An international evaluation committee has rated CWI as excellent, or world leading, in terms of its research quality, its relevance to society and its viability. The evaluation covered the institute’s work in the 2011-2016 period.
The evaluation was done by a committee of experts in the field of mathematics and computer science, as part of the six-yearly ‘Standard Evaluation Protocol’ of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), the Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU), and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). NWO announced the results of the evaluation of its nine institutes on 8 March 2018.
Top research with high international influence
Based on its output, a self-evaluation and a site visit in October 2017, CWI received the highest possible scores. The committee assessed that “CWI conducts top research, with high international influence on the relevant research fields, and leadership recognized by international peers.” The committee also underlined that CWI research “makes outstanding contributions to society” and that the institute is “excellently equipped for the future.”
The evaluation reports that “CWI is unique in bringing together researchers from mathematics and computer science, and creating an excellent research environment that fosters cross-fertilizations between these disciplines.”
The committee also gave several recommendations. For instance, the committee encourages CWI to further expand its industrial impact by increasing visibility of its research to potential stakeholders.
Digital evolution
CWI director Jos Baeten is pleased with the positive evaluation: “At CWI, quality is our number one priority. We’re proud that the results of the evaluation reflect that. The committee confirmed that CWI competes with the top research institutes in the world in our field. This is especially important now: because of the ongoing digitalization of our society, our research fields of mathematics and computer science are more relevant than ever before.” As the evaluation committee expressed in the report: “Given the fast digital evolution, a unique institute as the CWI is destined to become even more important.”
CWI’s evaluation has been consistent over the past two decades, as CWI was rated ‘world leading’ in 2006 and 2012 as well.
More information
- Full text of the evaluation report
- NWO press release
