science for life€¦ · science for life bijvoet center for biomolecular research institute of...

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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


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


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


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


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):


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):


IEBrepresentatives

9:45 10:45 IEBlabtour+interviewswithPhDstudents

10:45 12:30 InterimevaluationIEB,

WalktoDDWbuildingviaKoningsbergerbuildingandbotanicalgardens,

Lunch@12:00,

PreparationforUIPSsession

Reviewcommitteeonly

12:30 13:30 UtrechtInstituteforPharmaceuticalSciences(UIPS):


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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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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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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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

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