Waddenacademie-KNAW: Evaluatie 2008-2013

In August 2013, a committee of peers visited the Waddenacademie to evaluate its
performance according to a standard protocol. The Waddenacademie was established
in 2008 to coordinate and reinforce research towards understanding geobio-
physical and socio-economic processes in the Wadden sea area, and to attune
research that is done to the needs for knowledge in the area.
The review committee was impressed by the quality of the work of the Waddenacademy.
That work is unique because it integrates knowledge from many disciplines.
The quality of the work was rated as ‘very good’. Productivity was ‘very good
to excellent’: many publications were produced that had a very high impact. Societal
relevance was rated as ‘very good’, because publications, symposia etc were highly
appreciated by many parties, such as the trilateral Common Wadden Sea Secretariat,
and because many stakeholders rely on the Waddenacademie for help to get
access to research.
On this moment, the position of the Waddenacademie is critical. Current financing
ends on July 1st 2014, and on the same date the Royal Netherlands Academy of
Arts and Sciences (KNAW), of which the Waddenacademie is part, will give up its
responsibility as part of her strategy towards her affiliated but non research organisations.
A decision for new financing will be made at the end of 2013.
The committee is concerned about these circumstances. The committee states
that the Waddenacademie deserves her right to exist beyond doubt, and formulated
some considerations and recommendations about additional tasks and organization.