Since June 1, Jurgen Marteijn, professor at the Department of Molecular Genetics at Erasmus MC in Rotterdam, has been the new chairman of the Life Sciences Table. How has the recent period been and what are his plans for the Table?
Why did you become chairman?
‘I found it important to join the Life Sciences Table because I notice that we still too often think in silos. There is too little attention for cross-fertilization between disciplines. I would like to see that change. To bring about this change, I need to actively participate in the Table.’
How do you see your role as chairman?
‘I am just one of the people sitting at the table. Of course, there are tasks that belong to the chairman, such as bringing news to the outside world, but the field is broad and we need everyones expertise. The most important thing is that together we can represent the broad life sciences field as well as possible and help it move forward. I hope that as the entire Table we can do this as well as possible with our broad expertise.’
What are your plans?
‘Together with the Table, I want to contribute to improving the life sciences field by collaborating better with relevant parties, reducing the application pressure of grants, and making procedures simpler and shorter. Furthermore, my drive is to identify and support good initiatives from the field so that they can make an impact. Within our own subfields, we are well organized and form one of the largest fields in terms of number of members. However, we are also very diverse and scientists sometimes lack insight into what happens in other working communities. Conferences such as NWO Life play a crucial role in this. It would be great if these were even better attended so that more people can see the wonderful research taking place in the Netherlands.’
What do you think is the social importance of science?
‘Like other fields, the life sciences face financial pressure and many social challenges. Therefore, it is important that we try to create all the conditions to continue conducting leading research in the Netherlands. As a Table, we have direct influence on NWO policy. We work together with the various working communities to ensure that the field functions well and collaborates. Scientific research is not always well received by society, but by translating it broadly we can better emphasize its importance. We must communicate well externally as a field and encourage scientists to do the same. If society understands the importance of science and education, trust will naturally grow. That is essential, especially in the current political climate where education funding is under pressure.’
What do you want to give NWO?
‘NWO can sometimes think a bit more like a scientist: out of the box and with more action. As scientists, we are trained to respond quickly to changing situations and to take action. That is valuable, although it is of course important to think carefully first. I understand that policymakers want NWO-wide rules, but it is also good to sometimes come up with specific solutions for the field. The field is broad and NWO benefits greatly if we come up with creative solutions together.’