019.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRonald van den Heerik<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

RE: \u201cWhen I returned to the university last year, after spending four years largely outside the academic world, I noticed that engagement has returned among students. Unlike fifteen or twenty years ago, I see that students feel responsible for social problems. They realise that they must and can play a role in resolving them. In my view, that\u2019s what a university should be. That something needs to happen with all that knowledge and that we must facilitate that.<\/p>

\u201cNot every researcher needs to be practically involved. But as a research team or faculty, you can no longer merely focus on top publications. We must look for a balance. We will therefore appeal more to research groups and reward them for their team performance. For example, in the form of money or awards.\u201d<\/p>\n\t

\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t
\n\t\t\u2018Not every researcher needs to be practically involved. But as a research team or faculty, you can no longer merely focus on top publications.\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t–<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRutger Engels\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Impact is the key word in the strategy, but it\u2019s still unclear what exactly that is. How will you assess the impact of academic work?<\/strong><\/p>\n

RE: \u201cLast year, I learned that this takes time. We studied various international models that measure impact. In the coming period, we\u2019re going to see which model best suits which discipline. It\u2019s obviously no good counting the number of patents for a subject like psychology. Equally, someone can give a lot of lectures, but that doesn\u2019t mean that you have much social impact. So, you have to see what fits each discipline and how you can evaluate interdisciplinary teams, like with the Erasmus Initiatives. How will you weight that? We\u2019re going to take our time for that. And at some point use pilots to see how it works. Such evaluations are linked to the university\u2019s HR policy, and you can\u2019t just turn them on their head. So, it won\u2019t happen overnight. We\u2019re also working together with NWO and VSNU based on the Erkennen en Waarderen report<\/a> [Recognising and Evaluating report].<\/p>\n

KB: \u201cAs a university, you can\u2019t do this alone, or even with the VSNU. You also need to involve the investors at home and abroad. Everything is interrelated, so we need to embark on that new direction together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Lees meer<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t