The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (CWI is part of the NWO institute organization, NWO-I) is shocked by the invasion of Russian troops in Ukraine. The images and reports of recent times make it clear that a peace-loving and free country is being ruthlessly taken over by an aggressive foreign power.
NWO and CWI sympathize with all Ukrainians and in particular our Ukrainian staff and colleagues with family and friends in Ukraine and expresses solidarity with them, as well as for our Russian colleagues and staff who are also heavily affected by this conflict.
Suspension of partnerships Russia and Belarus
NWO and other Dutch knowledge institutions like the universities, university medical centers, universities of applied sciences, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences and the have decided to suspend all formal and institutional partnerships with educational and knowledge institutions in the Russian Federation and Belarus immediately until further notice at the request of Minister Dijkgraaf of Education, Culture and Science. For an overview of the consequences of this decision, please read the NWO press release.
NWO will look into the possibilities for those who report as refugees from war zones in the coming period to help them to continue their scientific work in safety. NWO also wants to continue to provide a safe and inclusive work environment for staff from Ukraine and for Russian colleagues who have neither part nor share in the violence of war.
NWO establishes 1 million euro emergency fund for people affected by the Ukraine crisis
The Governing Board of NWO has decided to set up an emergency fund of 1 million euros. The emergency fund is intended to provide support to Ukrainian, Russian and Belarusian employees working within NWO. The board wants to support them with this, for example, if they run into (acute) financial problems as a result of the war because they do not have access to their bank accounts.
NWO also thinks that Ukrainian researchers who have fled their homeland should be able to count on a safe (working) place. NWO wants to make a concrete contribution to the initiative of the Young Academy for a national coordination point. The aim is to provide refugee researchers, lecturers and students with practical support as quickly as possible so that they can continue their research and studies at a Dutch knowledge institution, for example through the Refugee Students Foundation (UAF).
CWI’s director Ton de Kok and Luuk Klomp (director NWO domain TTW) coordinate the use of the emergency fund on behalf of the board. Dirkje Schinkelshoek and Jan van der Boon (Directors Operations and Finance of respectively NWO and NWO-I) are in charge of coordinating measures aimed at Russian and Belarusian knowledge institutions.
CWI and NWO remain committed to a science that thrives through international scientific cooperation and that makes an important contribution to the well-being of us all.
