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AssessmentofResearchQuality
ScienceforLife
BijvoetCenterforBiomolecularResearch
InstituteofBiodynamicsandBiocomplexity
InstituteofEnvironmentalBiology
UtrechtInstituteforPharmaceuticalSciences
UtrechtUniversity
2010-2015
Finalversion,16May2017
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Contents
Summary............................................................................................................................4
1.Introduction...................................................................................................................51.1Background...................................................................................................................................51.2Membersoftheassessmentcommittee......................................................................................51.3Proceduresfollowed.....................................................................................................................61.4Researchunitunderassessment:ScienceforLife........................................................................7
2.AssessmentBijvoetCenterforBiomolecularResearch..................................................102.1Bijvoetstrategyandtargets........................................................................................................102.2Bijvoetresearchquality..............................................................................................................112.3Bijvoetrelevancetosociety........................................................................................................122.4Bijvoetviability............................................................................................................................132.5Bijvoetassessmentinnumericalscores......................................................................................142.6BijvoetPhDprogramme..............................................................................................................142.7Bijvoetresearchintegritypolicy.................................................................................................14
3.AssessmentInstituteofBiodynamicsandBiocomplexity..............................................153.1IBBstrategyandtargets..............................................................................................................153.2IBBresearchquality....................................................................................................................173.3IBBrelevancetosociety..............................................................................................................173.4IBBviability..................................................................................................................................183.5IBBassessmentinnumericalscores...........................................................................................183.6IBBPhDprogramme....................................................................................................................193.7IBBresearchintegritypolicy.......................................................................................................19
4.AssessmentInstituteofEnvironmentalBiology............................................................204.1IEBstrategyandtargets..............................................................................................................204.2IEBresearchquality....................................................................................................................224.3IEBrelevancetosociety..............................................................................................................224.4IEBviability..................................................................................................................................234.5IEBassessmentinnumericalscores............................................................................................234.6IEBPhDprogramme....................................................................................................................244.7IEBresearchintegritypolicy........................................................................................................24
5.AssessmentUtrechtInstituteforPharmaceuticalSciences...........................................255.1UIPSstrategyandtargets............................................................................................................255.2UIPSresearchquality..................................................................................................................265.3UIPSrelevancetosociety............................................................................................................275.4UIPSviability...............................................................................................................................275.5UIPSsummaryinnumericalscores.............................................................................................285.6UIPSPhDprogramme..................................................................................................................285.7UIPSresearchintegritypolicy.....................................................................................................28
6.AssessmentScienceforLifeasawhole(S4L)................................................................306.1S4Lstrategyandtargets..............................................................................................................306.2S4Lresearchquality....................................................................................................................326.3S4Lrelevancetosociety..............................................................................................................326.4S4Lviability.................................................................................................................................33
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6.5S4LPhDprogrammes..................................................................................................................336.6S4Lresearchintegritypolicy.......................................................................................................35
7.Recommendations........................................................................................................367.1Researchquality..........................................................................................................................367.2PhDprogrammes........................................................................................................................387.3Researchintegritypolicy.............................................................................................................39
Appendix1.ShortCVsofthemembersoftheassessmentcommittee..............................40
Appendix2.S4Lsitevisitprogramme...............................................................................43
Appendix3.QuantitativedataonS4L’scompositionandfinancing..................................45
Appendix4.Explanationofthecategoriesutilised...........................................................49
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SummaryThisreportdescribestheassessmentofresearchconductedatfourinstitutesofUtrechtUniversity’sFacultyofScienceintheperiod2010-2015:theBijvoetCenterforBiomolecularResearch,theInstituteofBiodynamicsandBiocomplexity,theInstituteofEnvironmentalBiology,andtheUtrechtInstituteforPharmaceuticalSciences.Theseinstituteshavejoinedforcesundertheumbrellaname‘ScienceforLife’(S4L)in2015.Theassessmentwasperformedbyanexternalassessmentcommitteeusingthe‘StandardEvaluationProtocol2015-2021’.ThecommitteeisimpressedbytheexcellentqualityofS4Lresearch:itisaclusteroffourworld-leadinginstitutes.ThescientificoutputoftheS4Linstitutesisveryhighintermsofboththenumberofpublicationsandtheircitationimpact.Inaddition,S4Lresearchershavereceivedmanymarksofrecognitionfrompeersduringthereviewperiod.Theinstitutesharbouranimpressiverangeoftechnologycentresandcorefacilitiesandactivelycontributetotheadvancementoftechnologiesandbioinformaticsapproaches.Thecommitteejudgestherelevancetosocietyasvaryingfromverygoodtoexcellent.Theinstitutes’scientificexpertiseandthetechnologicaldevelopmentsprovideanswerstomajorsocietalquestionsrelatedtohealth,foodandenvironment.Theviabilityoftheinstitutesisalsoratedasvaryingfromverygoodtoexcellent.ThisreportcontainsrecommendationsonhowtomaintainandfurtherimproveeachoftheseparateinstitutesandtheoverarchingS4Linthenearfuture.Table1summarisestheassessmentinnumericalscores.
Table1:QuantitativeassessmentoftheresearchqualityofthefourS4Linstitutes1 Research
qualityRelevancetosociety
Viability
BijvoetCenterforBiomolecularResearch 1 1 2InstituteofBiodynamicsandBiocomplexity 1 2 1InstituteofEnvironmentalBiology 1 1 1UtrechtInstituteforPharmaceuticalSciences 1 1 11Thefourpossiblecategoriesareexcellent(=1),verygood(=2),good(=3),andunsatisfactory(=4).SeeAppendix4foranexplanationofthesescores.
ThecommitteealsoconsideredtheresearchintegritypolicyandthePhDprogrammesatS4L.Theinstitutesseemtobehighlyawareoftheimportanceofresearchintegritymeasuresandintegrityissuesarefrequentlydiscussed.Inaddition,acourseisavailable,butunfortunatelythiscourseisnotmandatoryandasaresult,notallPhDstudentsareexposedtotheseissues.S4L’sPhDstudentsareenrolledinUtrechtUniversity’sGraduateSchoolofLifeSciences.Inthisreport,thecommitteeprovidesrecommendationsonhowtoimprovethePhDsupervisionandtrainingatS4LandhowtoexploitthePhDprogrammestonourishthespiritofS4L.
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1.Introduction
1.1BackgroundThisreportdescribestheassessmentofresearchconductedatfourcollaboratingresearchinstitutesattheFacultyofScienceofUtrechtUniversity(theNetherlands)intheperiod2010-2015:• BijvoetCenterforBiomolecularResearch(Bijvoet)• InstituteofBiodynamicsandBiocomplexity(IBB)• InstituteofEnvironmentalBiology(IEB)• UtrechtInstituteforPharmaceuticalSciences(UIPS)
Theseinstituteshavejoinedforcesundertheumbrellaname‘ScienceforLife’(S4L).TheassessmentwasperformedbyanexternalassessmentcommitteeusingtheStandardEvaluationProtocol(SEP)2015-2021.1TheprimaryaimofSEPassessmentsistoevaluatethequalityandrelevanceofacademicresearchandtosuggestimprovementswherenecessary.SEPassessmentsfocusonthestrategicchoicesandfutureprospectsofresearchgroups.
Targetgroupsthatareservedbythisassessmentinclude:• S4LresearchersandgroupleadersneedtoknowhowthequalityofS4Lresearch,itssocietal
relevance,anditsstrategyareperceivedbyindependentexpertsandhowtheseelementscanbeimproved.
• TheBoardofUtrechtUniversitywishestotracktheimpactofitsresearchpolicy.• TheDutchgovernmentwantstoknowtheoutcomesofassessmentsinconnectionwiththe
institution’saccountabilityforexpenditureanditsowneffortstosupportanoutstandingresearchsystem.
• SocietyandtheprivatesectorseektosolveavarietyofproblemsusingtheknowledgethatS4Lresearchdelivers.
1.2MembersoftheassessmentcommitteeTheboardofUtrechtUniversityhasappointedasmembersoftheassessmentcommittee:• ProfessorPaulHooykaas,chair(LeidenUniversity,theNetherlands),• ProfessorSvenFrøkjær(UniversityofCopenhagen,Denmark),• ProfessorSheenaRadford(UniversityofLeeds,UK),• ProfessorOveNilsson(SwedishUniversityofAgriculturalSciences,Umeå,Sweden),• ProfessorMichelLabouesse(InstitutdeBiologieParisSeine,France),• ProfessorSebastianBonhoeffer(ETHZürich,Switzerland),• ProfessorGunnarvonHeijne(StockholmUniversityandSciLifeLab,Sweden).
DrLindavandenBerg(WashoeLifeScienceCommunications)servedasthesecretarytotheassessmentcommittee.ShortCVsofthecommitteemembersareprovidedinAppendix1.
1TheSEPwasdrawnupandadoptedbytheAssociationofUniversitiesintheNetherlands(VSNU),theNetherlandsOrganisationforScientificResearch(NWO),andtheRoyalNetherlandsAcademyofArtsandSciences(KNAW).AllresearchconductedatDutchuniversities,universitymedicalcentres,andNWOorKNAWinstitutesisassessedonceeverysixyearsinaccordancewiththeSEP.
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1.3ProceduresfollowedTheassessmentcommitteeevaluatedS4Lresearchbasedonitsself-assessmentreportandinterviewswithS4LrepresentativesduringasitevisitinMarch2017.ThesitevisitprogrammeislistedinAppendix2.Thecommitteetookintoaccountinternationaltrendsanddevelopmentsinscienceandsocietyasitformeditsjudgement.Inaddition,thecommitteeboreinmindS4L’sstrategyinformulatingitsrecommendations.QualitativeandquantitativeassessmentofS4LresearchTheassessmentcommitteepassedajudgementofthefourinstitutesandS4Lasawholebasedonthreeassessmentcriteria:• researchquality,i.e.,contributiontoscientificknowledge,scaleofresearchresults(scientific
publications,instruments,andinfrastructureproducedandothercontributionstoscience);• relevancetosociety,i.e.,quality,scale,andrelevanceofcontributions(advisoryreportsfor
policy,contributionstopublicdebates,etc.)targetinggroupsthatS4Lhasitselfdesignatedastargetgroups(patients,thegeneralpublic,students,andindustry);
• viability,i.e.,thestrategythatS4Lintendstopursueinthefutureandtheextenttowhichitcanmeetitstargetsinresearchandsocietyduringthisperiod,thegovernanceandleadershipskillsofitsmanagement.
Qualitativeassessmentsweresupplementedbynumericalscores(1–4)foreachofthethreecriteria.AssessmentofS4L’sPhDprogrammesTheassessmentcommitteealsoconsideredthesupervisionandinstructionofPhDcandidatesatS4L.Thecommitteeinterviewedapproximately50PhDstudentsduringthesitevisitandassumesthattheseindividualsprovidedopinionsthatarerepresentativeofthegroupatlarge.Thefollowingtopicswereconsidered:• institutionalcontextofthePhDprogrammes,• programmecontentandstructure,• supervisionandtheeffectivenessofprogrammeplansandsupervisionplans,• qualityassurance,• guidanceofPhDcandidatestothejobmarket,• duration,successrate,andexitnumbers,andcareerprospects.
AssessmentoftheS4LresearchintegritypolicyThecommitteealsoconsideredS4L’spolicyonresearchintegrityandthewayinwhichviolationsofsuchintegrityareprevented.Thiswasdiscussedduringthesitevisit.ThecommitteewasinterestedinhowS4Ldealswithresearchdata,datamanagementandintegrity,andtheextenttowhichacriticalpursuitofscienceoccursatS4L.
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1.4Researchunitunderassessment:ScienceforLifeScienceforLife(S4L)isaclusteroffourcollaboratingresearchinstitutesattheFacultyofScienceofUtrechtUniversity(seealsoTable2onpage9):• BijvoetCenterforBiomolecularResearch(Bijvoet),• InstituteofBiodynamicsandBiocomplexity(IBB),• InstituteofEnvironmentalBiology(IEB),• UtrechtInstituteforPharmaceuticalSciences(UIPS).
TheS4Lclusterperformsfundamentallifescienceresearchwiththeaimtoacquireadetailedunderstandingoflifeprocessesandtoprovidesolutionsformajorsocietalproblems.S4L’sresearchischaracterisedbyaninterdisciplinaryapproachandtheuseofadvancedtechnologies.S4Lwasinitiatedin2015tofacilitatesharingoftechnologicalfacilities,toincreasethecriticalmassofthefundamentallifesciencesinUtrecht,andtocreateanattractiveresearchcommunity.EmbeddingS4LisembeddedinUtrechtUniversity'sFacultyofScience,whichconsistsofsixdepartments(Chemistry,Biology,PharmaceuticalSciences,Mathematics,InformationandComputingSciences,andPhysics,seeFigure1).ThisassessmentencompassestheentireDepartmentofBiology(IBBandIEB)andPharmaceuticalSciences(UIPS),andapproximatelyhalfoftheDepartmentofChemistry(Bijvoet).Whilethedepartmentsareresponsibleforpersonnel,finances,andthecoherencebetweenresearchandeducation,theinstitutesareresponsiblefortheirresearchqualityandstrategy.
Figure1:EmbeddingofthefourS4LinstitutesinUtrechtUniversity’sFacultyofScience.
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TheinteractionwiththeotherdisciplinesattheFacultyofSciencepromotesinterdisciplinaryresearch.TheS4LinstitutesarepartofthelivelylifesciencescommunityatUtrechtSciencePark:S4LhasintensivecollaborationswithresearchgroupsattheUMCU,theFacultyofVeterinaryMedicine,theHubrechtInstitute,andtheFungalBiodiversityCentre.Moreover,‘Lifesciences’isoneofUtrechtUniversity’sfourstrategicthemes.S4LresearchersalsocollaboratewithmanynationalandinternationalacademicandindustrialpartnersoutsideUtrecht.OrganisationS4Lismanagedbythescientificdirectorsofthefourinstitutes:ProfessorsBaldus,VandenHeuvel,Pieterse,andHeck.Thedirectorscoordinateinitiativesofthefourinstitutes,initiatecollaborations,andensuretheaccessibilityofS4L’stechnologicalfacilitiesandservicestoallprincipalinvestigators.ProfessorHoogenraadservedasthelocalS4Lambassadorinthestart-upphase.AsofApril2017,oneoftheinstitutedirectorswillbeappointedasthemanagingdirectoronatwo-yearrotationschedule,startingwithProfessorBaldus.Thenewdirectorwillfurtherintegratethefourinstitutesintoaclearandworkablestructure,andorganisethetechnologycentresandcorefacilitieswithinS4L.ThedirectorissupportedbyasmallteamconsistingofWernerMost(policyadvisor),MartjeEbberink(communicationsadvisor),andAstridHaijma(financialcontroller).Staff,teachingandfundingS4Lhostsapproximatelyonehundredprincipalinvestigators(seeTables1.1-1.4inAppendix3fordetailsaboutthestaffofthefourinstitutes).Mostscientificstaffmembersareinvolvedinbothresearchandeducation.Onaverage,permanentstaffspends40%ofitstimeonresearch,40%onteaching,and20%onmanagementandcommittees.PostdocsandPhDcandidatesspend90%oftheirtimeonresearchand10%onteaching.TheteachingactivitiesofS4LstaffmostlyinvolveeducationandtrainingofBachelor’sstudentswithintheUndergraduateSchooloftheFacultyofScienceandMaster’sandPhDstudentswithinUtrechtUniversity’sGraduateSchoolofLifeSciences(GSLS).In2015,372PhDcandidateswereperformingaPhDprojectundersupervisionofaS4Linstitute.AllofthesestudentswereenrolledinoneofthePhDprogrammesoftheGSLS.TheaverageresearchbudgetforthecombinedS4Linstitutesin2010-2015wasEUR38Mperyear(includingsalaries),34%ofwhichwasfundeddirectlybythegovernmentand66%wascompetitivelyobtainedfromnationalandinternationalfundingagenciesandprivatefunds(e.g.,companiesandcharities).Detailsaboutfundingofthefourresearchinstitutesareprovidedintables2.1-2.4ofAppendix3.InfrastructureAdvancedtechnologiesandcorefacilitiesplayakeyroleinS4Lresearch.Thein-houseresearchfacilitiesincludetheBiologyImagingCenter,ElectronMicroscopySquare,Phytotron(plantandmicrobegrowthfacilities),NanobodyFacility,NationalSingleCrystalX-rayFacility,NMRLargeScaleFacility,Large-ParticleFlowCytometryFacility,NPCProteins@WorkProteomicsFacility(massspectrometry),andtheUtrechtBio-InformaticsCenter.TheambitiontotransformthesefacilitiesintoaccessiblecentresofexpertisewasoneofthereasonsforlaunchingS4L.MostofS4L’stechnologycentresandcorefacilitiesparticipateinnationalandEuropeanresearchinfrastructureinitiatives,suchas‘Bioscopy’(avisionforaDutchresearchinfrastructurethatintegratesstructuralbiology,imaging,andomicstechnologies)and‘Instruct’(alandmarkEuropeanstructuralbiologyResearchInfrastructureontheESFRIRoadmap).
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Table2:ThefourS4LinstitutesinshortBijvoetCenterforBiomolecularResearch(Bijvoet)Researcharea:individualbiomoleculesofwhichlivingorganismsarebuiltCurrentDirector:ProfessorBaldusDepartment:ChemistryCoreresearchgroupsinMarch2017:BiomolecularMassSpectrometryandProteomics1(Heck),CellularProteinChemistry(Braakman),ChemicalBiologyandDrugDiscovery2(Boons),Cryo-ElectronMicroscopy(Förster),CrystalandStructuralChemistry(Gros),MembraneBiochemistry&Biophysics(Killian),NMRSpectroscopy(Baldus)In-houseinfrastructure:ElectronMicroscopySquare,NationalSingleCrystalX-rayFacility,NMRLargeScaleFacility,NPCProteins@WorkProteomicsFacility(massspectrometry)Staff:seeTable1.1inAppendix3Funding:seeTable2.1inAppendix3PhDprogrammecoordinatedbyBijvoet:MolecularLifeSciencesInstituteofBiodynamicsandBiocomplexity(IBB)Researcharea:fundamentalprinciplesthatregulatedynamicbiologicalprocessesCurrentDirector:ProfessorvandenHeuvelDepartment:BiologyDivisionsinMarch2017:Bioinformatics(Snel),CellBiology(AkhmanovaandHoogenraad),DevelopmentalBiology(VandenHeuvel),TheoreticalBiology(DeBoer)In-houseinfrastructure:BiologyImagingCenter(lightandfluorescentmicroscopy),NanobodyFacility,Large-ParticleFlowCytometryFacility,UtrechtBioinformaticsCenterStaff:seeTable1.2inAppendix3Funding:seeTable2.2inAppendix3PhDprogrammesinwhichIBBstudentsareenrolled:MolecularLifeSciences;Biomembranes;ComputationalLifeSciences;Cancer,StemCells&developmentalbiologyInstituteofEnvironmentalBiology(IEB)Researcharea:molecularandecologicallifeprocessesofplants,microbesandanimalsCurrentDirector:ProfessorPieterseDepartment:BiologyResearchgroupsinMarch2017:Ecology&Biodiversity(Kowalchuk),PlantEcophysiology(Voesenek),Plant-MicrobeInteractions(Pieterse),MolecularPlantPhysiology(Smeekens),AnimalEcology(Sterck),MolecularMicrobiology(Wösten)In-houseinfrastructure:Phytotron,researchgreenhousesStaff:seeTable1.3inAppendix3Funding:seeTable2.3inAppendix3PhDprogrammecoordinatedbyIEB:EnvironmentalBiologyUtrechtInstituteforPharmaceuticalSciences(UIPS)Researcharea:developmentofeffective,safe,andaffordablemedicationsforsocietyCurrentDirector:ProfessorHeckDepartment:PharmaceuticalSciencesDivisionsinMarch2017:Pharmaceutics(Hennink),Pharmacology(Garssen),PharmacoepidemiologyandClinicalPharmacology(Klungel),ChemicalBiologyandDrugDiscovery2(Boons),BiomolecularMassSpectrometryandProteomics1(Heck)In-houseinfrastructure:NPCProteins@WorkProteomicsFacility,UtrechtBioinformaticsCenterStaff:seeTable1.4inAppendix3Funding:seeTable2.4inAppendix3PhDprogrammecoordinatedbyUIPS:Druginnovation1TheBiomolecularMassSpectrometryandProteomicsgroupisembeddedinbothBijvoetandUIPS.2TheChemicalBiologyandDrugDiscoverygroupisembeddedinbothBijvoetandUIPS.
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2.AssessmentBijvoetCenterforBiomolecularResearchBijvoetCenterforBiomolecularResearchinshort
Director:ProfessorBaldus(2016-present),ProfessorGros(2012-2016),ProfessorHeck(2006-2011)Department:ChemistryIn-houseinfrastructure:ElectronMicroscopySquare,NationalSingleCrystalX-rayFacility,NMRLargeScaleFacility,NPCProteins@WorkProteomicsFacility(massspectrometry)Staff:seeTable1.1inAppendix3Funding:seeTable2.1inAppendix3PhDprogrammecoordinatedbyBijvoet:MolecularLifeSciences
ResearchersattheBijvoetCenterforBiomolecularResearch(Bijvoet)studythestructure,interactions,activity,andfunctionofbiomolecules.Thefocusisonunderstandingtheroleofbiomoleculesinthemolecularprocessesthatgoverncellularfunctionsinhealthanddisease.Atthetimeofthesitevisit(March2017),theBijvoetCenterconsistedofsevencoreresearchgroups:• TheBiomolecularMassSpectrometryandProteomicsgroupusesmassspectrometryto
understandtheinnerworkingsofcells(headedbyProfessorHeck,thisgroupisalsoembeddedinUIPS).
• TheCellularProteinChemistrygroupstudiesthemechanismsandregulationofproteinfoldingandassemblyinthecell(headedbyProfessorBraakman).
• TheChemicalBiologyandDrugDiscoverygroupfocusesonthedesignandsynthesisofcompoundswithbiologicalormedicinalapplicationsandtheirinteractionwiththeirreceptors(headedbyProfessorBoons,thisgroupisalsoembeddedinUIPS).
• TheCryo-ElectronMicroscopygroupusesCryo-electronmicroscopy(Cryo-EM),innovationin3Dimageprocessing,andcomputationalmodellingofmacromolecularassembliestocharacterisesecretorypathwayproteinsinanintegrativeway(headedbyProfessorFörster,thisgroupwasestablishedearly2013).
• TheCrystalandStructuralChemistrygroupisspecialisedinstructuralbiologyandstructuralchemistry,applyinganddevelopingcrystallographicmethodsforaccuratethree-dimensionalstructuredetermination(headedbyProfessorGros).
• TheMembraneBiochemistry&Biophysicsgroupstudieshowbiologicalmembranesarebuiltupandhowtheyfunctionatamolecularlevel(headedbyProfessorKillian).
• TheNMRSpectroscopygroupstudiesbiologicalprocessessuchassignaltransductionacrossmembranesandproteinfoldingusingacombinationofNMRspectroscopy,molecularbiology,andcomputationalstructuralbiology(headedbyProfessorBaldus).
2.1BijvoetstrategyandtargetsBijvoet’smissionistodiscoverthemolecularbasisoflife.Theinstituteaspirestobeaworld-classstructuralbiologyinstitutewithstate-of-the-artequipment.Thecurrenttrendinstructuralbiologyistodeterminethemolecularstructuresanddynamicsoflargemolecularmachines,ideallywhen
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embeddedinthecellularmembranesand/orinsidecells.Tothisend,Bijvoetresearchersuseacombinationofadvancedtechnologies,includingNMRspectroscopy,X-raycrystallography,electronmicroscopy,andmassspectrometry.Toarriveattrulynovelinsights,theresultsfromthesemeasurementsshouldbeintegratedthroughcomputationalbiomolecularmodelling,bioinformatics,andbigdataanalysis.TheBijvoetCenteraimstoexploititsuniquecombinationofexpertise,technologicalfacilities,andscientificcollaborationstoaddressthischallengeattheforefrontofinternationalresearch.Thiswillhelpanswerresearchquestionsthathavebeenidentifiedastopprioritiesonanationalandinternationallevel.LocalcollaborationsDuringthereviewperiod,theBijvoetCenterhasstronglyinvestedincollaborationwithotherresearchgroupsattheUtrechtSciencePark.Asaresult,BijvoetisnowstronglyembeddedinUtrechtUniversity’slifesciencecommunity.Bijvoet’sresearchgroupshavefruitfulcollaborationswith(andsomearepartlyembeddedin)thethreeotherS4Linstitutes,UMCU,theDebyeInstituteforNanomaterialsScience,andtheFacultyofGeosciences.Bijvoethasstimulatedlocalcollaborationsbyappointingassociatemembers,whichhasresultedinseveralveryhighimpactcollaborativeresearchpapers.Inaddition,theinstitutecollaborateswithmanycompaniesatUtrechtSciencePark.TheBijvoetCenteraimstofurtherintensifytheselinksandstrengthenallianceswithnationalandinternationalpartnersinthenearfuture.NewgroupsandleadersTostrengthenBijvoet’smembraneresearch,twogroupsweremergedin2012toformthecurrentMembraneBiochemistryandBiophysicsgroup.Moreover,thenewCryo-ElectronMicroscopygroupwasestablishedin2013.ProfessorFörsterbecametheleaderofthisgroupin2016.BijvoetwasalsostrengthenedbytheappointmentofProfessorBoons(aglycomicsandchemicalbiologyexpert)andseveralpromisingassistantprofessors:TzviyaZeev-Ben-Mordehai(Cryo-EM),CeliaBerkers(metabolomics),SimoneLemeer(proteomics),MarkusWeingarth(NMRspectroscopy),andBertJanssen(proteincrystallography).StrategyforthenextfivetotenyearsBijvoet’sresearchgroupsareuniquelypositionedtoprobebiomolecularactivityinrelationwithitscellularenvironmentovervariousstructuralscalesandfunctionallevels.AcoreaspectofBijvoet’sfuturestrategywillbetheintegrationofthesescientificoutputs,theirmulti-scaleanalysis,andthegenerationofcomprehensivequantitativemodelsbasedonthesedata.Asregardsfundingtargets,theBijvoetCenterisshiftingitseffortstoalternativefundingresourcesbecausethefundingthroughtheNetherlandsOrganisationforScientificResearch(NWO)isbecomingmoreandmorerestrictive.Theinstituteaimstostrengthenitsallianceswithlocal,national,andinternationalpartners(academicorindustrial)inordertoimproveitschancestoobtainfundingfromtheEuropeanCommission,NIH,andHFSP.Inaddition,theBijvoetCenterexpectstoincreasinglyperformresearchfundedbycharities.
2.2BijvoetresearchqualityThecommitteeratesBijvoet’sresearchqualityasexcellent.ExamplesofresearchhighlightsincludetheunravellingoftheroleofHsp90chaperonesinproteinfolding(relevanttodiseasessuchascysticfibrosisandAlzheimer’s),theworkonmembranesolubleproteins,andthemechanisticinsightsinto
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complementinitiation,amplification,regulationandporeformation,withimmediateimpactondevelopmentofcomplementtherapeutics.ThecommitteealsonotedthatProfessorHeck’sgroupperformsthebestproteomicsresearchintheNetherlandsandthatscientistsfromalloverthecountryturntoUtrechtforproteomicsresearch.ThearrivalofProfessorFörsteriscrucialtocompletetheinstitute’srepertoireofstructuralexpertise,withanotablerecenthighlightincludingthecircadianoscillatorproteincomplexandproteintranslocationcomplex.Bijvoetresearchershavepublishedmanyhighimpactscientificpapersoverthereviewperiod,injournalssuchasCell,Science,andNature.TherecognitionofBijvoetscientiststhroughnationalandinternationalgrants,awards,andprizes(includingtheSpinozaprizeforProfessorGros),aswellasthecoordinationofnationalandinternationalconsortiaalsounderscoresitsexcellentresearchquality.TheBijvoetCenterharboursanimpressiverangeofhigh-endtechnologies,includingNMR,X-raycrystallography,electronmicroscopy,andmassspectrometry.Thecombinationofthesefacilitiesinoneplaceisauniquesellingpoint.Bijvoetresearchersusethesetechnologiestostudythestructure,dynamics,andinteractionofbiomoleculesinvitroandinlivingcells(NMR),thestructureofproteinsandproteincomplexesatatomicresolution(X-raycrystallography),thestructureofproteinsinacellularcontext(electronmicroscopy),andproteomicsandthestructureofbiomoleculesinrelationtotheirbiologicalfunction(massspectrometry).InadditiontosupportingBijvoet’sownoutstandingresearch,thetechnologyplatformsareavailableforacademicandindustrialcollaborators,thusfurthercontributingtotheadvancementofsciencewithinandbeyondBijvoet’swalls.Forinstance,Bijvoet’smassspectrometryandNMRfacilitiesparticipateinEuropeaninfrastructureinitiatives.TheBijvoetCenteralsocoordinatestheDutcharmofthestructuralbiologyESFRILandmarkProject‘Instruct’.ThecommitteevaluesBijvoet’scontributiontothefurtherdevelopmentoftechnologiessuchasNMRandinsituCryo-ElectronTomography(Cryo-ET).Bijvoetresearchershavealsodevelopedsoftwaretoolstostudybiomolecules,whicharesharedwithotherresearchers.Forinstance,theydevelopedHADDOCK,anintegrativemodellingplatformforcharacterisingbiomolecularinteraction.HADDOCKisofferedasauser-friendlywebportalthatservesmorethan8000usersworldwide.Itisthemostusedandcitedsoftwareinthisresearcharea.
2.3BijvoetrelevancetosocietyBijvoetresearchishighlyrelevanttosocietybecauseitusesstructuralbiologytofindsolutionsforvarioussocietalchallenges.Adetailedunderstandingofhowbiomoleculesandcellsworkinhealthanddiseaseiskeytodevelopnoveltherapeuticapproaches,moreeffectivemedicines,andearlydiagnosticmethods.Bijvoetresearchersstudydiseasessuchascysticfibrosis,cancer,Alzheimer’sdiseases,andviralinfectionsandtheyperformbasicresearchwhichisimportantforthepharmaceuticalindustry.Inaddition,insightsfromBijvoetresearchcanaddtothedevelopmentofbio-basedtechnologies,plantswithimprovedqualities,andbacteriathatproducekeymaterials.Initsself-evaluation,theBijvoetCenteridentifiedthreeareasofsocietalrelevance:trainingofexcellentstudentsandscientists,collaborationwithindustrialpartners,andoutreachtothegeneralpublic.Bijvoet’sPhDgraduatesbecomeprofessionalsthatimplementtheirexpertiseinuniversities,researchinstitutes,companies,schools,andgovernmentalorganisations.TheBijvoetCenterhasnumerouscollaborationswithtechnologicalandpharmaceuticalcompanies(e.g.,Merus,Genmab,Danone,Zobio,Crucell,Merck,Thermo,andBruker),ensuringthattheresearchresultshavethe
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greatestopportunityofbeingtranslatedintopracticalapplications.Moreover,theinstitute’sresearchfacilitiesarefrequentlyusedbysocietalgroupssuchascompaniesandgovernmentalorganisations.SeveralBijvoetresearchgroupshavereceivedfundingfromcharitiestodiscoverthemolecularbasisofdisease.Finally,theBijvoetCenteractivelyencouragesitsscientiststoengageindisseminationoftheirresearchresultstothegeneralpublic,whichisvaluedbythecommittee.2.4BijvoetviabilityThecommitteeratesBijvoet’sviabilityasverygood.Bijvoetresearchershaveperformedworld-leadingresearchintheperiod2010-2015andtheyareexpectedtocontinuedoingso.Inaddition,theyhavereceivedmanygrants,prizesandscientificawards.TheBijvoetCenterhasmanagedtomaintainafairlystableleveloffundinginspiteofthegeneraldecreaseinfundingthroughNWO(seeTable2.1inAppendix3).TheinstituteisverystronginNMRandmassspectrometryandasaresult,ithasmanyfruitfullocal,national,andinternationalcollaborations.ThepresenceoftheChemicalBiologygroupisastrengthbecauseitenablestheinstitutetosynthesizeitsownmolecules.BijvoethasidentifiedCryo-EM/ETasanareaofgrowth,whichisapplaudedbythecommittee.Theinstitutehasexcellentleadersandithasdemonstrateditsabilitytoattractinternationallyoutstandingscientists(e.g.,ProfessorFörster,ProfessorBoons,DrZeev-Ben-Mordehai,DrBerkers,DrLemeer,DrWeingarth,andDrJanssen).ThisinturnattractshighqualityPhDstudentsandotherscientists.However,thecommitteehasalsoidentifiedpotentialthreatstothelong-termsustainabilityoftheBijvoetCenter.Theinstitutehasexpresseduncertaintyaboutthefuturecontinuationofstaffpositionsandfinancialsupportforitsinfrastructure.Inaddition,maintainingtherequiredleveloffundingcallsforsubstantialtimeinvestmentsofthescientificleaders.Thecommitteealsonotedthat,whiletheinstituteisproudtohaverecruitedProfessorFörsterandDrZeev-Ben-Mordehai,thestakeholders(i.e.,institute,departments,faculty,anduniversity)donotseemtohaveauniformvisiononhowtocreateabudgetandmachinetimeforCryo-EMresearch.Thissituationisnotviablewithoutfurtherinvestments.Todealwithlimitedfundingforinfrastructureanditsmaintenance,itmaybenecessarytofocusonthosefacilitiesthatareseenascrucialandensuretheyremainorareexpandedtocuttingedge,whilecollaboratingwithotherinstitutes(nationallyorinternationally)togetaccesstocomplementaryfacilities,eventhoughthebroadspectrumoffacilitiesatBijvoetisasellingpoint.AnotherconcernisthatBijvoetseemstolackaclearvisionofwhereitwantstogoscientifically:itisuncleariftheBijvoetCenterwantstodrivebiology(thentheyshouldclearlydefinewhichkeybiologicalquestionstheywishtopursueusingtheircutting-edgemethods)ortechnology(i.e.,providetechnologicalplatformsanddeveloptechnologies).ThisisillustratedbythefactthatmanyofBijvoet’sresearchgroupnamesreflecttheirtechnologicalexpertiseratherthantheirbiologicalresearchfocus(e.g.,‘BiomolecularMassSpectrometryandProteomicsgroup’).Thisinturnreducesthepossibilitiestoobtainfundingthroughnationalandinternationalpublic-privatepartnershipprogrammes.ParticipationinS4LandincreasedcollaborationwiththeotherS4LinstitutesmaybethebestwayfortheBijvoetCentertobetterpositionitselfforparticipationinlargepublic-privatepartnershipprogrammes.Moreingeneral,potentialdiscontinuationofstaffpositionsisamajorthreattotheviabilityofBijvoet.Thecommitteealsothinksthatthenumberofresearchgroups(seven)isverylargeandthe
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numberofprincipalinvestigatorspergroupissmall.Thecommitteenotedthattherearenotmanyfemalesattheprincipalinvestigatorlevel.Thecommitteewillproviderecommendationsonhowtodealwiththeabove-mentionedviabilityconcernsinChapter7.
2.5BijvoetassessmentinnumericalscoresInlinewiththequalitativeassessmentofBijvoetresearchdescribedabove,thecommitteehasassignedBijvoettoadiscretecategoryforeachoftheassessmentcriteria(Table3).Thefourpossiblecategoriesareexcellent(=1),verygood(=2),good(=3),andunsatisfactory(=4);thescoresareexplainedinmoredetailinAppendix4.Table3:QuantitativeassessmentofBijvoetresearchquality Research
qualityRelevancetosociety
Viability
BijvoetCenterforBiomolecularResearch 1 1 2
2.6BijvoetPhDprogrammeTheevaluationofthePhDprogrammesofthefourS4Linstituteswillbediscussedindetailinsection6.5.TheBijvoetCenterorganisesthePhDprogramme‘MolecularLifeSciences’withinUtrechtUniversity’sGraduateSchoolofLifeSciences.ThecommitteelearnedthattheBijvoetCenterwashometo55PhDcandidatesin2015,themajorityofwhichwereenrolledintheMolecularLifeSciencesprogramme.Bijvoet’sPhDstudentsareofferedbimonthlyPhDeveningswherethePhDcandidatespresenttheirworkwithoutsupervisorsbeingpresent,regularBijvoetseminarsbyinternationallyrenownedspeakers,anannualBijvoetsymposiumwherebothPhDcandidatesandinternationalspeakerspresenttheirwork,andexpertcoursesinbiomolecularmassspectrometry,proteincrystallography,andNMRspectroscopy.Around80%ofBijvoet’sPhDcandidatesstayinresearchaftergraduation,themajorityinacademicresearch.Inprinciple,BijvoetprovidesanexcellenttrainingprogrammeforitsPhDstudents,buttherearesomeaspectsthatcouldbeimproved.Thiswillbediscussedmorethoroughlyinsection6.5.2.7 BijvoetresearchintegritypolicyTheevaluationoftheresearchintegritypoliciesofthefourS4Linstituteswillbediscussedindetailinsection6.6.UtrechtUniversity’s‘CodeofConductforScrupulousAcademicPracticeandIntegrity’formsthebasisofthescientificintegrityrulesattheBijvoetCenter,incombinationwiththe‘NetherlandsCodeofConductforAcademicPractice’oftheAssociationofUniversitiesintheNetherlands.Sinceearly2016,UtrechtUniversityrequiresdatamanagementplanstobeestablishedforallresearchprojects.Bijvoetisintheprocessofdefiningitsdatamanagementpolicies.ManyresearchgroupsattheBijvoetCentercurrentlyareintheprocessofimplementingelectroniclabjournals.Datasetsarecommonlydepositedinappropriateinternationaldatabases.AlthoughBijvoetclaimstoeducateitsPhDstudentsaboutgoodresearchpractices,thecommitteenoticedthatsomePhDstudentswereinsufficientlyawareoftheconceptofresearchintegrity.Inlinewiththis,thecommitteelearnedthatthereisnomandatorycourseaboutresearchintegrityforBijvoet’sPhDstudents.Thisisunfortunate,especiallybecausetheamountofcontractresearchisincreasingatBijvoet.Thiswillbediscussedmorethoroughlyinsection6.6.
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3.AssessmentInstituteofBiodynamicsandBiocomplexityInstituteofBiodynamicsandBiocomplexityinshort
Director:ProfessorvandenHeuvel(2015-present),ProfessordeBoer(2012-2014),ProfessorScheres(2009-2011)Department:BiologyIn-houseinfrastructure:BiologyImagingCenter(lightandfluorescentmicroscopy),NanobodyFacility,Large-ParticleFlowCytometryFacility,UtrechtBioinformaticsCenterStaff:seeTable1.2inAppendix3Funding:seeTable2.2inAppendix3PhDprogrammesinwhichIBBstudentsareenrolled:MolecularLifeSciences;Biomembranes,ComputationalLifeSciences;Cancer,StemCells&developmentalbiology
ResearchersattheInstituteofBiodynamicsandBiocomplexity(IBB)studythebiologicalmechanismsofhealthanddiseaseinlivingorganisms.Bycombininginvivoobservationsatthemolecularandcellularlevelwithcomputationalapproachesandmathematicalmodelling,IBBaimstoachieveasystems-levelunderstandingofcomplexdynamicprocessesandtheirevolution.Atthetimeofthesitevisit(March2017),IBBconsistedoffourdivisions:• ThedivisionofBioinformaticsusesgenome-scaledatatoperformresearchinevolutionary
genomics(headedbyProfessorSnel,thisdivisionwasestablishedinJanuary2015).• ThedivisionofCellBiologyseekstoacquirenovelinsightsintothestructureandfunctionofcells,
todecipherthecellularbasisofhumandiseasessuchascancerandneurologicaldisorders,andtocontributetodevelopmentofdiagnosticandtherapeuticstrategies(headedbyProfessorAkhmanovaandProfessorHoogenraad,thisdivisionwasestablishedinJanuary2011).
• ThedivisionofDevelopmentalBiologyaimstodiscoverthebiologicalprinciplesofnormalcellandtissueformationandtotranslatetheacquiredinsightsintobenefitforregenerativemedicine,anti-cancerstrategies,andfoodproduction(headedbyProfessorvandenHeuvel).
• ThedivisionofTheoreticalBiologystudiesevolutionarydynamics,evolutionofdevelopment,bacterialgrowthinheterogeneousenvironments,host-pathogenevolution,andtheimmunesystemusingasystemsbiologyapproach,involvingquantitativebiology,mathematicalmodelling,computersimulationandbioinformatics(headedbyProfessordeBoer).
ThedivisionofMolecularMicrobiology,headedbyProfessorWösten,wasembeddedinIBBduringtheevaluationperiod,butmovedtotheInstituteofEnvironmentalBiology(IEB)inJanuary2016.Thisdivisionstudiesthemolecularmechanismsenablinggrowthanddevelopmentofmicroorganismsinadynamicenvironment.3.1IBBstrategyandtargetsIBB’smissionistodecipherthebiologicalmechanismsofhealthanddisease.Overthepastdecades,technologicalbreakthroughs(e.g.,imaging,high-throughputsequencing,massspectrometry,anddataanalysis)haverapidlycreatednewopportunitiesandscientificdirectionsinthelifesciences.
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Now,thefield’smainchallengeistotrulyunderstandhowthedifferentelementsworktogethertoregulatebiologicalprocesses.Thiscallsforquantitativeandinterdisciplinaryapproaches,whichIBBisincreasinglyimplementing.Theinstituteaspirestoformaninternationalcentreofexcellenceinquantitativebiologicalresearchandtocreatealivelyacademicenvironmentfortalentedscientistsandstudents.Byfocusingitscuriosity-drivenresearchoncentralquestionsinthelifesciences,IBBseekstocontributetosolutionsforimportantsocietalchallengesrelatedtohumanhealth,sustainablefoodproduction,andbiotechnologicalinnovation.ReorganisationIBBhasbeenthoroughlyrestructuredduringtheevaluationperiodbecauseofthefinancialsituationattheFacultyofScience.In2012,threedivisionslefttheinstitute(BehaviouralBiology,BiomolecularImaging,andMolecularGenetics).ThedivisionofMolecularMicrobiologywasembeddedtheInstituteofEnvironmentalBiologyinJanuary2016tocreatemorefocusintheresearchprogrammesofIBBandIEB.Thereorganisationhasresultedinamorecoherentinstitute.Followingthereorganisation,IBBhasinvestedstronglyinmicroscopyandbioinformatics.Inaddition,severalnewprincipalinvestigatorpositionswerecreated.BioinformaticsIBBhasinvestedinanewBioinformaticsdivision,whichstartedinJanuary2015.ThegroupisheadedbyProfessorSnelanditwillbeconnectedtoaspecialchairinalgorithmicbioinformaticsatthe‘CentrumWiskunde&Informatica’,whichistheDutchnationalresearchinstituteformathematicsandcomputerscience.ThiscollaborationwillfurtherstrengthenthedevelopmentofquantitativebiologyintheNetherlands,whichhashighpriorityinthecontextofdatascienceandhandlingofbigdata.ProfessorSnel’sBioinformaticsgroupcoordinatesthenewUtrechtBioinformaticsCenter,providingbioinformaticstrainingandbringingtogetherUtrecht-basedresearchgroupswitharangeofbioinformaticsexpertise.StrategyforthenextfivetotenyearsIBBaimstoincreaseitscriticalmass,coherence,stabilityandvisibilityinthenextfewyears.Theinstitutecontinuouslyseekstoenhancecollaborationbetweenitsdivisions,forinstancethroughjointgrantapplicationsandappointments,aswellasorganisingannualmeetings,activities,andretreats.Anotherfuturegoalistoimprovetheintegrationofadvancedmicroscopy,bioinformatics,andmodellingapproaches.ToincreaseitscriticalmassIBBwill1)installanewchairinbiophysics,headedbyDrKapitein,2)createopportunitiesforpromisingyoungresearcherstobecomegroupleadersandoffertenuretrackswiththepotentialtobecomefullprofessorswhenprogressisexcellent,3)interactcloselywithotherresearchgroupsinUtrecht,and4)appointspecialprofessorsandaffiliatedresearchers.IBBwillalsofurtherexpanditsparticipationinnationalandinternationalconsortia,largelythroughjointgrantapplications.IBB’sfuturefundingstrategywillparticularlyfocusonpersonalgrantsfromERCandNWO,aswellasgrantswithnationalorinternationalconsortia(Zwaartekracht,Horizon2020).Inaddition,theywillexplorepossibilitiesforstrategicallianceswithindustrialpartnersandformoreappliedgrants(STW).IBBwillcontinueitseffortstosecurefundingforitsmicroscopyequipmentvianationalinvestmentgrants.
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3.2IBBresearchqualityIBB’sresearchqualityisexcellent,whichisreflectedbyfrequentpublicationsintopscientificjournals,scientificawardsandprizes,andtheacquisitionofprestigiousgrants.TheTheoreticalBiologygroupheadedbyProfessordeBoerisworld-classindevelopingmathematicalandcomputationalapproachestoaddressclinicallyrelevantproblemsininfectiousdiseaseandimmunology.TheBioinformaticsgrouphasanoutstandingreputationfordevelopinginnovativebioinformatictoolsandforbasicresearchingenomeevolutionandmetagenomics(e.g.,theworkofDrDutilh).Moreover,IBBgathersfiveprincipalinvestigators(ProfessorsAkhmanova,Hoogenraad,Kapitein,VandenHeuvel,andthemorerecentlyrecruitedassistantprofessorDrBoxem)whoareworldleadersinthefieldofcellarchitecture,microtubule-basedprocesses,andcellpolarity.IBBresearcherssuccessfullycombineadvancedimagingexpertisewithcomputationalresearch.IBB’sdivisionsallareverystrongresearchgroupsthatexcelinbasicsciencewithaquantitativebiologicalapproach.IBBhousesstate-of-the-artresearchfacilitiesthatitshareswithresearchersfromotherinstitutesandcompanies.Inaddition,theinstituteisleadingindevelopingtechnology.Forinstance,theBiologyImagingCenterfunctionsasanexpertisecentreinadvancedlightandfluorescentmicroscopytechniques.Thecentrebringstogethermicroscopy-basedresearchatUtrechtUniversity’sFacultyofScience,VeterinaryMedicine,UMCU,andtheHubrechtInstitute.Itcontinuouslydevelopsandappliesimaginganalysistools.ItalsoparticipatesinthenationalNLBioImagingAMconsortium.IBBalsohousestheLarge-ParticleFlowCytometryFacility,whichprovidesaccesstothelatestmodellargeparticleflowcytometerandisfrequentlyusedbyresearchersfromotheruniversities.TheUtrechtNanobodyFacilitywithinIBBofferstechnologyfortheselectionandproductionofnanobodiesforacademicandindustrialresearchers.Itcollaborateswithseveralinstitutes,academichospitals,andcompanies.ThecommitteeparticularlyvaluestheUtrechtBioinformaticsCenter,whichprovidesbioinformaticstrainingandbringstogetherarangeofbioinformaticsexpertise.BycoordinatingaHigh-PerformanceComputationFacility,theUtrechtBioinformaticsCentreprovidesaccesstoasolidfacilitytocomputetheincreasingamountofresearchdatathatisgenerated,formultipleresearchgroupsfromUMCU,UtrechtUniversity,andtheHubrechtInstitute.3.3IBBrelevancetosocietyIBB’scuriosity-drivenresearchisrelevanttosocietyasitcreatesnewknowledgeandpossiblytrueinnovation.Inaddition,IBBistrainingthefuturegenerationsthroughitsemphasisonandexpertiseinimagingandquantitativeanalysis,whichisbecomingmoreandmoreimportantinbiology.TherearemanycollaborationswithindustrythatfacilitatethetranslationofIBB’sfundamentalresearchintopracticalapplications.SeveralIBBresearchprojecthaveaclinicalrelevance(e.g.,researchoncancer,neurodegenerativediseases,immunologyandAIDS).IBB’sworkonthemicrobiomeinhumanhealthishighlyrelevanttosociety.Duringthereviewperiod,IBBcollaboratedwithcompaniessuchasDSM,Dupont,Heineken,Unilever,C4C,Crucell,GSK,QVQ,U-proteinExpress,Synthon,Philips,CrossbetaBiosciences,Unilever,EisaiCorp,PharmaMar,UnionBiometrica,AquaGENAS,BASF,Pepsico,Bayer,andLeica.Inaddition,theinstituteoffersitstechnologicalfacilitiestocompaniesandIBBmembersobtainedsevenpatentsintheperiod2010-2015.
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However,maybeduetothereorganisation,theinstitutehasnotyetestablishedaclearstrategyforthewholeinstituteastobranding,valorisation,andcreatingsocietalrelevance.Asitisnow,thisseemsmoretheadhocresponsibilityofeachindividualstaffmemberintheinstitute.Thisiscertainlynotwithoutsuccess,butitcouldbefurtherimprovedbyaclearstrategyattheleveloftheinstitute.Initsself-evaluation,IBBmentionsfourlevelsofsocietalrelevance:traininghighqualityscientistsandcriticalminds,generatingadeeperunderstandingofhumanhealthanddisease,executingappliedresearchprojectswithafocusoncancertherapyandcollaborationswithindustry,andperformingoutreachactivitiestothegeneralpublicandhighschoolstudents.TheIBBstafftrainsstudentstobecomeprofessionalsthatimplementtheirtalentsinuniversities,institutes,companies,schools,andgovernmentalorganisations.ThecommitteeparticularlyvaluesIBB’seducationeffortsinquantitativebiology,becausefuturebiologistswillneedquantitativeskills.Inaddition,theinstituteencouragesitsscientiststoengageinoutreachactivities,includinghighschoolprojectsandvisits,whichisvaluedbythecommittee.3.4IBBviabilityIBBisaninstituteofgreatpotentialwithexcellentviability.Thereorganisationhasresultedinamuchmorefocusedinstitutewitharelativelyyoungstaff.Theinstitutegivestheimpressionofacoherent,well-functioninggroup,consistingoftwosubgroups(i.e.,cellbiologistsandquantitativebiologists)thatareverywillingtocollaborate.IBBharboursseveralstrongyounggroupleadersandtheatmosphereappearsexcellent.IBBresearchershavebeensuccessfulinobtainingpersonalgrantsandtheamountoffundingperresearcherhasseenasubstantialincreaseintheperiod2010-2015,despiteincreasinglyintensecompetitionandreducedgovernmentalfunding.Theinstitute’sstate-of-the-arttechnologicalfacilitiesconstituteamagnetfortalentedstudentsandresearchers.Thecommitteeunderscoresthehighimportanceofresearch-drivenbioinformaticsasperformedbyProfessorSnel’sgroup.Thegrouphasaclearvisionofwhatbioinformaticsshouldbe.ThecommitteeapplaudstheplanstoestablishanewbiophysicsgroupincloseconnectiontobiophysicsgroupswithintheDepartmentsofChemistryandPhysics.TheintendedgroupleaderDrKapiteinseemstohaveaveryclearvisionandstrategy.3.5IBBassessmentinnumericalscoresInlinewiththequalitativejudgementsofIBBresearchdescribedabove,thecommitteehasassignedIBBtoadiscretecategoryforthethreeassessmentcriteria(Table4).Thefourpossiblecategoriesareexcellent(=1),verygood(=2),good(=3),andunsatisfactory(=4);thescoresareexplainedinmoredetailinAppendix4.Table4:QuantitativeassessmentofIBBresearchquality Research
qualityRelevancetosociety
Viability
InstituteofBiodynamicsandBiocomplexity 1 2 1
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3.6IBBPhDprogrammeTheevaluationofthePhDprogrammesofthefourS4Linstituteswillbediscussedindetailinsection6.5.ThecommitteelearnedthatIBBwashometo57PhDcandidatesin2015.ThesestudentswereenrolledinfourdifferentPhDprogrammesofUtrechtUniversity’sGraduateSchoolofLifeSciences(MolecularLifeSciences;Biomembranes;ComputationalLifeSciences;orCancer,StemCells&developmentalbiology).ThemajorityofIBB’sPhDcandidatesfindpositionsaspost-doctoralresearchers(81%)orinindustry(13%)aftergraduation.ThecommitteehastheimpressionthatIBB’sPhDstudentsareofferedanexcellenttrainingprogramme,buttherearesomeaspectsthatcouldbeimproved.Thiswillbediscussedmorethoroughlyinsection6.5.IBBalsoorganisestheQuantitativeBiology(Qbio)programme,whichisacombinedMasterhonoursprogrammeandPhDprogrammefortopstudents.Theprogrammestartswithanhonours’trackintheNaturalSciencesandLifeSciencesmasterprogrammes,enablingstudentstowritetheirownproposalsforinterdisciplinaryPhDprojectsinquantitativebiology.Basedonthegrantproposalandaninterview,fourofthemostpromisingQbiostudentswillreceivefundingfromNWOtocarryouttheirownPhDproject.Thecommitteehighlyappreciatesthisinitiative.3.7IBBresearchintegritypolicyTheevaluationoftheresearchintegritypoliciesofthefourS4Linstituteswillbediscussedindetailinsection6.6.IBBhasseenacaseofviolationofacademicintegrityintherecentpast(involvingDrDhonukshe).ThiscasehasbeendiscussedextensivelywithintheinstituteandithastriggereddiscussionswithintheFacultyofScienceonhowtosafeguardresearchintegrity.ProfessorHoogenraadofIBB’sdivisionofCellBiologyhasdevelopedaseriesoflecturesondatahandlingandintegrityforbiologystudents.TheIBBPhDstudentsthatwereinterviewedbythecommitteewereallhighlyawareofresearchintegrityissues.
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4.AssessmentInstituteofEnvironmentalBiologyInstituteofEnvironmentalBiologyinshort
Director:ProfessorPieterse(2009-present)Department:BiologyIn-houseinfrastructure:Phytotron,researchgreenhousesStaff:seeTable1.3inAppendix3Funding:seeTable2.3inAppendix3PhDprogrammecoordinatedbyIEB:EnvironmentalBiology
ResearchersattheInstituteofEnvironmentalBiology(IEB)aimtounravelbiologicalmechanismsthatenableplants,microbes,andanimalstoadapttotheirenvironmenttomaximizegrowth,fitness,andsurvival.Inaddition,theystudythemechanismsthatregulatebiodiversityandecosystemfunctioninginourdynamicworld.Atthetimeofthesitevisit(March2017),IEBharbouredsixresearchgroups:• TheEcology&Biodiversitygroupinvestigatesmechanismsthatregulateplantandmicrobial
biodiversityandallowforthemaintenanceofecosystemfunctioning(headedbyProfessorKowalchuk).
• ThePlantEcophysiologygroupstudiesmechanismsthatconferfloodingtolerancewhichfacilitateplantlifeinfrequentlysubmergedenvironmentsandmechanismsunderlyingtheshade-avoidanceandtoleranceresponsesinitiatedbylightcues(headedbyProfessorVoesenek).
• ThePlant-MicrobeInteractionsgroupstudiesmolecularmechanismsbywhichtheplantimmunesystemorchestratesinteractionswithotherorganismstoaccommodatebeneficialmicrobesintherootmicrobiome,whilewardingoffdevastatingpathogensandpests(headedbyProfessorPieterse).
• TheMolecularPlantPhysiologygroupfocusesonunderstandingsugar-,light-andhightemperature-mediatedsignaltransductionmechanismsandtheireffectontheregulationofplantgrowthandarchitectureunderdifferentenvironmentalconditions(headedbyProfessorSmeekens).
• TheAnimalEcologygroupperformsresearchonthebehaviouralecologyofanimalgroupliving,withaspecialfocusonprimatesandanimalwelfare(headedbyProfessorSterck,thisgroupjoinedIEBin2012).
• TheMolecularMicrobiologygroupstudiestheregulationanddynamicsofgrowth,development,andbiologicactivityoforganicmatterdecomposingfungiandhumanpathogenicfungi,aswellasthemolecularmechanismsofproteinsecretionandbiogenesisoftheoutermembraneofGram-negativebacteria(headedbyProfessorWösten,thisgroupjoinedIEBin2016,i.e.,aftertheevaluationperiod).
4.1IEBstrategyandtargetsIEB’smissionistodevelopsustainableinnovationsinspiredbynature.Theinstitutehasrecogniseditsexcellentpositiontorespondtotheurgentsocietalchallengesoffoodsecurity,sustainableuseofecosystemservices,andprotectionofnaturalresources.IEBaimstoobtainadeepunderstandingof
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molecular,physiological,andecologicalprocessesthatplants,microbesandanimalshaveevolved,andtotranslatethis‘inspirationfromnature’intoinnovationsthatbenefitsociety.IEBaspirestoperformcutting-edge,curiosity-drivenresearchattheinternationalforefrontofitsscientificfieldsandtodisseminateitsknowledgetosocietalpartners,suchasthegreenlifesciencesindustryandenvironmentalagencies.IEBresearchisorganisedinthreeresearchthemes:1)learning-from-nature-baseddiscoveryofhowplantsgrowandadapttostress,2)microbesandmicrobiomesforsustainabilityoflife,and3)ecosystemservicesandprotectionofournaturalresources.IEBandIBBcollaborateclosely,especiallyinbioinformatics,computationalbiology,microscopy,andcellbiology.ExtendedresearchfocusHistorically,IEBhashadastrongorientationonplantsciences.RecentdevelopmentshavestrengthenedthemicrobiologicalcomponentofIEBresearch.MicrobialecologywasintroducedintoIEBwiththeappointmentofProfessorKowalchukasthenewheadoftheEcology&Biodiversitygroup.AfocusonfungalbiologywasaddedwiththemoveofProfessorWösten’sMolecularMicrobiologygroupfromIBBtoIEBin2016.Inaddition,severalprofessors-by-special-appointmentwithanexpertiseinmicrobiologyjoinedIEBduringtheevaluationperiod.ThesechangeshaveresultedinanextensionofthescientificscopeofIEBfrompredominantlyplantsciencestoanintegratedfocusonplantandmicrobebiology.ProfessorSterck’sAnimalEcologygroupprovidesananimalcomponenttoIEB’sresearchandbroadensthetrainingofMScstudentsintheGraduateSchoolofLifeSciences.FutureFoodUtrechtIn2014,IEBscientistsinitiatedtheUtrechtUniversityfocusarea‘FutureFoodUtrecht’tohighlightandstrengthentheuniversity’spositioninthisfield.InFutureFoodUtrecht,scientistsfromseveralfacultiesofUtrechtUniversity,theUMCU,andaccompanyingindustryjointheirfundamentalandstrategicresearchcapacitiestotacklethegrandsocietalchallengeoffoodsecurityandsafety.ThislocalpositioningeffortallowsIEBtostaytruetoitscuriosity-drivenresearchfocus,whilealsocreatingaddedvaluetoUtrechtUniversityandsocietyatlarge.StrategyforthenextfivetotenyearsIEBaimstostrengthenitslocalvisibility,nationalandinternationalposition,andinteractionswithsocietalpartnersinthenearfuture.Tothisend,sevenhigh-potentialyoungscientistswererecentlyappointedontenure-trackassistantprofessorpositions.Inaddition,threeassociateprofessorswerepromotedtofullprofessor(Sterck,Pierik,andVandenAckerveken).TheinstitutehasformedmultiplestrategiclocalalliancesandhasamplefruitfulcollaborationswithresearchgroupsoutsideUtrecht.Asregardsfundingtargets,IEBwillfocusonprestigiouspersonalfellowshipsforbasicscience(e.g.,fromERCandNWO),largecollaborativeresearchprogrammes(e.g.,fromTopSector,STW,NWOGravitation,KNAWSino-DutchStrategicAlliancesProgram,EUHorizon2020,andKICFoodNexus),individualprojects(e.g.,NWOandSTWOpenCompetitions,NWO/STWdedicatedcalls,EUMarie-Curiefellowships,andChineseScholarshipCouncilfellowships),andindustryco-fundedresearchprogrammesinwhichscientificdiscoveriesaretranslatedintopracticalapplications.
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4.2IEBresearchqualityThecommitteeratesIEB’sresearchqualityasexcellent.IEBhostsworld-leadingresearchersinthefieldsofplantscience,microbiology,andecology.Examplesofresearchhighlightsincludethediscoveryofmolecularmechanismsofplantimmunesystemfunctioning,themolecularmechanismsofplantgrowthandadaptationtoenvironmentalstresssuchasflooding,thebiologicalmechanismsbywhichplantsbenefitfromtherootmicrobiome,andtheeffectsofenvironmentalchangeonbiodiversity.IEBhaspublishedatanexceptionallyhighlevelintheperiod2010-2015:IEB’smeannormalisedcitationscore(MNCS)was2.68accordingtoananalysisbytheCenterforScienceandTechnologyStudies,meaningthattheimpactofIEB’spublicationsis2.68timestheworldaverage.IEB’splantsciencepapershadanevenhigherMNCSof3.53.Inaddition,IEBstaffhasbeensuccessfulinobtainingprestigiouspersonalawardsandfellowships.IEBconstitutesaverystrongresearchenvironmentwithhighqualityin-houseinfrastructure.TheUtrechtUniversityPhytotronharboursexcellentfacilitiesforprecisionplantandmicrobegrowthandmonitoring.Itincludes17walk-ingrowthroomsand20smallergrowthcabinetsinwhichclimateconditionscanbepreciselymonitoredandmanaged.Inaddition,IEBresearchershaveaccesstoresearchgreenhousesintheBotanicalGardenandmesocosmfacilities.
4.3IEBrelevancetosocietyIEBresearchishighlyrelevanttosocietyasitprovidesafirmknowledgebasetodevelopsustainablesolutionsforurgentsocietalchallengessuchasfuturefoodsecurity,sustainableuseofecosystemservices,andeducatedprotectionofnaturalresources.Theinstituteperformsfundamentalandtranslationalresearchonmechanismsofplantsurvivalandmicrobialdiversity.Inaddition,ittriestoimprovetheproductionofediblemushroomsandsustainablebiomaterialsusingagriculturalwastestreamsandtoreducepost-harvestspoilageoffood.IEBhasteamedupwithotherfood-orientedscientistsinUtrechttocreatethefocusarea‘FutureFoodUtrecht’,inordertoprovideinterdisciplinarysolutionsforthefuturefoodchallengeandtoincreasesocietalawareness.IEBactivelycollaborateswithcompaniesandgovernmentalorganisationstoensurethetranslationofitsfindingsintopracticalapplications.AnexampleofasuccessfulcollaborationwithindustryistheprojectwithENZAZaden,whodirectlyfundedIEBresearchondownymildewresistancetechnologyandhavesuccessfullyincorporatedthetechnologyinbreedingprogramsoftheirvegetablecrops.IEBscientistshavealsoobtainedfundingfromthe‘Perspective’fundingschemeoftheDutchTechnologyFoundationSTWanddiverseTopSectorprogrammes.Inthesepublic-privatefundingprogrammes,scientistscloselycollaboratewithindustrialpartnersinthegreenlifesciencesindustry(e.g.,KeyGene,GeneTwister,DSM,Dupont,BASF),plantbreedingcompanies(e.g.,RijkZwaan,ENZAZaden,BejoSeeds,Vilmorin,PopVriend,Syngenta,Monsanto,BayerCropScience,andRoyalvanZanten),biologicalcontrolandseedcompanies(e.g.,Koppert,Incotec,Soiltech,EcoStyle),andthefoodindustry(e.g.,Heineken,Pepsico,Unilever,C4C,Walkro).Inaddition,IEBscientistshavecloseinteractionswithenvironmentalconsultancyfirms(e.g.,Dactylis,BioClear,LouisBolkInstitute),natureorganisations(e.g.,WorldWildlifeFoundation,WetlandsInternational,NetherlandsEnvironmentalAssessmentAgency,PrinceBernhardFoundation),zoos,andprovincialwaterboards,ministriesandprovincialauthorities.
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ThecommitteeparticularlyappreciatestheappointmentofProfessorvandenAckervekenasavalorisationofficer,withtheassignmenttoenhancesocietalimpact(e.g.,interactionswithindustrialpartners)andfacilitatethetranslationofIEB’sdiscoveriesintopracticalapplications.TrainingtopscientistsisanadditionalimportantsocietalvalueofIEB.Greenlifesciencescompaniesareincontinuousneedforwell-trainedplantscientists.Indeed,manyofIEB’sPhDcandidatesandpostdocsfindemploymentinDutchplantbreedingcompanies,orothercompaniesandgovernmentalorganisationsafterleavingIEB.4.4IEBviabilityThecommitteeconsidersIEB’sviabilitytobeexcellent.Theinstitutehasperformedworld-leadingresearchwitharemarkablyhighimpactintheperiod2010-2015anditisexpectedtocontinuealongthisline.Thegroupleadersaresuccessfulinacquiringfundingandtherearemanycollaborativeprojectswithindustry.IEBworksonthreethemes(plantscience,ecology,andmicrobiology)thatinteractintensively,forinstancethroughmonthlymeetingsofgroupleadersandjointgrantproposals.Thestaffiscomposedofamixofestablishedseniorscientistsandpromisingyoungresearchers.Moreover,attractinghighpotentialyoungscientistsisanexplicitpartofIEB’sstrategy.Theinstituteharboursstate-of-the-artplantgrowthfacilities(thePhytotron)andthereareplanstosubmitanambitiousNationalRoadmapproposalfora‘NetherlandsPlantEco-PhenotypingCentre’togetherwithWageningenUniversity.Thisfacilitywillharbouradvancedmultiscaleplant/rootanalysisplatforms,myceliumanalysisplatforms,automatedphenotypingcapabilities,climaticsimulationenvironments,andadvancedclimatizedEcotronfacilities.Itwillprovidecutting-edgeintegratedgrowthandanalyticalfacilitiesforarangeofplantandmicrobialsciencesrequiredtotacklekeyissuesinfuturefood,healthandenvironmentalscience.TheclosecollaborationwithIBB’sbioinformaticsdivisionalsoaddstoIEB’sviability.IEBiskeenlyawareoflocalandnationalpoliticsandtheneedtoprofileitself.Fundingorganisationsareawareofthefactthatfundamentalplantandmicrobiologicalscienceisneededtofeedtheworldofthefuture,resultinginrelevantfundingschemes.TheUniversityinvestmentsinthePhytotronandtheFutureFoodfocusareaillustratethatIEB’slobbypaysoff.TheFutureFoodUtrechtfocusareaisatimelyinitiativethataddressesamajorsocietalchallenge,whichisalsoincludedintherecentlypublishedDutchNationalResearchAgenda(seesection6.3).TheplantsciencesgroupswithinIEBhavetheirownnichecomparedtotheresearchthatisperformedatWageningenUniversity.Therefore,IEB’sresearchiscomplementarytoratherthancompetingwithWageningenresearch.ThisisalsoevidentfromthejointRoadmapproposalthatiscurrentlybeingprepared.TomaintainthevigorousplantsciencecommunityinUtrecht,asuccessorshouldbeappointedaftertheforeseenretirementofProfessorSmeekens.4.5IEBassessmentinnumericalscoresInlinewiththequalitativejudgementsofIEBresearchdescribedabove,thecommitteehasassignedIEBtoadiscretecategoryforeachoftheassessmentcriteria(Table5).Thefourpossiblecategoriesareexcellent(=1),verygood(=2),good(=3),andunsatisfactory(=4);thescoresareexplainedinmoredetailinAppendix4.
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Table5:QuantitativeassessmentofIEBresearchquality Research
qualityRelevancetosociety
Viability
InstituteofEnvironmentalBiology 1 1 14.6IEBPhDprogrammeTheevaluationofthePhDprogrammesofthefourS4Linstituteswillbediscussedindetailinsection6.5.IEBorganisesthePhDprogramme‘EnvironmentalBiology’withinUtrechtUniversity’sGraduateSchoolofLifeSciences(GSLS).IEBwashometo40PhDcandidatesin2015.ThemajorityofthesewereenrolledinboththeEnvironmentalBiologyprogrammeoftheGSLSandanationalgraduateschool(‘ExperimentalPlantScience’or‘ProductionEcology&ResourceConservation’).ThenationalgraduateschoolsorganisespecialisedcoursesthatformasignificantpartoftheeducationofIEB’sPhDcandidates.Asaresult,thecandidatesareofferedabroadeducationalprogramme.Moreover,theycaninteractwithpeersfromotheruniversitiestodiscusstheirresearch,exchangeideasandstartcollaborations.Bytheendof2015,53%oftheEnvironmentalBiologyPhDcandidatesthatgraduatedduringthereviewperiodwerestillactiveinacademia,23%workedinindustry(mainlyplantbreeding),and8%atnon-profitorganisations.IEBoffersitsPhDstudentsanexcellenttrainingprogramme,buttherearesomeaspectsthatcouldbeimproved.Thiswillbediscussedmorethoroughlyinsection6.5.4.7IEBresearchintegritypolicyTheevaluationoftheresearchintegritypoliciesofthefourS4Linstituteswillbediscussedindetailinsection6.6.AtIEB,labmeetings,subgroupmeetings,journalclubs,andPhDreportmeetingsfacilitatethoroughdiscussionoftopicssuchasdataprocessing,theuseofimageprocessingsoftware,andstatisticalanalyses.Theinstituteaspirestotrainyoungscientiststokeepacriticalmindontheirownresultsandthoseofothers.IEBscientistsareincreasinglyusinganelectroniclabjournal,whichallowsforaccuratedigitalrecordingofexperimentsandresultswithtractable,non-reversibleversionstorage.Biologicalmaterialsarestoredviaanelectronicmanagementsystem.Theyprocessrawdataviastandardisedprotocols.Largedatasetsaremadeavailableviainternationalrepositoriesandassupplementaldatatopublications.Takentogether,thestaffoftheinstituteiswellawareofresearchintegrity,butthisawarenessdoesnotseemtohavereachedallPhDstudents.Thiscouldeasilybeimproved,forinstancewithamandatorycourseforPhDstudentswhereresearchintegrityisdiscussed.
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5.AssessmentUtrechtInstituteforPharmaceuticalSciencesUtrechtInstituteforPharmaceuticalSciencesinshort
Director:ProfessorHeck(2015-present),ProfessorHennink(2012-2015),ProfessorOlivier(2010-2012)Department:PharmaceuticalSciencesIn-houseinfrastructure:NPCProteins@WorkProteomicsFacility(massspectrometry),UtrechtBioinformaticsCenterStaff:seeTable1.4inAppendix3Funding:seeTable2.4inAppendix3PhDprogrammecoordinatedbyUIPS:Druginnovation
ResearchersattheUtrechtInstituteforPharmaceuticalSciences(UIPS)aimtocontributetothedevelopmentofeffective,safe,andaffordablemedicationsforsociety.Theresearchincludesdrugdiscovery,drugdevelopment,drugdelivery,anddruguse,wheredrugsarebroadlydefinedaschemical,biological,biotechnological,orcellularentitiestobeusedindiagnosis,preventionortreatmentofdiseases.Since2010,theinstitutehasbeenorganisedinfivedivisions:• ThedivisionofPharmacologyaimstounderstandandvalidatenewconceptsfordisease
managementviadrugs,biologicals,andmedicalfoodconcepts(headedbyProfessorGarssen).• ThedivisionofChemicalBiologyandDrugDiscoveryusessyntheticmolecularapproachestostudy
andmodulatebiologicalprocessesrelatedtodisease(headedbyProfessorBoons,thisgroupisalsoembeddedinBijvoet).
• ThedivisionofPharmaceuticsfocusesonthedeliveryandtargetingofdrugsbyintegratingchemistry,formulation,biopharmaceutics,andcellbiology(headedbyProfessorHennink).
• ThedivisionofBiomolecularMassSpectrometryandProteomicsusesmassspectrometrytounderstandtheinnerworkingsofcells(headedbyProfessorHeck,thisgroupisalsoembeddedinBijvoet).
• ThedivisionofPharmacoepidemiologyandClinicalPharmacologystudiesthesourcesofindividualvariationindrugresponsewiththegoaltoincreasethebenefit-riskratiooftherapeutics(headedbyProfessorKlungel).
5.1UIPSstrategyandtargetsUIPS’missionistopavethewayforfuturemedicines,ultimatelyimprovingpeople’shealth.Acurrentinternationaltrendinpharmaceuticalsciencesisashifttowardspersonalisedmedicine.Thiscallsforasystemspharmacologyapproach,whereexperimentalmeasurementsatdifferentlevels(molecular,cellular,organismal,wholebody,population)arecombinedwithmodellingwork.UIPSaspirestoapplythissystemsapproachwithomicsmeasurements(proteomics,metabolomics,glycomics),advanceddrugdeliverysystems(e.g.,nanomedicines),andnewpharmacoepidemiologicalmethodsbasedonpredictivebiomarkers.UIPS’ambitionistofosterdevelopmentandtranslationofinnovativeresearchfindingsintoclinicalapplications,alsothroughinteractionswithclinicaland/or
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industrialscientists.Inotherwords,UIPSaspirestoformanaturalbridgebetweenfundamentalandpatient-orientedresearch.RecruitingtopscientistsDuringthereviewperiod,UIPShasstrengtheneditsmolecular-orientedresearchactivitieswiththeaimtocontributetoadvancedandaffordablebiomolecularandcellulartherapies.Recruitingrenownedscientistswasoneofthemeanstoachievethisobjective.Forinstance,glycobiologistsBoons,Jongkees,andWennekeswererecruitedintotheChemicalBiologyandDrugDiscoverydivision.Thishaschangedthegroup’sresearchfocusintotheuseofchemicalapproachestostudypost-translationalmodifications,inparticularglycosylation,inhealthanddisease.ThishasstrengthenedUIPS’positioninchemicalbiologyandinnovativedrugdesign.ProfessorMasereeuwwasrecruitedtostrengthenthepharmacologyresearch.Masereeuwalsointroducedlab-on-a-chipexpertisetotheinstitute,constitutinganimportantalternativetoanimaltesting.IncreasingcoherenceTheinstitutehasseriouslyaddressedthescientificintegrationoftheresearchatitsfivedivisions(i.e.,thecoherenceoftheinstitute),aswellasthecommunityfeelingofstaffandstudents.Forinstance,theynoworganisevariousmeetings(e.g.,pizzameetingsforPhDstudents,PhDretreats,colloquia,theannualMolecules&Medicine/FutureMedicinesmeeting).Inaddition,therehavebeenseedgrantsforjointPhDprojects.StrategyforthenextfivetotenyearsInresponsetothedeclineofdirectuniversityfunding,UIPShasfurtherincreaseditsfund-raisingeffortsfromnationalandinternationalgrantsandcontractresearch.UIPShasintensivecollaborationswiththeprivatesector.OpensourceinnovationandpublicprivatepartnershipswillbeUIPS’researchstrategiesinthenearfuture.GivenS4L’sstrengthinstructuralbiology,virology,analyticalchemistry,glycomics,andglycobiology,UIPShastakentheleadinsettingupaglycomicscentre,focusingontheglycobiologyofhost-pathogeninteractionsanddiseasebiology.Anothercurrentdevelopmentistheadventofprecisionmedicine.Measuringpatientcharacteristicswithcleverlydesignedprobesandomicstechnologieswillbecomeanintegralpartoffuturetherapies.Withitsexpertiseinomics,bioinformatics,systemsbiology,andclinicaltranslation,UIPSisinanexcellentpositiontobeattheforefrontofthesedevelopments,inclosecollaborationwithlocalpartners.Inaddition,UIPSplanstotaketheleadinsustainableandaffordablehealthcarebycreatingnewdrugpolicymodels.UIPSwouldalsoliketoplayanimportantroleininitiatingauniversity-wideFutureMedicinesfocusarea.
5.2UIPSresearchqualityTheresearchqualityofUIPS’fivedivisionsisexcellent,forexamplethediscoveryofnovelantibioticsandnewnanomedicines,thestudyofglycansinhost-guestinteractionswithsmartchemicalprobes,andthepharmacoepidemiologicalresearch.TheinstituteishighlyrecognisedasoneofthestrongestpharmaceuticalsciencegroupsinEurope.UIPSresearchersfrequentlypublishinhighimpactjournalsandtheyhavereceivedmanyscientificawards,prizes,andothermarksofinternationalrecognition.UIPS’technologyplatformsareavailableforacademicandindustrialcollaborators,thuscontributingtotheadvancementofscienceinadditiontosupportingtheinstitute’sownoutstandingresearch.
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Forinstance,theBiomolecularMassSpectrometryandProteomicsdivisionhasbeenrunningmassspectrometryanalysesforlocal,nationalandinternationalcollaborationsformorethantenyears.5.3UIPSrelevancetosocietyUIPSresearchishighlyrelevanttosocietyasitcontributestothedevelopmentofeffective,safe,andaffordabledrugs.Theinstitutehassetitselfthegoaltoperformsciencethatcanbeusedtoreducetheprizeofprecisionmedicines,whichisaresponsetosociety’sdemands.Inaddition,UIPSresearchfindingsaretakenupinclinicalguidelinesandmethodologicalstandards,labelchanges,andnewlegislation.UIPSprovidesscientificadviceonpharmaceuticalpolicyandregulatoryissuestopublichealthauthorities,NGOs,andacademia.TheinstitutecollaborateswiththeWorldHealthOrganisationandotherinternationalorganisationstoimprovethesafeuseofmedicines.Inaddition,UIPS’sstaffmembersoccupyimportantpositionsinhealthcare-relatedcommitteessuchastheMedicinesEvaluationBoardandtheEuropeanFederationofPharmacologicalSocieties.UIPScollaboratescloselywithpharmaceuticalcompanies,biotechnologycompanies,andclinicstoensurethatitsresultsaretranslatedintonoveltreatments.TheNutriciaResearch-UtrechtUniversityallianceandjointresearchactivitieswithGenmab,PamGene,NKI,andSanquinaregoodexamplesofcompaniesusingopensourceinnovation.Inaddition,UIPSparticipatesinseveralIMIsponsoredpublic-privatepartnershipstocollaboratewithBigPharmaondrugdiscoveryanddevelopment.UIPShasallianceswithSanquinforbiomoleculartherapies,andwithGSKandCBG.Thecommitteelearnedthat,whileUIPScollaboratesintensivelywithindustry,itactivelystrivestosafeguarditsindependence,forinstancebyfocussingonpublic-privatepartnershipsratherthancontractresearch.UIPShasstronglinkswithclinicalpharmacypracticethroughforinstancetheUtrechtPharmacyPanelforEducation&Research,theUMCU,theNetherlandsCancerInstitute,theRoyalDutchPharmacistsAssociation,andclinicalpharmacisttrainingprogrammes.UIPS’staffisintensivelyinvolvedineducation,whichalsoconstitutesahighlyrelevantcontributiontosociety.Inaddition,theDepartmentofPharmaceuticalSciencesorganisestheinternationalresearchMaster’s‘DrugInnovation’,theinternationalhonoursresearchBachelor’s‘CollegeofPharmaceuticalSciences’,theIMIEuropeanprogrammeonPharmacovigilance&PharmacoepidemiologyEU2P,andthe‘DrugInnovation’PhDprogramme.LiketheotherS4Linstitutes,UIPSengagesinoutreachactivities,forinstancetargetingprimaryschoolchildren.
5.4UIPSviabilityUIPSisaninstituteofexcellentviabilitywithgreatpotentialandinternationallyrespectedleaders.Itsuccessfullyexploitsitshistoryintraditionalorganicchemistrytobeattheforefrontofmodernpharmaceuticalsciences.Theinstitutehasmanagedtoattractexcellentnewstaffwithinaverycompetitiveareaofgreatfutureimportancetothefield(e.g.,ProfessorBoons).Thestaffmembersarewellembeddedinlocal,national,andinternationalnetworksandtherearemanyfruitfulcollaborationswithindustry.TheinstitutehasmanagedtomaintainastableleveloffundinginspiteofdecreasingdirectfundingfromUtrechtUniversitybyinvestingmoreeffortsinobtainingexternalfunding.ThecommitteeapplaudstheshifttoglycosylationintheChemicalBiologyandDrugDiscoverydivision.Thisisagoodstrategyinviewoftheinternationaltrendsinthisfieldofscience.The
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committeeisabitcautiousabouttheinstitute’srecentinterestinfoodpharma(i.e.,nutriceuticals),asexemplifiedbyitsstrategicalliancewithNutricia.Theinstitute’sbasicscienceequipmentisindeedsuitableforbothdrugresearchandpublichealthresearch,butthecommitteerecommendsmaintainingthescientificbackgroundfordrugresearch.5.5UIPSsummaryinnumericalscoresInlinewiththequalitativejudgementsofUIPSresearchdescribedabove,thecommitteehasassignedUIPStoadiscretecategoryforeachoftheassessmentcriteria(Table6).Thefourpossiblecategoriesareexcellent(=1),verygood(=2),good(=3),andunsatisfactory(=4);thescoresareexplainedinmoredetailinAppendix4.Table6:QuantitativeassessmentofUIPSresearchquality Research
qualityRelevancetosociety
Viability
UtrechtInstituteforPharmaceuticalSciences 1 1 1
5.6UIPSPhDprogrammeTheevaluationofthePhDprogrammesofthefourS4Linstituteswillbediscussedindetailinsection6.5.UIPSorganisesthePhDprogramme‘DrugInnovation’withinUtrechtUniversity’sGraduateSchoolofLifeSciences(GSLS).ThemajorityofUIPSstudentsareenrolledinthisprogramme.In2015,UIPSharboured220PhDstudents,includinginternalstudents(i.e.,workinginoneoftheUIPSdivisions)andexternalstudents(i.e.,workingelsewhere,buthavingapromotorthatisaffiliatedtooneoftheUIPSdivisions).TheDrugInnovationprogramme’smandatoryintroductioncourseisoneofthebestevaluatedcoursesoftheGSLS.Thiscoursefeaturestopicssuchasacademicintegrityandcross-culturalcommunication.Thecommitteehighlyappreciatesthisintroductioncourse.UIPS’PhDstudentsareofferedmonthlyDaviddeWiedcolloquiawherebothjuniorandseniorstaffgiveshortlectures,bi-monthlypizzameetings,anannualPhDretreat,andanannualS4LSymposium.Ingeneral,thecommitteehastheimpressionthatUIPS’PhDprogrammeisexcellent,buttherearesomeaspectsthatcouldbeimproved.Thiswillbediscussedmorethoroughlyinsection6.5.InSeptember2016,UIPSstartedagraduateprogrammeentitled‘FutureMedicinesFellows’,supportedbyNWO.TheaimistocreateacohortofexcellentPhDcandidates,topromote‘AdvancedAffordableBiomolecularandCellularTherapies’,andtostrengthentheUIPScommunity.TheFutureMedicinesFellowsarestimulatedtowritetheirownPhDresearchproposalandtointeractwithasmanyresearchgroupsaspossiblethroughrotation.TheywillformtheheartofthePhDandMastercommunity,organizingFutureMedicinesmeetingsforallMasterstudentsandPhDcandidates.Thecommitteeisverypositiveaboutthisinitiative.5.7UIPSresearchintegritypolicyTheevaluationoftheresearchintegritypoliciesofthefourS4Linstituteswillbediscussedindetailinsection6.6.UIPSadherestothegeneralresearchintegritypolicyofUtrechtUniversity.UIPSdiscussesresearchintegrityinitsPhDintroductioncourse,focusingonthesmallintegrityquestions
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ratherthanonthewell-knowncasesoffraud.Thecommitteeapplaudsthis.UIPScurrentlyisintheprocessofestablishingelectroniclabjournalsforitsresearchers.
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6.AssessmentScienceforLifeasawhole(S4L)
6.1S4LstrategyandtargetsIn2015,Bijvoet,IBB,IEB,andUIPSjoinedforcesundertheumbrellaname‘ScienceforLife’(S4L).Theirjointmissionistoexplorethefundamentalsoflifethroughworld-leadinglifescienceresearch,aimingatfuturesolutionsforsocietalchallengesrelatedtohealthandenvironment.MultidisciplinaryapproachesandtheuseofthelatesttechnologiesarekeyfeaturesofS4Lresearchandtraining.Theclusteraimstocreateanintellectualandcollaborativeresearchenvironmentthatprovidesmaximalfreedomandinspirationforitsscientists.S4Lwasinitiatedto• increasethecriticalmassofinstitutes,andgivethefundamentallifesciencesavoice,• facilitatethesharingoftechnologicalcentresandcorefacilities,• createanattractiveanddiversecommunityofhigh-qualityresearchers,• facilitatefundraisingasamultidisciplinaryteam.
Sofar,S4LmainlyinvestedincommunitybuildingandtheYoungInvestigatorsForum.CommunitybuildingItisS4L’smissiontocreateanenvironmentofcuriosity,ambition,andintellectualchallenges.Theorganisationislightandflexibleandleadershipisinformal.In2015and2016,S4Lorganisedaverysuccessfulconferencewithhigh-profilespeakers.The2016editionbroughttogethertheentireS4Lcommunity,attractingmorethan450researchers.TheannualS4LconferenceandregularbusinessmeetingswiththefourinstitutedirectorsandsupportingstaffareanimportantcomponentofS4Lmanagement.Themeetingsprovideopportunitiestoopenlydiscussscientificvisions,talentpolicyforyounginvestigators,andnewinitiativeswithsupportfromthefourinstitutes.Thisstrategyhasproventobeattractiveandproductiveforallresearchgroups.Inadditiontotheannualconferenceandregularmeetings,therearesomejointappointments(e.g.,ProfessorHeckandProfessorBoons)andprincipalinvestigatorsofmultipleinstitutesareinvolvedintherecruitmentprocedureofjuniorprincipalinvestigators.S4LinteractswithresearchgroupsoftheUMCU,FacultyofVeterinaryMedicine,theHubrechtInstitute,theFungalBiodiversityCenter,andmanyotherlocal,nationalandinternationalacademicandindustrialpartners.Theinstitutesintendtocontinuetofosterandstrengthenthesecollaborations,andtofurtherextendtheirnetworks.YoungInvestigatorsForumS4LlaunchedtheYoungInvestigatorsForum(YIF)in2015tofostercoherenceandcollaborationwithintheS4Lcommunity.Itisacollectiveofenthusiasticprincipalinvestigatorsthatarenotyetprofessors.TheeightYIFfoundersorganisesocialnetworkingevents,providefeedbackonS4L’spolicy,andactivelymergescientificstaffwithstartingscientists.Inaddition,theyshareresourcesforscienceandcareerdevelopmentthatareofinteresttotheircommunity.Withtheseactivities,YIFhelpsyoungscientiststocreatethebestenvironmenttoexcel.YIFgatheringsprovidetheperfectopportunityforthestartofinterdisciplinaryandcollaborativeresearchprojects.
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TheYIFfocuseson• supportingyoungPIstocreatethebestenvironmenttoexcelintheircareers(e.g.,promotinga
horizontalmanagementstructureandcreatingtransparentcareerpossibilitieswithuniformS4L-wideconditions),
• facilitatecollaborativeresearch(e.g.,advocatingahousinginonebuildingforallS4Lresearchgroups,investinginS4Ltechnologycentresandcorefacilitiesbysupportingnewdevelopmentsinhigh-endequipment,introducing‘seniorscientist’positionsthatsupportthetechnologycentresandcorefacilities)
ItistheYIF’svisionthat,bysupportingyoungprincipalinvestigatorsandfacilitatingaccesstotechnologycentresandcorefacilities,S4Lwilldevelopintoauniqueandhighlydesirableenvironmentforambitiousresearcherswhowishtopursueacareerinthelifesciences.InfrastructureState-of-the-arttechnologycentresandcorefacilitiesplayakeyroleinS4Lresearch.InadditiontobeingcriticalforresearchatthefourS4Linstitutes,thesefacilitiesconstituteamajorassetwhenitcomestorecruitingtopresearcherstoUtrecht.FacilitatingaccesstothisresearchinfrastructureandtheassociatedexpertisewasoneofthereasonsforlaunchingS4L.Hence,S4Liscontinuouslyinvestinginacquiringfundingandcreatingvisibilityforitsfacilitiestoensurethattheinstituteswillremainequippedwithstate-of-the-arttechnologyandexpertise.Thefacilitiestypicallyusedepartmentalandinstitutionalbudgetsasleveragetoobtainexternalfunding.TheS4LcommunityhasbeenverysuccessfulinacquiringfundsfromNWOandtheEuropeancommissionforitsinfrastructure.ThechallengeoffinancingandmaintainingexpensiveequipmentandtheassociatedexpertiseisnotuniquetoUtrecht.Hence,theS4LinstitutesparticipateinnationalandEuropeanresearchinfrastructureinitiativestofindcommonsolutions.Forinstance,S4LresearchersplayaleadingroleinthenationalresearchinfrastructureconsortiaProteins@Work(massspectrometry),uNMR-NL(NMRspectroscopy),andNLBioImagingAM(microscopy).TheseinitiativesareincludedintheNWONationalRoadmapforLarge-ScaleResearchFacilitiesandtheyhavereceivedsignificantfunding.Anotherexampleisthe‘Bioscopy’vision,whichS4LresearchersdevelopedtogetherwithseveralotherDutchresearchinstitutes.BioscopyisavisionforaDutchresearchinfrastructurethatintegratesstructuralbiology,imaging,andomicstechnologies.TheRoyalNetherlandsAcademyofArtsandSciences(KNAW)hasincludedtheBioscopyvisiononitsNationalAgendaforResearchInfrastructures.Inaddition,interactionswithCOAST(public-privatepartnershipforanalyticalsciences),DTL(public-privatepartnershipforlifesciences),andthenationalLifeScienceGride-infrastructureensureembeddinginthebroaderDutchscientificlandscape.StrategyforthenextfivetotenyearsTocontinueitseffortstocreateaninspiringresearchcommunity,S4Lenvisionsthefollowingactivitiesinthenextfewyears:• definingajointhousingstrategy,• definingajointfundingstrategy,• enablingaccesstotechnologiescentres,
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• attractingandfosteringtalent(internalandexternal),• identifyingadditionalexpertisethatisrequiredtocomplementthein-houseexpertise,• collaboratingwithinUtrechtUniversity’sstrategicthemesandwithexternalpartners,• organisingjointcommunicationandnetworkingactivities,• highlightingshowcaseprojects,demonstratingthestrengthofS4Lcollaboration.
Inthenextfive-to-tenyears,S4Laimstocreatethescientificandtechnologicalbasistobringstructuralchemistryandbiologytocellularlevels,totrulyintegratemultipleomicstechnologies,todevelopstrongcomputationalandmodellingapproaches,andtointegratetheacquiredknowledgeusingasystemsbiologyapproach.Thiswillresultinanimprovedunderstandingofbiologicalprocessesinhealthanddisease,whichwillinturncontributetofutureinnovations(e.g.,forsustainablefoodproductionandnoveldrugtherapies).S4L’sultimategoalistobealeadingstate-of-the-artscienceandtechnologycommunitythatdevelopsandprovidesopenaccesstoadvancedtechnologiesforhigh-levelresearchinfundamentallifesciences.6.2S4LresearchqualityThecommitteeisimpressedbytheexcellentqualityofS4Lresearch:itisaclusteroffourworld-leadinginstitutes.Thescientificoutputoftheinstitutesisveryhighintermsofboththenumberofpublicationsandtheircitationimpact.Thestaffhasreceivedmanygrants,honours,andawards,andtheyareactivelyinvolvedinnationalandinternationalresearchconsortiaandresearchinfrastructureinitiatives.S4Lharboursanimpressiverangeoftechnologycentresandcorefacilitiesandactivelycontributestothedevelopmentoftechnologiesaswellasbioinformaticsapproaches.TherearealreadysomeexamplesofexcellentcollaborativeprojectsinvolvingmultipleS4Linstitutes,showingthepotentialofS4Ltobecomemorethanthesumofthefourinstitutes.
6.3S4LrelevancetosocietyThecommitteejudgestherelevancetosocietyofS4Lresearchasvaryingfromverygoodtoexcellent.S4Lfocusesonfundamentalquestionsandtechnologydevelopmentwithinthechemical,biological,andpharmaceuticalsciences.Theinstitutes’expertiseinthesefieldsandthetechnologicaldevelopmentsprovideanswerstosocietalquestionsrelatedtohealthandenvironment.Indeed,severalofS4L’sresearchtopicshavebeenselectedasimportantresearchthemesbythegeneralDutchpublicinthe‘DutchNationalResearchAgenda’project2.Toensuretranslationofitsresearchfindings,S4Lcollaborateswithindustrialandgovernmentalpartners.Inaddition,theS4Linstitutescontributetosocietybytrainingexpertsandbyengaginginoutreachactivities.ThecommitteethinksthatjoiningforcesundertheS4Lumbrellawillempowerthefourinstitutestodevelopacommonstrategyandthusincreasetheirsocietalimpact.TheFutureFoodFocusarea,inwhichatleasttwoS4Linstitutesparticipate,isaniceexampleofthis.
2In2015,allDutchcitizenscouldsubmittheirquestionstoscienceonthewebsite‘wetenschapsagenda.nl’.Thesequestionshavebeenclusteredinthemes.TheresultingagendawaslaunchedinNovember2015.Intheshortandmediumterm,theDutchNationalResearchAgendawillbetranslatedintotheprofilesofuniversitiesanduniversitiesofappliedsciences,theprogrammingoftheknowledgecoalition’spartners,thedirectioninwhichthenationalresearchinstitutesdevelop,andintoinvestmentsinlarge-scaleresearchfacilities.
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6.4S4LviabilityS4Lconsistsoffourexcellentresearchinstitutes,whichshouldbenourished.Dependingonthecontinuedcommitmentoftheinstitutes,S4Lcouldbecomemorethanthesumofitspartsinthefuture.Joiningforcesmayhelptheinstitutestoobtainmajorgrantsandtoorganisesomeaspectsmoreefficiently(e.g.,infrastructure,recruitmentprocedures).Withitslivelyinternationalcommunity,S4Lwillconstituteamagnetfortalentedyoungscientists.TheawarenessofS4Lamongjuniorresearchers(e.g.,PhDstudents),however,seemstobeinsufficient,sothisshouldbeimproved.ThecommitteeischarmedbytheYoungInvestigatorsForum,whichconsistsofyoungprincipalinvestigatorsthatareverycommittedtoS4Landgenuinelyseetheadvantagesofinterdisciplinarycollaboration.AstheyarethenextleaderswithinS4L,thefuturelooksbrightforS4L.6.5 S4LPhDprogrammesInstitutionalcontextofthePhDprogrammesS4Lharboured372PhDcandidatesin2015.AllofthesestudentswereenrolledinUtrechtUniversity’sGraduateSchoolofLifeSciences(GSLS).ThisgraduateschoolorganisestrainingandeducationforMaster'sstudentsandPhDcandidatesinthelifesciences.TheGSLSisthesharedresponsibilityofthreefaculties:Medicine(UMCU),VeterinaryMedicine,andScience.ThecommitteelearnedthattheGSLSoffers14PhDprogrammes,fiveofwhichareorganisedbytheFacultyofScience(Biomembranes,ComputationalLifeSciences,DrugInnovation,EnvironmentalBiology,andMolecularLifeSciences).ThecommitteehastheimpressionthatthePhDstudentswithineachinstituteformcoherentgroups,butthatthereislittleinteractionbetweenthesegroupsofPhDstudentsofthefourS4Linstitutes.ProgrammecontentandstructureIngeneral,thecommitteehastheimpressionthatthePhDprogrammesoftheGSLSareofexcellentquality.StudentsenrolledintheGSLStypicallyfollowa20-creditstrainingprogramme3.Thestudentsshouldspendatleast40%ofthesecreditsonthematiccourses(e.g.,expertcoursesinbiomolecularmassspectrometry,proteincrystallography,andNMRspectroscopyforthestudentsenrolledinBijvoet’sMolecularLifeSciencesprogramme).Inaddition,theyshouldspendatleast20%ongeneralcourses.Amaximumof20%ofthecreditsmaybespentonsymposiaandconferences.TheGSLSoffersawiderangeofcoursesingeneralskillsandpersonaldevelopment,includingcommunication,management,statistics,andcareerorientation.Italsooffers‘ThatThingCalledScience’,acourseinscienceethicsandphilosophy.TheGSLScoursesareofferedthroughanonlinePhDCourseCenter(bit.ly/PhDCourseCentre).Allcoursescanbeattendedforfree,oratlowcost,bythePhDcandidatesoftheGSLS.Inadditiontovariouscourses,mostinstitutesorganiseregularPhDeveningswherePhDcandidatespresenttheirworkwithoutsupervisorsbeingpresent,seminarsbyinternationallyrenownedspeakers,andayearlysymposiumwherebothPhDcandidatesandinternationalspeakerspresenttheirwork.
3CreditsareassignedaccordingtotheEuropeanCreditTransferSystem(ECTS),where1credit=28hours.
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ThecommitteeisimpressedbythebroadeducationalprogrammethatisofferedtothePhDstudents:thestudentscanchoosefromalargediversityofcourses.Maybethisisevenabitoverwhelmingforthestudents,asseveralstudentsindicatedthattheywouldappreciatemoreguidanceincompilingtheireducationprogramme.Thecommitteewassurprisedtolearnthattherearenocompulsorycoursesinsomeoftheinstitutes,whileallstudentsshouldbeexposedtoissuessuchasresearchintegrityandthebenefitsofbeingpartofS4L(e.g.,thevarietyoftechnologyplatformsthatareavailableatthethreeotherS4Linstitutes).ThecommitteewillproviderecommendationsonhowtodealwiththisinChapter7.SupervisionandqualityassuranceThecommitteelearnedthattheDeanoftheFacultyofScienceand/orthesupervisorareresponsibleforthesupervisionofresearchprogressandqualityofPhDprojects.Ingeneral,thisresponsibilityisdelegatedtothesupervisor.ATrainingandSupervisionAgreement(TSA)iscompletedbythePhDcandidatesandtheirsupervisorsatthestartofthePhDproject.ThisagreementincludesaneducationplanaswellastheobligationsandresponsibilitiesofthePhDcandidatesandsupervisors.Progressismonitoredinformallythroughouttheyearandformallyinanannualassessmentinterview.TheseinterviewsshouldalsoincludethecontentandprogressionofthetrainingprogrammeasoriginallyplannedintheTSA.EveryPhDcandidateisassignedanexternalsupervisor(i.e.,aconfidentialpersonoutsidetheresearchgroupofthesupervisorwhomthecandidatecanaddresswithproblems).APhDcandidatethathasfullymettherequirementsoftheTSAwillreceivetheGSLSTrainingCertificateatthetimeofgraduation.ThePhDcandidatesoftheGSLSarerepresentedbythePhDCouncil.Eachofthe14programmesoftheGSLShasonerepresentativeinthiscouncil.ThecouncilaimstoimprovethequalityofPhD-educationandtheregulationsbyraisingissuesandprovidingfeedbackonthepropositionsoftheExecutiveBoardofStudies.Inaddition,thePhDCouncilorganisesanannualPhDdayandregularPhDevents.Intheory,theTSAsafeguardsthequalityoftrainingandsupervisionofPhDcandidates.However,thecommitteelearnedthatinpractice,somePhDstudentsexperiencedaneedforbetterguidanceonwhichcoursestotake,aswellastheirobligationsandresponsibilities.Thecommitteehadtheimpressionthattherulesarenotwell-understoodbysomestudents.Inaddition,somestudentsarenotencouraged(andsometimesevendiscouraged)totaketherecommended20ECTSeducationprogramme.ThecommitteealsolearnedthatitispossibletoobtainaPhDdegreeatUtrechtUniversitywithouthavingmetthetrainingrequirementsoftheGSLS(i.e.,withoutobtainingtheGSLSTrainingCertificate).Moreover,thecommitteenotedthatseveralstudentsdidnothaveanexternaladvisor.Thepresenceofaproperscientificadvisoryteamincludinganexternaladvisor,whichgivesfeedbackonayearlybasis,shouldbeimplementedintoeverystudent’sTSA.Inconclusion,theinfrastructuretosafeguardthePhDtrainingseemsinplace,butthepracticalimplementationofthesemeasuresleavessomeroomforimprovement.
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Successrate,duration,andexitnumbersThesuccessratesofthePhDprogrammesarereasonable,buttherearesomeexceptions,e.g.,thecommitteenotedthatthereareincidentswherePhDstudentstakeverylongtograduateandthedrop-outratewasratherhighatsomepointsintime.GuidanceofPhDcandidatestothejobmarketandcareerprospectsTheGSLSaimstotrainlifescientistswhoareabletoindependentlyperformtopresearchinaninternationalenvironment.TheGSLSalsoenablesitsPhDcandidatestoqualifyforpositionsinpolicymakingandmanagementatcompaniesandgovernmentalinstitutions.Thegraduateschoolofferscoursesrelatedtocareerorientation.Indeed,someofthestudentsthatwereinterviewedbythecommitteeindicatedthattheyhadfollowedcoursestopreparethemforthejobmarket(e.g.,forashifttoindustry).ThecareerprospectsofS4L’sPhDgraduatesseemtobegood,withthemajorityofstudentsfindingemploymentshortlyaftergraduation.6.6S4LresearchintegritypolicyTosafeguardresearchintegrity,thefourS4LinstitutesadheretothepoliciesofUtrechtUniversityandtheFacultyofScience.UtrechtUniversitypolicyEveryemployeeofUtrechtUniversityisrequiredtocomplywiththeNetherlandsCodeofConductforscientificpractice,whichincludestopicssuchasscrupulousness,reliability,verifiability,impartiality,andindependence.Inadditiontothesenationalguidelines,UtrechtUniversity’s‘CodeofConductforScrupulousAcademicPracticeandIntegrity’describeskeyprinciplesonhowtoachievetheopenculturethatitdesires.Anacademicintegritycounsellorandacommitteeforacademicintegrityhavebeenappointedtolookintocomplaintsconcerningacademicintegrity.FacultyofSciencepolicyThefacultypolicyaimstofurtherstrengthentheuniversity’sprinciplesandstandards.Themostimportantfactorsareawareness,openness,anddiscussion.Discussionsaboutresearchintegrityandethicaldilemmastakeplacethroughoutthefaculty,i.e.,intheMaster’sprogramme,PhDprogramme,andstaffmeetings.Inaddition,thefacultyhasappointedseveralcounsellorsandcommittees,includingthe‘FacultyContactPersonScrupulousAcademicPractice’(whoactsasanimpartial,confidential,andaccessiblesparringpartnerforintegrityissuesanddilemmas),thefacultyprojectteam(thataimstostimulatethediscussionaboutscrupulousacademicpracticeandintegrityandensuretheirstructuralembedding),andtheFacultyAcademicIntegrityAdvisoryCommittee(whichadvisesthedeanonhowtoguaranteeacademicintegrityinresearchandeducation).Althoughtheinfrastructuretoensureresearchintegrityisinplaceandtheinstitutesseemtofullybeawareoftheimportance,thepracticalimplementationseemstolagbehindhereandthere.ThecommitteewillproviderecommendationsonhowtodealwiththisinChapter7.
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7.Recommendations7.1ResearchqualityTointensifythecollaborationbetweenthefourinstitutesanddevelopthespiritofS4L1. The‘spiritofS4L’ismoststronglyfeltatthejuniorgroupleaderlevel(e.g.,theYoung
InvestigatorsForum),butithasnotyetpenetratedthegroupofPhDstudents.Forinstance,thecommitteenotedthatmanyPhDstudentsseemtobeunawareofthevarietyoftechnologyplatformsthatareavailableattheotherS4Linstitutes.AnimprovedS4LawarenessamongPhDstudentswillhelpS4Ltobuilditsreputation:PhDstudentswilltakeoutthe‘brand’whentheymovetootherinstitutesforpostdoctoralpositions.Tothisend,S4LcouldlaunchamandatoryS4LintroductorycoursefornewPhDstudents,thatwillalsobeusefulfornewpostdocsandtechnicians,featuringamongotherthingsanintroductiontoS4L’stechnologyplatforms.(SeealsorecommendationsaboutthePhDprogrammesbelow.)
2. S4Lcouldsubstantiallyincreaseitsvisibility,forinstanceby:a. including‘S4L’intheaffiliationsonscientificposters,papers,andslideshows(thiswill
helpthe‘S4L’togainrecognitionandstature;thecommitteerecommendskeepingtheinstitutenamesaliveaswellbecausethesearewidelyknown);
b. creatingapromotionvideothatappealstoascientificaudience;3. S4LcurrentlyreceivesalimitedbudgetfromtheFacultyofSciencetofinancesomeofits
activitiessuchasthemeetingsoftheYIFandtheyearlyS4Lsymposium.JointPhDstudents,postdocsand/orstaffwouldhelptointensifythecollaborationbetweenthefourinstitutes.ThecommitteealsolikestheYoungInvestigatorsForum’ssuggestiontoappointanumberofservicestaffmembersthatcanfacilitatecollaborativeworkandaccesstothetechnologyplatforms.
4. CollaborationbetweentheinstitutescouldgreatlybeenhancedifBijvoet,IBB,andIEBcouldmoveintoanewbuildinginthevicinityoftheDaviddeWiedbuilding,whichisthecurrentlocationofUIPS.
OtherrecommendationsrelatedtothefurtherdevelopmentofS4L1. Thecommitteefeelsthat,inordertoachievethegoalofstrengtheningfundamentallifesciences
inUtrecht,allS4Linstitutesneedtodevelopacrisperscientificstrategy.Thecommitteerecommendsworkingonacleararticulationofthevisionandstrategyfromascientificpointofview.Thismayincludethefollowingtopics:
a. Whatisyourscientificgoalforthenextfiveyears?b. Whatwouldyoudoifyouhadmoney?(i.e.,createa‘drawerofideas’)
2. Inlinewiththepreviousrecommendation,thecommitteenotedthatthefourinstituteshaveinvestedsubstantialeffortsinprofilingthemselves.However,itisthecommittee’simpressionthattheexcellentsciencethatisperformedattheinstituteshasfadedintothebackgroundinthesebrandingefforts.Instead,thetechnologicalexpertiseoftheinstitutesisattheforefront.Thecommitteerecommendsworkingonabrandingstrategybasedonthewold-classscienceattheinstitutes,forinstancebyusinggroupnamesthatreflectthebiologicalresearchareasratherthanthetechnologicalexpertise.
3. Thecommitteerecommendsconsideringhowjoiningforcescanhelptheinstitutestofurtherincreasethesocietalimpactoftheirresearch.
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4. Todealwiththehighcostsofinfrastructureandpersonnel,a‘pay-for-access’modelshouldbeconsidered,usinggrantresourcestodirectlyfundmaintenanceofinfrastructureandenablingaccesstoallresearchersinS4L.ThehighqualityandwideusageofthetechnologyplatformsbyallresearchersinS4Lcanbesafeguardedbyemployingtechnicalexpertstofacilitateaccesstonewusers.ThecommitteelearnedthatS4Lisworkingtoprofessionalizethecommercialoperationandexploitationofitsfacilitiesandtoattractfinancialcontributionsbyexternalusers(fromacademiaandindustry)withtheaimtoestablishasustainablefutureforthesefacilities.Theexpectationisthatthesefacilitieswilloperateonamixedfundingmodelinthefuture,withinvestmentscoveredbytheuniversityandcompetitivenationalandinternationalgrantsandoperationalcostscoveredbytheuniversity,nationalandinternationalfundinginstruments,andusersofthefacilities.ThecommitteeencouragesS4Ltocontinuealongthisline.
5. Tooptimiseinhousetalentbreedingandtoattracttoptalentfromoutsidea. S4Lshouldimproveitsmarketingefforts,seerecommendation2above.Itisofutmost
importancetoclearlydisseminateS4L’sscientificvisionasthiswillattracttoptalentsfromoutside.
b. Someresearchgroupsshouldmakesurethattheyimprovetheindependenceofyounginvestigatorsattheassociateprofessorlevel.Thereseemstobearatherstrict‘fullprofessorhierarchy’insomeofS4L’sresearchgroups;thisisathreattoretainingtalent.
6. Thecommitteebelievesthat,inordertosucceed,S4Lwillneedmorestructuredleadership.S4Lisplanningtoappointtheinstitutedirectorsasthemanagingdirectoronatwo-yearrotationschedule.Atwo-yearperiodistooshorttoensurecontinuity.Inaddition,theS4Lleadershipdoesnotseemtocomewithastrongmandate,i.e.,theinstitutedirectorsdonotseemtohaveapositionintheUniversityhierarchy.ThecommitteeencouragesS4Ltoreconsiderthisandtodeveloptheacademicleadershipskillsofpeoplethataremadedirector.
7. AlthoughgenderbalanceisobviouslyhighonS4L’sprioritylist(i.e.,adiversitycommitteeandagenderdiversitypolicyprojectgrouphavebeeninstalled),thenumberoffemalesattheprincipalinvestigatorlevelisstillverylow.Thecommitteeencouragestheinstitutetocontinuestrivingtoimprovethis.
8. ThecommitteehasarecommendationspecificallyforYIFmembers:applytobeanEMBOYoungInvestigator.EMBOYoungInvestigatorsreceiveafinancialawardof15,000eurosintheirsecondyear.Theycanalsoapplyforadditionalsmallgrantsofupto10,000eurosperyear.Networkingisakeyaspectoftheprogramme,andYoungInvestigatorsbenefitfromextensivepracticalsupport.
Recommendationsforspecificinstitutes1. TheBijvoetCenterwillneedaclearvisionandstrategyonhowtocreateandmaintainabudget
foritsexpensiveinfrastructureandmachinetimeforlocalinstruments,aswellashigherspecificationinstruments(TitanKriosneeds)foritsEMresearch.
2. Thecommitteethinksthatthenumberofresearchgroups(seven)atBijvoetisverylargeandastherearefewprincipalinvestigatorsinsomeresearchgroups,itmightbebettertomergesomegroupsinordertocreatealargercriticalmassandclearerscientificfocus.
3. ThecommitteefeelsthattheBijvoetCenterhasextremelystrongoverallexpertiseinproteinfolding,andmembranebiology.Theinstituteshouldconsiderthesetopicsaspotentialbiologicalsellingpointsandbranding.
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4. Itisthecommittee’simpressionthatthecatastrophicseriesoffinanciallyforcedrearrangementsinthepastdecadearestillinthemindsofIBB’sstaff.Thecommitteerecommendsleavingthesestrugglesinthepastbecausethestaffcanbeproudofthe2017versionofIBBasaninstitutewithphenomenalpotential,harbouringmanypromisingyoungleaders.
5. ThecommitteethinksthatIBBcouldbranditselfbetter,forinstanceasaninstituteforquantitativebiologicalresearchor‘quantitativebiologyofcellulararchitectureanddynamics’.Thecommitteeencouragestheinstitutetobetterputforwardasuniquesellingpointstheircombinedexpertiseinmicrotubuledynamics,polarity,bioinformatics,quantitativebiology,andimaging.
6. AlthoughIBBresearchershavebeenverysuccessfulinobtainingpersonalgrantsintheperiod2010-2015,thecommitteethinksthattheycoulddoevenbetterasagroupandthereforeencouragesIBBtopursuecollaborativegrantapplications.
7. IBBandIEBarebothexcellentinstitutesandthecommitteerecommendsensuringthatthedivisionoftheDepartmentofBiologyintwoinstitutesdoesnotcreateunnecessarybarriers,forinstanceintherealmofbioinformatics.(Pleasenotethatthisdoesnotimplythatthecommitteerecommendsyetanotherreorganisation.)
8. IEBshouldmakesurethatitcanretainitscriticalmassinthefieldofplantsciencesuponretirementofseniorprincipalinvestigators,forinstancebyattractinganewexpertinplantmoleculargenetics.
9. AlthoughUIPShasincreaseditscoherenceduringtheevaluationperiod,thecommitteethinksthattheinstitutestillcoversaverybroadrangeofresearchareas.ItmaybebettertoaddmorefocustoUIPS’research.
10. Thecommitteeacknowledgestheinterfaceofdrugresearchwithhealthyfoodresearch.However,UIPSshouldbecarefulnottolosethescientificbackgroundfordrugresearch.
11. ThecommitteeapplaudsUIPS’effortstoexploitorganoidsandlab-on-a-chipasalternativesforanimalmodelsandencouragestheinstitutetocontinuealongthisline.
7.2PhDprogrammes 1. Itwouldbeverygoodtoinstallamandatory‘S4Lintroductionweek’,wherenewPhDstudents
areintroducedtotheoverallaimsandspiritofS4L.InadditiontoawayofunitingthefourS4Linstitutes,thiscouldservetofamiliarisethePhDstudentswiththeS4Lresearchfacilities.Thecoursemayinclude:• informationaboutS4L’stechnologycentresandcorefacilities,• researchintegritytraining,• cross-culturalcommunitytrainingsimilartowhatiscurrentlyofferedatUIPS.
2. Asdescribedinthesection6.5,thepracticalimplementationofmeasurestosafeguardthequalityofPhDtrainingleavesroomforimprovement:• PhDstudentsatS4Lseemtohaveamplefreedomofchoiceincompilingtheirowncourse
portfolio.Thisisanasset,butthecommitteethinksthatitwouldbegoodforthestudentstoreceivesomewhatmoreguidanceinchoosingcourses.Inaddition,thecommitteerecommendsinstallingafewmandatorycoursesforallS4Lstudents,includingtheearlier-mentionedS4L-wideintroductorycourse.
• ThecommitteehastheimpressionthatsomePhDstudentsdonotsufficientlyunderstandtherulesand/orwhatisexpectedfromthem.Thisdeservesattention.
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• Thecommitteelearnedthatsomesupervisorsarediscouragingtheirstudentstofollowcoursessothatthestudentscanfocusonresearch.Thispracticeistobefrowneduponandmeasuresshouldbetakentopreventthis.StudentscangraduatewithouthavingearnedtheGSLScertificate,i.e.,withouthavingcompletedthe20ECTStrainingprogramme.Itisthecommittee’sopinionthatmeasuresshouldbetakentoensurethateveryPhDstudentatS4Lcompletesthefulltrainingprogramme,forinstancebyassessingtheyearlyreportsatahigherlevelandcheckingwhetherthestudenthasindeedfollowedasatisfactoryeducationprogrammebeforegraduating.
• AlthougheveryPhDcandidateisassignedanexternalsupervisoroutsidetheresearchgroupofthesupervisor,thispersonactsasaconfidentialratherthanascientificadvisor.ThecommitteeadvisesappointinganexternalscientificadvisorforeachPhDstudent,whogivesfeedbackonayearlybasistoprovidebothstudentandsupervisorwithadviceaboutthescientificdirectionsofthePhDproject.
7.3Researchintegritypolicy1. ThecommitteerecommendsinstallingamandatoryresearchintegritycourseforPhDstudentsat
allfourS4Linstitutes.(Atpresent,thisisonlythecaseatIBBandUIPS.)
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Appendix1.ShortCVsofthemembersoftheassessmentcommitteeProfessorP.J.J.Hooykaas(chairman)PaulHooykaasisemeritusProfessorofGeneticsandformerheadofdepartmentandscientificdirectoroftheInstituteofBiologyofLeidenUniversity(theNetherlands).HeisstillactiveinhisresearchintothemolecularmechanismswhichareusedbythesoilbacteriumAgrobacteriumtumefacienstoinducecrowngalltumoursonplantsanditsuseforgenomeeditinginplantsandfungi.HooykaasstudiedChemistryandobtainedhisPhDinBiochemistryin1979.HereceivedtheC.J.KokprizefromLeidenUniversityforhisPhDthesis.Afterthat,hecontinuedwithhisresearchinLeidenasamemberofstaff.In1994,hewasalsoappointedasProfessorofMolecularGeneticsatDelftUniversityofTechnologyandhewasprofessorinDelftforabouttenyears.HehasactedasdirectoroftheInstituteofMolecularPlantSciencesandlateronoftheInstituteofBiology.Nowadays,heisstillchairmanoftheScienceCommitteeoftheFacultyofMathematicsandNaturalSciences,anduntilrecentlychairmanoftheKNAWsectionBiology,memberoftheKNAWCouncilofEarthandLifeSciencesandmemberoftheboardtheTopInstituteGreenGenetics.HooykaasreceivedtheAKZOPrizein1987,awardedbytheRoyalHollandSocietyofSciencesandHumanities.HewaselectedasamemberoftheAcademiaEuropaeain1992andasamemberoftheRoyalNetherlandsAcademyofArtsandSciences(KNAW)in2003.In2009,hewasappointedasaKNAWAcademyProfessor.ProfessorS.FrøkjærSvenFrøkjærisProfessorofPharmaceuticsattheUniversityofCopenhagen(Denmark).Hismainresearchinterestispeptideandproteinformulation,withaspecialemphasisonparticulatedrugdeliverysystemsandpeptidetransportacrossbiologicalmembranes.FrøkjærreceivedhisMSc(pharmaceuticalsciences)in1970andhisPhDinphysicalchemistryin1973fromtheDanishUniversityofPharmaceuticalSciences.Frøkjærspentnearly20yearsatNovoNordiskA/S,wherehewasinvolvedinresearchondrugdeliverysystemsandvariousaspectsofpeptideandproteinformulation.In1993,hewasappointedaProfessorofPharmaceuticsattheDepartmentofPharmacy.HewasRectorattheDanishUniversityofPharmaceuticalSciencesfrom2003to2007.AfterthemergewiththeUniversityofCopenhagen,FrøkjærbecameDeanattheFacultyofPharmaceuticalSciences.Since2012anduntil2016,hehasbeenVice-DeanattheFacultyofHealthandMedicalSciencesoftheUniversityofCopenhagen.From2002to2005,hewasthedirectoroftheindustrial-orientedgraduateresearchschoolDrugResearchAcademywherehehisisnowchairmanoftheboard.FrøkjærisamemberofseveralboardsandcommitteesincludingTheDanishPharmacopeiaCommissionandtheMedicinalProductsCommiteeundertheDanishMedicinesAgency.Heservesasmemberofeditorialboardsonseveralpharmaceuticaljournals.HehasalsoservedasmemberattheDanishMedicalResearchCouncilforaperiodoffiveyears.Frøkjæristheco-founderoftwobiotechcompanies,LicaPharmaceuticalsA/SandLiPlasomePharmaA/S.ProfessorS.E.RadfordSheenaRadfordisanAstburyProfessorofBiophysicsattheUniversityofLeeds(UK)andDirectoroftheAstburyCentreforStructuralMolecularBiology.Herresearchisfocusedonfundamentalstructuralmolecularbiology,specificallythemeasurementoftheconformationaldynamicsofproteinsandtheelucidationoftherolethatthesemotionsplayinproteinfoldingandmisfoldingin
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healthanddisease.RadfordgraduatedinBiochemistryatBirminghamandcompletedherPhDatCambridgeUniversityin1987.ShecarriedoutextensiveresearchatOxford,beforebecomingalecturerattheUniversityofLeedsin1995,risingtobecomeDirectoroftheAstburyCentrein2012andAstburyProfessorofBiophysicsin2013.Radfordhaspublishedmorethan260peer-reviewedpapersandgivenmorethan350invitedlecturesatnationalandinternationalmeetings.Shehassuccessfullysupervisedmorethan60PhDstudentsandemployedasimilarnumberofpostdoctoralresearchassistants.ProfessorRadfordisafellowoftheRoyalSociety,aFellowoftheAcademyofMedicalSciences,andanEMBOfellow,ShereceivedawardsfromtheaBiochemicalSocietyColworthMedal,RoyalSocietyofChemistryAstraZenecaprize,ProteinSocietyCarlBrandenAward,andanRSCRitaandJohnCornforthAward.ProfessorO.NilssonOveNilssonisProfessorofForestGeneticsandPlantPhysiologyattheSwedishUniversityofAgriculturalSciencesinUmeå(Sweden).HeisalsotheDirectoroftheUmeåPlantScienceCentre(UPSC).Hisresearchisfocusedonvariousaspectsoftheregulationofmeristemidentityandfloweringtimeintwomodelsystems,Arabidopsisandpoplar.NilssonreceivedhisBScinGeneralBiologyandBiochemistryfromGothenburgUniversityandaBScinMolecularBiologyfromtheUnivesityofUmeåin1987.HecompletedhisPhDinForestCellandMolecularBiologyattheSwedishUniversityofAgriculturalSciencesin1995.NilssonwasapostdoctoralresearcherattheSalkInstituteforBiologicalStudiesinLaJolla(USA)beforereturningtotheSwedishUniversityofAgriculturalSciences,wherehebecameaprofessorin2002.Since2005,hehasbeentheChairmanoftheUPSCboard.HeisalsotheDirectoroftheUPSCBerzeliiCentreforForestBiotechnology,acentreofexcellencefundedbytheSwedishResearchCouncilandVinnova.Thevisionofthiscentreistopromoteanenvironmentwherecutting-edgeresearchandSwedishforestindustrycaninteract.In2016,theEuropeanMolecularBiologyOrganization(EMBO)electedNilssonasamemberforhisachievementsinlifescience.Inaddition,hewaselectedasnewmembertotheRoyalSwedishAcademyofScienceearly2017.ProfessorM.LabouesseMichelLabouesseistheDirectoroftheInstitutdeBiologieParisSeine(IBPS)attheUniversityPierreetMarieCurie(UPMC,France).ThegeneralobjectiveoftheIBPSistoinvestigateissuesofgeneralinterestforsocietyintermsofenvironment,ageing,neurodegenerativediseases,behaviouraldiseases,whilemakingsteadyprogressinfundamentalareasofBiology.AkeyaspectoftheIBPSresearchstrategyliesinthedevelopmentofnovelmethodologiesattheborderbetweenBiologyandMathsorPhysics.LabouessestudiedMathsandPhysicsandreceivedhisPhDingeneticsfromUPMCin1983.Intheperiod1983-1989,hewasastaffscientistattheCentrenationaldelarecherchescientifique(CNRS),studyingthemechanismscontrollingmitochondrialRNAsplicinginSaccharomycescerevisiaeandtheroleoftheleucyltRNAsynthetase.LabouessethenmovedtotheMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology(MIT,USA)forapostdoctoralfellowshiponC.elegansbiology.From2006until2012,heservedasHeadoftheDevelopmentandStemCellsdepartmentoftheInstituteofGeneticsandMolecularandCellularBiologyinStrasbourg(France).In2014,hebecametheDirectoroftheIBPS,whentheinstitutewascreatedbytheUPMCandtheCNRS,inassociationwithINSERM,withthegoalofrisingtoprominencetobecomeaflag-bearerforBiologyatUPMC.In2012,LabouessebecameaEuropeanMolecularBiologyOrganization(EMBO)memberandanERCAdvancedGrantFellow.
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ProfessorS.BonhoefferSebastianBonhoefferisProfessorofTheoreticalBiologyattheInstituteofIntegrativeBiologyattheETHZürich(Switzerland).Hestudiesthedynamicsofinfectiousdiseasesacrossdifferentscalesusingmathematicalorcomputationalmodellingandexperiments.AfterstudyingMusicinBasel,BonhoefferstudiedPhysicsinMunichandVienna.Intheperiod1992-1995,hedidaPhDonmathematicalmodelsofvirusevolutionattheDepartmentofZoologyinOxford.AfterhisPhD,hestayedinOxfordasaResearchFellowofWolfsonCollegeandworkedasavisitingscientistattheRockefellerUniversityinNewYork(USA).PriortohisappointmentasSNFResearchProfessorattheETHin2001,hewasjuniorgroupleaderattheFriedrichMiescherInstitutinBasel.BonhoefferbecamefullprofessorattheETHZurichin2005.HereceivedanERCAdvancedgrantin2011tostudythepopulationbiologyofdrugresistance.ProfessorG.vonHeijneGunnarvonHeijneisProfessorofTheoreticalChemistryatStockholmUniversity(Sweden)andwasViceDirectoroftheScienceforLifeLaboratory(Scilifelab)Stockholmuntil2015.Hehasworkedmainlyonproteinsortingandmembraneproteinbiogenesisandstructure,includingthedevelopmentofbioinformaticsmethodsandexperimentalstudiesinE.coliandeukaryoticsystems.VonHeijnereceivedaPhDinTheoreticalPhysicsfromtheRoyalInstituteofTechnologyinStockholmin1980.AfterapostdocprojectattheUniversityofMichigan(AnnArbor,USA),hereturnedtoStockholmtoworkanassistantprofessorattheRoyalInstituteofTechnology(1981-1988)andaSciencecorrespondentfortheSwedishNationalRadio(half-time,1982–1985).Intheperiod1989-1994,hewasanassociateprofessoratKarolinskaInstitutet,(Stockholm).In1994,VonHeijnebecameaprofessoratStockholmUniversity.HewastheDirectoroftheCenterforBiomembraneResearch(2006-2015)andViceDirectoroftheScienceforLifeLaboratoryStockholm(2009-2015).Hehasreceivedmanyawardsandhonours,includingtheT.SvedbergAwardoftheSwedishBiochemicalSociety(1990),theGöranGustafssonPrizeoftheSwedishAcademyofSciences(1995),theArrheniusMedaloftheSwedishChemicalSociety(1997),TheBjörkénPrizeofUppsalaUniversity(1998),thevanDeenenMedalofUtrechtUniversity(2009),theAccomplishmentbyaSeniorScientistAwardoftheInternationalSocietyforComputationalBiology(2012).Inaddition,hehasbeenelectedanEMBOmember(1994),memberoftheRoyalSwedishAcademyofSciences(1997),memberoftheAcademiaEuropaea(1998),memberoftheRoyalSwedishAcademyofEngineeringSciences(2000),FridayLectureratRockefellerUniversity(2007),KrocLectureratMIT(2008),andamemberoftheNobelCommitteeforChemistry1998-2009(Chairman2007-2009).DrLindavandenBergLindavandenBergassistedthecommitteeasanexternalindependentsecretary.Sheisaself-employedsciencewriterandcommunicationsconsultantwithabackgroundinthelifesciences.HercompanyWashoeLifeScienceCommunicationsoffersavarietyofcommunicationservicestoacademicinstitutesandcompanies.
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Appendix2.S4LsitevisitprogrammeSunday19March2017
18:00 19:00 Welcomedrinks Reviewcommittee,GerritvanMeer(Dean),CasperHoogenraad,AntoinetteKillian,andInstitutedirectors
19:00 21:30 Dinner Reviewcommitteeonly
Monday20March2017
8:30 9:30 Privatekick-offmeeting
(Discussionofprocedureandpreliminaryfindingsbasedonself-assessment)
Reviewcommitteeonly
9:30 10:15 MeetingFacultyManagementBoard
IntroductionS4L
10’presentationbyS4LDirector
Dean,Vicedeanresearch,HeadsofdepartmentsBiology,ChemistryandPharmaceuticalSciences,DirectorGSLS
Asaudienceonly:S4Ldirectors,CasperHoogenraad,AntoinetteKillian
10:15 10:45 MeetingInstituteManagementofall4institutesandS4L
30’discussion
S4Ldirectors,CasperHoogenraad,AntoinetteKillian
Asaudienceonly:Dean,Vicedeanresearch,HeadsofdepartmentsBiology,ChemistryandPharmaceuticalSciences,directorGSLS
10:45 11:00 Coffeebreak,
PreparationforBijvoetsession
Reviewcommitteeonly
11:00 12:00 BijvoetCenter
10’presentationbyInstituteDirector20’discussion10’researchhighlightbyPI20’discussion
Bijvoetrepresentatives
12:00 13:00 BijvoetCenterlabtour+interviewswithPhDstudents
13:00 14:30 Lunch,
InterimevaluationBijvoet,
PreparationforIBBsession
Reviewcommitteeonly
14:30 15:30 InstituteforBiodynamicsandBiocomplexity(IBB):
10’presentationbyInstituteDirector20’discussion10’researchhighlightbyPI20’discussion
IBBrepresentatives
15:30 16:30 IBBlabtour+interviewswithPhDstudents
16:30 17:30 InterimevaluationIBB Reviewcommitteeonly
17:30 18:30 YoungInvestigatorsForum+drinks S4LYoungInvestigatorsForum
19:00 21:00 Dinner Reviewcommitteeonly
44
Tuesday21March2017
8:30 8:45 PreparationforIEBsession Reviewcommitteeonly
8:45 9:45 InstituteofEnvironmentalBiology(IEB):
10’presentationbyInstituteDirector20’discussion10’researchhighlightbyPI20’discussion
IEBrepresentatives
9:45 10:45 IEBlabtour+interviewswithPhDstudents
10:45 12:30 InterimevaluationIEB,
WalktoDDWbuildingviaKoningsbergerbuildingandbotanicalgardens,
Lunch@12:00,
PreparationforUIPSsession
Reviewcommitteeonly
12:30 13:30 UtrechtInstituteforPharmaceuticalSciences(UIPS):
10’presentationbyInstituteDirector20’discussion10’researchhighlightbyPI20’discussion
UIPSrepresentatives
13:30 14:30 UIPSlabtour+interviewswithPhDstudents
14:30 15:30 InterimevaluationUIPSandcoffeebreak Reviewcommitteeonly
15:30 16:30 OpendiscussionwithInstituteDirectors S4LInstituteDirectors,CasperHoogenraad,WernerMost,TheodoradeVries
16:30 17:30 Privatefinalmeeting Reviewcommitteeonly
17:30 17:45 Presentationofprovisionalfindingsbychairman PublicFaculty
17:45 18:30 End,drinksandbites PublicFaculty
45
Appendix3.QuantitativedataonS4L’scompositionandfinancingTable1.1:Bijvoetresearchstaff
#:Totalnumberofstaffmembers;FTE:ResearchCapacityinFullTimeEquivalents;StandardsforResearchCapacity:1Professor,AssistantProfessor,andAssociatedProfessor:ResearchCapacity=40%oftheappointment;2Post-doc:ResearchCapacity=90%oftheappointment;3PhDcandidate:ResearchCapacity=90%oftheappointment;4Supportstaffintheinstitute(i.e.,techniciansandresearchsupport).
Table1.2:IBBresearchstaff
#:Totalnumberofstaffmembers;FTE:ResearchCapacityinFullTimeEquivalents;StandardsforResearchCapacity:1Professor,AssistantProfessor,andAssociatedProfessor:ResearchCapacity=40%oftheappointment;teachingstaff0%oftheappointment;2Post-doc:ResearchCapacity=90%oftheappointment;3PhDcandidate:ResearchCapacity=90%oftheappointment;4Supportstaffintheinstitute(i.e.,techniciansandresearchsupport)100%.
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3.2.2 Researchers Table 3.2.2 Research staff at the Research Institute. 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
# FTE # FTE # FTE # FTE # FTE # FTE Scientific staff (1) 30 11.6 31 11.8 21 7.9 22 8.3 24 8.9 24 8.8
Post-docs(2) 32 28.3 31 27.5 26 22.5 20 16.7 23 19.6 24 8.8 PhD candidates(3)
63 56.7 75 67.5 64 57.6 59 53.1 59 53.1 57 51.3
Total res. staff 125 96.6 137 106.8 111 88 101 78.1 106 81.6 105 68.9 Support staff(4) 34 31.3 26 24 20 18.3 22 20.3 23 21.3 23 20.6 Total staff 159 127.9 162 130.8 131 106.3 123 98.4 129 102.9 128 89.5 #: Total number of staff members; Note 1: FTE: Research Capacity in Full Time Equivalents; Standards for Research Capacity: (1)Professor, Assistant Professor and Associated Professor: Research Capacity = 40% of the appointment; teaching staff 0% of the appointment; (2)Post-doc: Research Capacity = 90% of the appointment; (3)PhD candidate: Research Capacity = 90% of the appointment; (4)Support staff in the institute, i.e. technicians and research support 100%. 3.2.3 Research Funds Table 3.2.3 Funding at the Research Institute. 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Average
Funding: k€ / % k€ / % k€ / % k€ / % k€ / % k€ / % k€ / %
Direct funding (1) By the university
3416 / 43 2619 / 38 2612 / 37 2292 / 32 2359 / 28 2693 / 36 2665 / 36
Research grants (2) national
1856 / 23 2065 / 30 2618 / 37 2911 / 40 4250 / 50 2431 / 33 2689 / 36
Research grants (3) international
317 / 4 469 / 7 475 / 7 647 / 9 1397 / 16 1256 / 17 760 / 10
Contract research (4) 2450 / 31 1762 / 26 1369 / 19 1393 / 19 542 / 6 1097 / 15 1436 / 18
Other (5) - - - - - -
Total funding 8039 6915 7074 7243 8548 7477 7549
Expenditure
Personnel costs 5784 4834 4900 5075 5271 5314 5196
Other costs 2255 2081 2174 2168 3277 2163 2353
Total expenditure 8039 6915 7074 7243 8548 7477 7549 Note 1: Direct funding by the University Sectorplan and Top research schools/zwaartekracht are shown separately. Note 2:Research grants obtained in national scientific competition through open calls (e.g. grants from NWO, KNAW). Note 3:Research grants obtained in international scientific competition through open calls (e.g. Horizon 2020 grants). Note 4:Research contracts for specific research projects obtained from external organizations, such as industry, governmental ministries (not through open calls). Note 5:Funds that do not fit into any of the other categories (e.g. consultancies, conferences etc.). 3.3 Research Quality 3.3.1 General In 2013, the Institute of Biodynamics and Biocomplexity adapted its current name and defined its mission as “Deciphering the Biological Mechanisms of Health and Disease”. The renewed IBB operates at the highest international level, as evidenced by frequent publications in international top journals and acquisition of prestigious grants. The research addresses questions in cell biology, neurobiology, developmental biology, microbiology, immunology and evolution, and combines advanced imaging with a strong theoretical and computational component. Interactions and collaborative projects between the groups are common, resulting from substantially overlapping research interests, experimental approaches, and theoretical/computational methodology. Bioinformatics: We discovered a “spectacular case of parallel evolution” of the spindle assembly checkpoint kinase BUB1 (Suijkerbuik et al. 2012 DevCell). We were the first to describe the puzzling observation that proteins that interact are surprisingly often uncoupled in eukaryotic
46
Table1.3:IEBresearchstaff
#:Totalnumberofstaffmembers;FTE:ResearchCapacityinFullTimeEquivalents;StandardsforResearchCapacity:1FullProfessor,Assistant/AssociatedProfessor:ResearchCapacity=40%oftheappointment;2Post-doc:ResearchCapacity=90%oftheappointment;3PhDcandidate:ResearchCapacity=90%oftheappointment;4Supportstaffintheinstitute(i.e.,techniciansandresearchsupport).
Table1.4:UIPSresearchstaff
#:Totalnumberofstaffmembers;FTE:ResearchCapacityinFullTimeEquivalents;StandardsforResearchCapacity:1Professor,AssistantProfessor,andAssociatedProfessor:ResearchCapacity=70%or0%oftheappointment;2Post-doc:ResearchCapacity=100%oftheappointment;3PhDcandidate:ResearchCapacity=70%oftheappointmentforEmployedandanestimated50%oftheappointmentforNotemployed;4Supportstaffintheinstitute(i.e.,techniciansandresearchsupport).
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4.2.2 Researchers Table 4.2.2 Research staff at the research institute. 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
# FTE # FTE # FTE # FTE # FTE # FTE
Scientific staff 1 24 8.4 21 6.6 13 4.3 15 5.4 19 6.6 20 6.8
Post-docs2 6 4.5 13 11.3 18 15.8 18 15.4 16 12.6 16 12.7
PhD candidates3 Employed by UU
30 26.6 32 28.5 24 21.0 25 22.0 25 20.9 24 20.6
Not employed by UU
18 16.2 13 11.7 11 9.9 11 9.9 15 13.5 16 14.4
Total res. staff 78 55.7 79 58.1 66 51.1 69 52.8 75 53.6 76 54.5
Support staff4 24 20.0 25 20.2 21 16.8 22 18.0 18 12.8 17 12.5
Total staff 102 75.7 104 78.3 87 67.9 91 70.8 93 66.4 93 67.0
#: Total number of staff members; FTE: Research capacity in Full Time Equivalents. Standards for research capacity: (1)Full Professor, Assistant/Associated Professor: Research capacity = 40% of the appointment; (2)Post-doc: Research capacity = 90% of the appointment; (3)PhD candidate: Research capacity = 90% of the appointment; (4)Support staff in the institute, i.e. technicians and research support. 4.2.3 Research Funds Over the review period, the earning capacity of IEB has been fairly stable around 4,4 M€ per year. On average, 31% of the funding came from UU (direct), 36% from national research grants, 17% from international research grants and 16% from contract research. The earning capacity (other funding: direct funding) was 2.22 : 1 (2010-2015). The ratio of personnel to other costs was 1: 2.49 (2010-2015). Table 4.2.3 Funding of the research institute.
Note 1: Direct funding by the University. Note 2: Research grants obtained in national scientific competition through open calls (e.g. grants from NWO, KNAW). Note 3: Research grants obtained in international scientific competition through open calls (e.g. grants from ERC, Horizon
2020). Note 4: Research contracts for specific research projects obtained from external organizations, such as industry, governmental
ministries (not through open calls). 4.3 Research Quality
4.3.1 General The IEB research program is focused on unravelling biological mechanisms that determine how plants, microbes and animals adapt to their often hostile environment to maximize growth, fitness and survival. Moreover, we want to obtain a deep understanding of the mechanisms that regulate biodiversity and allow for the maintenance of ecosystem functioning in our dynamic world. It is our vision that a deep understanding of how these processes function in natural systems will provide prime targets to sustainably improve future crop production and management of vital ecosystem
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Average 2010-2015
Funding: k€/% k€/% k€/% k€/% k€/% k€/% k€/%
Direct funding1 1528/34 1471/31 938/27 1232/27 1391/31 1593/35 1359/31
Research grants national2 1451/32 1372/29 1247/36 1640/36 1883/42 1880/42 1579/36
Research grants internatl.3 500/11 780/17 693/20 1073/23 788/18 557/12 732/17
Contract research4 1058/23 1077/23 562/16 659/14 385/9 494/11 706/16
Total funding 4536 4700 3439 4603 4447 4523 4375
Expenditure
Personnel costs 1457/32 1427/30 1045/30 1428/31 1029/23 1133/25 1253/29
Other costs 3079/68 3273/70 2394/70 3175/69 3418/77 3391/75 3122/71
Total expenditure 4536 4700 3439 4603 4447 4523 4375
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5.2.2 Researchers Table 5.2.2 Research staff at the research institute. 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
# FTE # FTE # FTE # FTE # FTE # FTE
Scientific staff 1 76 25.25 50 23.86 50 24.26 48 24.04 49 22.92 46 23.10
Post-docs 2 41 27.95 41 22.85 36 19.6 42 22.99 45 25.61 39 28.09
PhD candidates3
Employed by UU Not employed by UU
120 89
84 44.5
116 102
81.2 51
97 110
67.9 55
100 112
70 56
86 118
60.2 59
88 132
61.6 66
Total res. staff
Support staff4 25 17.84 23 16.82 25 17.67 24 17.45 26 18.84 30 22.46
Total staff 351 199.54 332 195.73 318 184.43 326 190.48 324 186.57 335 201.25 #: Total number of staff members FTE: Research Capacity in full time human year equivalents Standards for Research Capacity: (1)Professor, Assistant Professor and Associated Professor: Research Capacity = 70% or 0% of the appointment; (2)Post-doc: Research Capacity = 100% of the appointment; (3)PhD candidate: Research Capacity = 70% of the appointment for Employed and an estimated 50% of the appointment for Not employed; (4)Support staff in the institute, i.e. technicians and research support. Table 5.2.2 lists the realized research FTE in human year equivalents. Almost all of our scientific research staff has 70% research capacity, whereas other staff members have 100% teaching capacity. Almost all PhD candidates also have 70% research capacity, where Post-docs have 100% research capacity. The research of support staff varies individually. 5.2.3 Research Funds Table 5.2.3 Funding at the research institute.
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Average
Research Institute
Funding: k€/% k€/% k€/% k€/% k€/% k€/% k€/%
Direct funding (1) By the university Sectorplan Top research schools/zwaartekracht:
5544/34
5558/36
6208/39
5661/38
5444/39
91/1
6350/48
224/2
5794/38
157/1
Research grants nat. (2)
1837/11 6310/41 2818/18 1941/13 3027/22 2192/17 3021/20
Research grants inter. (3)
796/5 1048/7 1850/12 2372/16 1844/13 1765/13 1613/11
Contract research (4) 7916/49 2517/16 5125/32 4957/33 3457/25 2570/20 4424/29
Other (5) 75/1 119/1 126/1 168/1 86/1 34/0 101/1
Total funding 16169 15551 16128 15099 13949 13135 15005
Expenditure:
Personnel costs 9741/60 9752/63 9943/62 9515/63 8746/63 8096/62 9299/62
Other costs 6427/40 5799/37 6184/38 5583/37 5204/37 5039/38 5706/38
Total expenditure 16169 15551 16128 15099 13949 13135 15005 From Table 2.3 we observe that the earning capacity (other funding/direct funding) has increased from 1/1 (2004-2009) to 1.6/1 (2010-2015). Note 1: Direct funding by the University Sectorplan and Top research schools/zwaartekracht are shown separately. Note 2: Research grants obtained in national scientific competition through open calls (e.g. grants from NWO, KNAW). Note 3: Research grants obtained in international scientific competition through open calls (e.g. Horizon 2020 grants). Note 4: Research contracts for specific research projects obtained from external organizations, such as industry, governmental ministries (not through open calls). Note 5:Funds that do not fit into any of the other categories (e.g. consultancies, conferences etc.).
47
Table2.1:Bijvoetfunding
Theearningcapacity(theratiobetweenotherfundingacquiredanddirectfunding)was4.2averagedoverthereportingperiodanddidnotsignificantlychangesince2010.(1):DirectfundingbytheUniversity;SectorplanandTopresearchschools/Zwaartekrachtareshownseparately.(2):Researchgrantsobtainedinnationalscientificcompetitionthroughopencalls(e.g.,grantsfromNWO,KNAW).(3):Researchgrantsobtainedininternationalscientificcompetitionthroughopencalls(e.g.,Horizon2020grants).(4):Researchcontractsforspecificresearchprojectsobtainedfromexternalorganisations,suchasindustry,governmentalministries(notthroughopencalls).(5):Fundsthatdonotfitintoanyoftheothercategories(e.g.,consultancies,conferences,etc.).
Table2.2:IBBfunding
(1):DirectfundingbytheUniversitySectorplanandTopresearchschools/zwaartekrachtareshownseparately.(2):Researchgrantsobtainedinnationalscientificcompetitionthroughopencalls(e.g.grantsfromNWO,KNAW).(3):Researchgrantsobtainedininternationalscientificcompetitionthroughopencalls(e.g.Horizon2020grants).(4):Researchcontractsforspecificresearchprojectsobtainedfromexternalorganizations,suchasindustry,governmentalministries(notthroughopencalls).(5):Fundsthatdonotfitintoanyoftheothercategories(e.g.consultancies,conferencesetc.).
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3.2.2 Researchers Table 3.2.2 Research staff at the Research Institute. 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
# FTE # FTE # FTE # FTE # FTE # FTE Scientific staff (1) 30 11.6 31 11.8 21 7.9 22 8.3 24 8.9 24 8.8
Post-docs(2) 32 28.3 31 27.5 26 22.5 20 16.7 23 19.6 24 8.8 PhD candidates(3)
63 56.7 75 67.5 64 57.6 59 53.1 59 53.1 57 51.3
Total res. staff 125 96.6 137 106.8 111 88 101 78.1 106 81.6 105 68.9 Support staff(4) 34 31.3 26 24 20 18.3 22 20.3 23 21.3 23 20.6 Total staff 159 127.9 162 130.8 131 106.3 123 98.4 129 102.9 128 89.5 #: Total number of staff members; Note 1: FTE: Research Capacity in Full Time Equivalents; Standards for Research Capacity: (1)Professor, Assistant Professor and Associated Professor: Research Capacity = 40% of the appointment; teaching staff 0% of the appointment; (2)Post-doc: Research Capacity = 90% of the appointment; (3)PhD candidate: Research Capacity = 90% of the appointment; (4)Support staff in the institute, i.e. technicians and research support 100%. 3.2.3 Research Funds Table 3.2.3 Funding at the Research Institute. 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Average
Funding: k€ / % k€ / % k€ / % k€ / % k€ / % k€ / % k€ / %
Direct funding (1) By the university
3416 / 43 2619 / 38 2612 / 37 2292 / 32 2359 / 28 2693 / 36 2665 / 36
Research grants (2) national
1856 / 23 2065 / 30 2618 / 37 2911 / 40 4250 / 50 2431 / 33 2689 / 36
Research grants (3) international
317 / 4 469 / 7 475 / 7 647 / 9 1397 / 16 1256 / 17 760 / 10
Contract research (4) 2450 / 31 1762 / 26 1369 / 19 1393 / 19 542 / 6 1097 / 15 1436 / 18
Other (5) - - - - - -
Total funding 8039 6915 7074 7243 8548 7477 7549
Expenditure
Personnel costs 5784 4834 4900 5075 5271 5314 5196
Other costs 2255 2081 2174 2168 3277 2163 2353
Total expenditure 8039 6915 7074 7243 8548 7477 7549 Note 1: Direct funding by the University Sectorplan and Top research schools/zwaartekracht are shown separately. Note 2:Research grants obtained in national scientific competition through open calls (e.g. grants from NWO, KNAW). Note 3:Research grants obtained in international scientific competition through open calls (e.g. Horizon 2020 grants). Note 4:Research contracts for specific research projects obtained from external organizations, such as industry, governmental ministries (not through open calls). Note 5:Funds that do not fit into any of the other categories (e.g. consultancies, conferences etc.). 3.3 Research Quality 3.3.1 General In 2013, the Institute of Biodynamics and Biocomplexity adapted its current name and defined its mission as “Deciphering the Biological Mechanisms of Health and Disease”. The renewed IBB operates at the highest international level, as evidenced by frequent publications in international top journals and acquisition of prestigious grants. The research addresses questions in cell biology, neurobiology, developmental biology, microbiology, immunology and evolution, and combines advanced imaging with a strong theoretical and computational component. Interactions and collaborative projects between the groups are common, resulting from substantially overlapping research interests, experimental approaches, and theoretical/computational methodology. Bioinformatics: We discovered a “spectacular case of parallel evolution” of the spindle assembly checkpoint kinase BUB1 (Suijkerbuik et al. 2012 DevCell). We were the first to describe the puzzling observation that proteins that interact are surprisingly often uncoupled in eukaryotic
48
Table2.3:IEBfunding
1DirectfundingbytheUniversity.2Researchgrantsobtainedinnationalscientificcompetitionthroughopencalls(e.g.grantsfromNWO,KNAW).3Researchgrantsobtainedininternationalscientificcompetitionthroughopencalls(e.g.grantsfromERC,Horizon2020).4Researchcontractsforspecificresearchprojectsobtainedfromexternalorganizations,suchasindustry,governmentalministries(notthroughopencalls).
Table2.4:UIPSfunding
FromTable2.4weobservethattheearningcapacity(otherfunding/directfunding)hasincreasedfrom1/1(2004-2009)to1.6/1(2010-2015).(1):DirectfundingbytheUniversitySectorplanandTopresearchschools/Zwaartekrachtareshownseparately.(2):Researchgrantsobtainedinnationalscientificcompetitionthroughopencalls(e.g.grantsfromNWO,KNAW).(3):Researchgrantsobtainedininternationalscientificcompetitionthroughopencalls(e.g.Horizon2020grants).(4):Researchcontractsforspecificresearchprojectsobtainedfromexternalorganizations,suchasindustry,governmentalministries(notthroughopencalls).(5):Fundsthatdonotfitintoanyoftheothercategories(e.g.consultancies,conferencesetc.).
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4.2.2 Researchers Table 4.2.2 Research staff at the research institute. 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
# FTE # FTE # FTE # FTE # FTE # FTE
Scientific staff 1 24 8.4 21 6.6 13 4.3 15 5.4 19 6.6 20 6.8
Post-docs2 6 4.5 13 11.3 18 15.8 18 15.4 16 12.6 16 12.7
PhD candidates3 Employed by UU
30 26.6 32 28.5 24 21.0 25 22.0 25 20.9 24 20.6
Not employed by UU
18 16.2 13 11.7 11 9.9 11 9.9 15 13.5 16 14.4
Total res. staff 78 55.7 79 58.1 66 51.1 69 52.8 75 53.6 76 54.5
Support staff4 24 20.0 25 20.2 21 16.8 22 18.0 18 12.8 17 12.5
Total staff 102 75.7 104 78.3 87 67.9 91 70.8 93 66.4 93 67.0
#: Total number of staff members; FTE: Research capacity in Full Time Equivalents. Standards for research capacity: (1)Full Professor, Assistant/Associated Professor: Research capacity = 40% of the appointment; (2)Post-doc: Research capacity = 90% of the appointment; (3)PhD candidate: Research capacity = 90% of the appointment; (4)Support staff in the institute, i.e. technicians and research support. 4.2.3 Research Funds Over the review period, the earning capacity of IEB has been fairly stable around 4,4 M€ per year. On average, 31% of the funding came from UU (direct), 36% from national research grants, 17% from international research grants and 16% from contract research. The earning capacity (other funding: direct funding) was 2.22 : 1 (2010-2015). The ratio of personnel to other costs was 1: 2.49 (2010-2015). Table 4.2.3 Funding of the research institute.
Note 1: Direct funding by the University. Note 2: Research grants obtained in national scientific competition through open calls (e.g. grants from NWO, KNAW). Note 3: Research grants obtained in international scientific competition through open calls (e.g. grants from ERC, Horizon
2020). Note 4: Research contracts for specific research projects obtained from external organizations, such as industry, governmental
ministries (not through open calls). 4.3 Research Quality
4.3.1 General The IEB research program is focused on unravelling biological mechanisms that determine how plants, microbes and animals adapt to their often hostile environment to maximize growth, fitness and survival. Moreover, we want to obtain a deep understanding of the mechanisms that regulate biodiversity and allow for the maintenance of ecosystem functioning in our dynamic world. It is our vision that a deep understanding of how these processes function in natural systems will provide prime targets to sustainably improve future crop production and management of vital ecosystem
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Average 2010-2015
Funding: k€/% k€/% k€/% k€/% k€/% k€/% k€/%
Direct funding1 1528/34 1471/31 938/27 1232/27 1391/31 1593/35 1359/31
Research grants national2 1451/32 1372/29 1247/36 1640/36 1883/42 1880/42 1579/36
Research grants internatl.3 500/11 780/17 693/20 1073/23 788/18 557/12 732/17
Contract research4 1058/23 1077/23 562/16 659/14 385/9 494/11 706/16
Total funding 4536 4700 3439 4603 4447 4523 4375
Expenditure
Personnel costs 1457/32 1427/30 1045/30 1428/31 1029/23 1133/25 1253/29
Other costs 3079/68 3273/70 2394/70 3175/69 3418/77 3391/75 3122/71
Total expenditure 4536 4700 3439 4603 4447 4523 4375
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5.2.2 Researchers Table 5.2.2 Research staff at the research institute. 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
# FTE # FTE # FTE # FTE # FTE # FTE
Scientific staff 1 76 25.25 50 23.86 50 24.26 48 24.04 49 22.92 46 23.10
Post-docs 2 41 27.95 41 22.85 36 19.6 42 22.99 45 25.61 39 28.09
PhD candidates3
Employed by UU Not employed by UU
120 89
84 44.5
116 102
81.2 51
97 110
67.9 55
100 112
70 56
86 118
60.2 59
88 132
61.6 66
Total res. staff
Support staff4 25 17.84 23 16.82 25 17.67 24 17.45 26 18.84 30 22.46
Total staff 351 199.54 332 195.73 318 184.43 326 190.48 324 186.57 335 201.25 #: Total number of staff members FTE: Research Capacity in full time human year equivalents Standards for Research Capacity: (1)Professor, Assistant Professor and Associated Professor: Research Capacity = 70% or 0% of the appointment; (2)Post-doc: Research Capacity = 100% of the appointment; (3)PhD candidate: Research Capacity = 70% of the appointment for Employed and an estimated 50% of the appointment for Not employed; (4)Support staff in the institute, i.e. technicians and research support. Table 5.2.2 lists the realized research FTE in human year equivalents. Almost all of our scientific research staff has 70% research capacity, whereas other staff members have 100% teaching capacity. Almost all PhD candidates also have 70% research capacity, where Post-docs have 100% research capacity. The research of support staff varies individually. 5.2.3 Research Funds Table 5.2.3 Funding at the research institute.
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Average
Research Institute
Funding: k€/% k€/% k€/% k€/% k€/% k€/% k€/%
Direct funding (1) By the university Sectorplan Top research schools/zwaartekracht:
5544/34
5558/36
6208/39
5661/38
5444/39
91/1
6350/48
224/2
5794/38
157/1
Research grants nat. (2)
1837/11 6310/41 2818/18 1941/13 3027/22 2192/17 3021/20
Research grants inter. (3)
796/5 1048/7 1850/12 2372/16 1844/13 1765/13 1613/11
Contract research (4) 7916/49 2517/16 5125/32 4957/33 3457/25 2570/20 4424/29
Other (5) 75/1 119/1 126/1 168/1 86/1 34/0 101/1
Total funding 16169 15551 16128 15099 13949 13135 15005
Expenditure:
Personnel costs 9741/60 9752/63 9943/62 9515/63 8746/63 8096/62 9299/62
Other costs 6427/40 5799/37 6184/38 5583/37 5204/37 5039/38 5706/38
Total expenditure 16169 15551 16128 15099 13949 13135 15005 From Table 2.3 we observe that the earning capacity (other funding/direct funding) has increased from 1/1 (2004-2009) to 1.6/1 (2010-2015). Note 1: Direct funding by the University Sectorplan and Top research schools/zwaartekracht are shown separately. Note 2: Research grants obtained in national scientific competition through open calls (e.g. grants from NWO, KNAW). Note 3: Research grants obtained in international scientific competition through open calls (e.g. Horizon 2020 grants). Note 4: Research contracts for specific research projects obtained from external organizations, such as industry, governmental ministries (not through open calls). Note 5:Funds that do not fit into any of the other categories (e.g. consultancies, conferences etc.).
49
Appendix4.Explanationofthecategoriesutilised
Source:StandardEvaluationProtocol2015-2021