Two important SENSE activities — Column by Rik Leemans

As was announced before, Prof. Rik Leemans contributes a regular column to the SENSE e-News in which he reflects on relevant events and topics.

Over the last months two important SENSE initiatives have matured...

The first is the development of a comprehensive SENSE strategy, which has been drafted by all the directors and is now available for discussion and feedback (see SENSE Strategy 2008-2013: Taking Stock and Moving Forward).

Having an articulated strategy will improve our responses to the constructive criticism and suggestions of the international review committee -- which will also be relevant for our upcoming meeting with the KNAW accreditation board in early April.

This strategy document will further define the course of SENSE in the next accreditation period. I therefore invite everybody to read it, comment on it and contribute to it. Its importance requires a broad endorsement of PhD-students, their supervisors and other SENSE researchers!


The second important activity we are now undertaking is the process of the SENSE Questions, an initiative which should facilitate a discussion with the Dutch Ministry of the Environment (VROM) on developing an innovative research agenda.

Ad van Dommelen has taken the lead in organizing this. Since he started the initiative in December 2007, also the Advisory Council for Research on Spatial Planning, Nature and the Environment (RMNO) and the Research Programme ‘Sustainable Earth’ of NWO have also joined the process of reflection. This momentum provides a great opportunity to help shaping the future research agenda.

I am therefore glad that many of you have already put forward your most crucial questions (already 300 SENSE Questions have now been contributed) and that also the relevant citizen and parliament queries to VROM are being included. The real challenge is now to sort, classify and synthesis these hundreds of questions that have been submitted. (Suggestions for a comprehensive approach are welcome.)

The first results will be presented and discussed at the ICIS/SENSE Symposium: The World's Future is Now! in Maastricht on Tuesday 22nd April. Later this year, more events will be organized to further develop and finalize this discussion, such as the SENSE Summer Symposium 2008 on 17th June in Wageningen (Mark your calendar now!). Besides this, there will be an international workshop to appraise IPCC’s fourth assessment report and extract the science agenda for all global change programmes (see http://www.essp.org) in autumn this year. I hope to welcome you all to participate and advance this important discussion!

Rik Leemans
Chair of General Board SENSE