Reduced budgets: Aspasia Programme modified

On January 24th, NWO opened the call for the Aspasia programme. The news passed silently and that is why we would like to draw your attention to the changes that have taken place within the Aspasia programme. Due to reduced budgets, it has been decided not to make any more money available in the allocation for the development of diversity policy. This call, the grants for the women scientists in question are also lower (40,000 euros / 120,000 euros instead of 50,000 euros / 150,000 euros). In addition, the reference date with regard to the appointment has been adjusted and, due to the limited budgets, a back-up measure has been introduced in case more applications are submitted than the available budget allows. This means that applications are accepted on order of entry, therefore the candidates are dependent on the willingness of leadership and the board to take action. NWO announces the measures and new budgets in this news article. The Executive Boards have been informed on the changed conditions by NWO via letter.

For the next call, the budget will decrease again, from 4.2 million euros to 3 million euros. NWO has announced that it will enter discussions with the universities about the future implementation of the programme with this reduced budget. The LNVH sees the decreasing budgets as a very worrying development. Aspasia is a still necessary and effective instrument for stimulating the promotion of women from Associate Professor to Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor to Full Professor. We will therefore enter into discussions with NWO and OCW about the possibilities of continuing the program with adequate budgets and in an effective manner. The first meeting is scheduled for 12 February.