The sum of qualities leads to success

Education and research are things you do not do by yourself. Still, the emphasis in science was on individuals' achievements for a long time. Mostly professors were the ones who were in the spotlight, and received the awards and appreciation. But with the transition to Open Science, this is going to change.

An essential part of Open Science is recognition and rewards. Starting points: team spirit and collaboration beyond the boundaries of position, divisions and disciplines. Everyone's contributions are equally important in this, people are seen and receive space to develop themselves. But what does something like that look like in practice? Staff members from four research groups had their pictures taken and told about their teams.

Institutions for Open Societies - door Jos Kuklewski
From left to right: Christiaan Schakel, Anne van der Put (sitting), Sanne de Bos, Hajo Reijers, Tanja van der Lippe, Maartje Orsel, Joop Schippers (sitting), Thomas Martens

‘More Hours Works!’ That is the title of the Dutch National Growth Fund programme in which Assistant Professor and Research Coordinator Anne van der Put, Professor Tanja van der Lippe and Consortium Manager Thomas Martens collaborate with various others. With people from the university, but also from a ministry and from many other organisations. The goal of the research is to observe how barriers for part timers who want to work more hours can be removed. First of all, this will reduce staff shortages in healthcare, education and child daycare, and the results will be implemented across the entire job market later.

Tanja: “I'm a real academic. For example, I come up with research questions, write proposals, supervise people, etc. But you need more. For instance, Anne is going to forge a team out of the PhDs and postdoctoral fellows who are drawn in from various disciplines and universities. And us having a beautiful consortium with about thirty partners we collaborate with in co-creation is largely thanks to Thomas; he builds up and maintains these contacts.”

Thomas: “And there are many more people and roles like that: a project like this one partially rests on the shoulders of ‘invisibles’. I believe the sum of all these qualities leads to success.”

Anne: “Academics, civil servants, people from practice, employer organisations and employee organisations, people who carry out interventions; you need them all to make it a success. Because no matter how much fun the things we come up with are, if nobody wants to join, they won't happen.”

Thomas: “Recognition and rewards is not just something which has to be organised from the top down, but it's also about colleagues among themselves. Many roles are designated as ‘supporting’, but that shows insufficiently how important their contributions are to the process. In our Future of Work platform, we see how valuable it is to actually do that, because without all these ‘supporters’, our platform wouldn't be where it is now. I believe being able to collaborate on equal footing as a manager with the four professors I coordinate the platform with shows there is much support for recognition and rewards.”

Tanja: “The cultural change to Open Science and to Recognition and Rewards is well noticeable in recent years. I believe in it very much as well. But as far as I'm concerned, it's always been teamwork. For instance, I received the Stevin Prize two years ago and that's called an individual award, but I never would have gotten it if we hadn't been able to collaborate.”

Anne van der Put, Thomas Martens, Tanja van de Lippe

Pathways to Sustainability - Jos Kuklewski
From left to right: Marijke van Kuijk, Jérôme d’Hemptinne, Daan van Uhm (sitting) Tunyawat Kositwatanarerk (sitting on the banister), Carolina Sanchez-Jaegher, Tina Venema, Julie Fraser (sitting on the banister), Susanne Knittel (sitting), Luigi Prosperi

At first glance, literary scholar Susanne Knittel, jurist Cedric Ryngaert and criminologist Daan van Uhm may not have very much in common substantially. But looks are deceiving. In the project Conceptualizing Ecocide, they along with other researchers and organisations from outside the university look at legal, ecological, political, socio-cultural, criminological, philosophical and historical dimensions of ecocide: unlawfully or willingly causing serious or major damage to the environment.

Susanne: “For questions about the environment, climate and sustainability, you not only need science perspectives, but also insights from other disciplines, such as the Humanities. And in Utrecht, recent years have seen more and more opportunities and possibilities to meet in disciplinary-transcending ways.”

Daan: “We learn much from each other. What is an ecosystem exactly and how vulnerable is an ecosystem? But also: which criminological, cultural and psychological meanings do we assign to ecocide? All these perspectives are important in order to be able to interpret ecocide legally.”

Cedric: “One of our deliverables is a mock trial – a simulation of a trial with real examples. In it, we collaborate with theatre makers and we learn how to dramatise a trial so it will address a broader audience.”

Daan: “Fun addition: my experience is that when you're reasoning from various expertises, this enriches our knowledge and you're not thinking about someone's job title at all.”

Susanne: “Exactly. Everyone's an expert and then it doesn't matter whether you're an assistant professor or a professor.”

Cedric: “And because you come from a different disciplinary logic, I think there's also less space for ‘I know better than you.’”

Daan van Uhm, Cedric Ryngaert, Susanne Knittel

Dynamics of Youth - Jos Kuklewski
From left to right: Liesbeth Kester, Aoju Chen, Odilia Laceulle (sitting), Sanne Nijhof, Eline de Groot, Mart Nijsen (sitting on banister), Heidi Lesscher (sitting), Iris Bleeker

“I almost had to get used to being seen as an equal in meetings.” So says Mart Nijsen, a student assistant at the community Becoming Adults in a Changing World. This is one of the four communities of the Strategic Theme Dynamics of Youth (DoY), in which people research how children and youngsters can optimally develop into adults in a changing world.

Mart: “Here, I really feel like my voice is worth as much as those of others. I thought I would have more of a supporting role in the background, but my input and presence were very much appreciated right away. I'm also thanked for what I contribute. It's a very beautiful experience which I didn't expect like that before.”

Heidi Lesscher, an assistant professor and Chair of the community Thriving & Healthy Youth: “I think this showcases the culture we have. Mart has a different expertise than others and we try to use everyone's qualities as much as possible, regardless of job profiles.”

Femke Everaarts, Project Coordinator: “I experienced myself how they look at what you're good at and makes you happy. Before, I supervised young adults in an academic research project. I liked that very much, but it doesn't reappear in my current position. When the wish by DoY to do more with youngsters' participation started, they gave me a role in it.”

Catrin Finkenauer, a professor and the Academic Director of DoY: “In the academic world, there is much competition and distrust as well. But our goal is to share things with each other, ‘to change the smell of the place’. We contribute to the bigger picture together, which is a better world for today's youth. So if someone else is successful, that's good for everyone at DoY too. But this isn't worth much on paper, of course. Only if you experience it and do, feel and smell, see and hear it, can you really implement it too.

Support is always essential. It doesn't help if I say: ‘Go do that now, because I think that's important.’ Then it would just be execution. We want everyone to think along and also feel jointly responsible to make things a success. By organising it collectively, we also make ourselves less vulnerable.”

Heidi: “DoY means altruism and trust to me. You invest in the big, overarching goal and this doesn't always have to repay itself in terms of your own publications, funding or career. And you don't always have to report and account extensively. This results in less of an administrative burden and better human well-being.”

Heidi Lesscher, Catrin Finkenauer, Mart Nijsen, Femke Everaarts

Life Sciences - Jos Kuklewski
From left to right: Wouter Dhert, Jeroen Pasterkamp, Cyrille Krul (sitting), Marianna Tryfonidou (sitting on banister), Jarno Hoekman, Cristheena Nonis, Anne Kienhuis, Jeffrey Beekman (sitting), Tim Welting, Daniela Salvatori

A centre which will accelerate the transition to biomedical innovations free from animal testing: better medicines and fewer tests on animals. That is the goal of the to-be realised Centrum voor Proefdiervrij Biomedische Translatie (CPBT). The Dutch National Growth Fund invests 124.5 million euros in the centre in which multiple universities and all UMCs participate, and which is led by a Utrecht-based knowledge consortium.

Professor and Academic Director of Innovations in Life Sciences Wouter Dhert is the Quartermaster of the programme: “The group is diverse - from students to professors - and consists of people from Utrecht University, the UMCs of Utrecht and Maastricht, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, and HU University of Applied Sciences, among others. Together, we have made a very innovating programme. The importance of the ‘higher purposes’ - better translation from biomedical research to humans and avoiding testing on animals - were our first priority and were decisive for the success.”

Professor and Chairperson of Transition Programme to Animal-free Innovations Utrecht (TPI Utrecht) Daniela Salvatori: “From various angles, including the industry, NGOs and patient organisations, we had to understand where ethical needs and visions for a better world come together. That was the most exciting part for me.”

“The added value of a big consortium is the diversity of expertises,” says Cyrille Krul, a lecturer and the Director of the Research Centre Healthy & Sustainable Living at HU University of Applied Sciences. “From fundamental knowledge on illnesses to practical application of models and knowledge of the legal and international contexts. All perspectives are needed in order to be able to make a difference in this complex social assignment.”

Daniela: “I thought it was important to also introduce students as active stakeholders. Working with students gives me much energy and hope. Things are changing. There is more and more space to be different, original and creative, and to find your own style.”

Master's student Cristheena Nonis: “In recent years, I've seen the culture in the academic world change because of Open Science. I believe it improved motivation, transparency, inclusion and collaboration. I also notice that as a student assistant; everyone's work and ideas receive equal respect and attention.”

Cyrille: “Open Science definitely helps, but it's still in its infancy. Utrecht occupies a beautiful trailblazing position. I think Dutch universities of applied sciences are already far along with recognition and rewards. Practice requires other things than just academic publications. For instance, lecturers (professors at HBO level) are not only evaluated on their academic qualities, but also on their impacts on education and on innovation of the (professional) practice.”

Cyrille Krul, Cristheena Nonis, Daniela Salvatori, Wouter Dhert,

Would you like to know more?

More information on the transition to Open Science and the Strategic Themes can be found on the Utrecht University website.