An evaluation of the quality of the science performed within the Chemistry Departments at Dutch universities in the period 2001–2009 was initiated by the Association of the Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU), the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), and the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO).
The Committee consisted of:
- F. C. Schryver, University of Leuven, Belgium,
- S. Larsen, University of Copenhagen, Denmark,
- J. Michl, University of Colorado, USA,
- J. K. M. Sanders, Cambridge University, UK, and
- additional members per university.
They were asked to perform an assessment at all Dutch regular universities:
- University of Groningen (RUG),
- Wageningen University (WU),
- Radboud University Nijmegen (RU),
- University of Amsterdam (UvA),
- Utrecht University (UU),
- VU University Amsterdam (VU), and
- Leiden University (LEI).
The quality of chemical research at the universities is generally very good. The average score for quality of the 58 programmes is 4,2. The score of 4 or 5 (‘Very good’ or ‘Excellent’) can only be given to programmes that are nationally or internationally leading and contribute significantly to their field. No university has less than 4 as the average score for the quality of the programmes. 23 programmes were rated excellent for quality.
This shows that Dutch chemical research is not only a very important national player, but also contributes very substantially to the development of several important areas of the field at the international level. Some programmes are even among the international leaders in their field.
