THE HAGUE--Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science OCW Ingrid van Engelshoven was presented on Wednesday, June 16, with an advisory report that proposes the establishment of a scientific network organisation, the Dutch Caribbean Research Platform DUCARP. The report was commissioned by the Dutch Organisation for Scientific Research NWO as part of the Caribbean Research Programme.
The Caribbean Netherlands Science Institute (CNSI) in St. Eustatius has existed for just under 10 years. Its current funding period will expire in 2022. Therefore, NWO commissioned an independent report to identify options for its future.
Wiebe Bijker and current Member of the Dutch Parliament Jorien Wuite discussed the matter with numerous individuals throughout the kingdom of the Netherlands over the last year and summarised their findings and recommendations in this report.
They propose a transition of the CNSI into DUCARP, a network organisation with a physical “anchor point” on each of the six Dutch Caribbean islands.
The report says that DUCARP should not perform its own research, but instead facilitate, support and promote research in the region. This can best be done by linking people and enabling collaborations between organisations in different parts of the kingdom.
The authors of the report say that DUCARP is essential in strengthening the quality and quantity of scientific research on and into the Caribbean islands, and that over time it could develop into an international knowledge and expertise centre for issues pertaining to small island developing states (SIDS).
The report’s recommendations are directed towards NWO, OCW, and other relevant players in both the Dutch Caribbean and the Netherlands.
The advisory report was written under the auspices of NWO’s Caribbean Research Programme, which exists to facilitate high-quality scientific research and to provide a sustainable, locally-rooted infrastructure for the development of the Dutch Caribbean.
It seeks to make research relevant to Caribbean people, to link society and science, and to engage locals. It promotes collaborations and partnerships between the six islands and between the Caribbean and European parts of the Dutch kingdom.
The Caribbean Research Programme aims to strengthen the knowledge base and competences of the islands, and to contribute to sustainable structure-enhancement and capacity-building in the region.
