The Nyenrode Research and Innovation Institute (NRI) opened its doors more than 18 months ago. Prof. Dr. René Tissen, Prof. Dr. Edward Groenland and Stefan van Eerde MSc, talk about research at Nyenrode and the aims of the institute.

Tissen and Groenland are both directors of the NRI. Groenland: “We are both responsible for everything that happens, but we have split the tasks between us to some extent, because of practical considerations.”  Van Eerde is the manager of the NRI and views himself as “The supercharger of new initiatives. I look at how we can turn new ideas into reality in collaboration with the rest of the team. How can we tap into social trends? And will we be able to implement certain innovations within the institute?” 

The basic principle
“At Nyenrode, we conduct fundamental academic research as well as applied research, although both are valuable,” says Groenland. “The fact that we have both specializations – purely academic, more applied and hybrids of both – makes Nyenrode unique as an institution.” 

Tissen talks about the basic principle of the Nyenrode research institute: “The NRI is a continuation of the NRG (pronounced 'energy'), which was started a number of years ago by people such as Prof. Dr. Henry Robben, Prof. Dr. Jack van Veen and Prof. Dr. Venu Venugopal. Generally speaking, research was seen as the personal responsibility of the researcher. The researcher had (and still has) complete freedom to conduct research. However, as more research funding became available, people such as Robben, Van Veen and Venugopal saw the need for better coordination and supervision of the research. The NRI works with the same basic principle: We try to link funding with the interests of the researchers and facilitate the research.”

Three functions
The NRI has three functions, says Tissen. The first is to establish the required scientific infrastructure. “We provide researchers with the tools to conduct good research, to have the research evaluated, and to be able to disseminate the results." 

The second function is organizing – rather than managing – research. This also includes the task of attracting funding. Groenland: “If researchers want us to, we are able to look for research funding and EU subsidies on their behalf. Sometimes we see an opportunity to receive money from a fund or a subsidy ourselves. We then look for a researcher that may be interested in the project concerned. It is then up to the researcher whether to take it any further.”  

A third function is the supervision of PhD students in the PhD School. Tissen: “This is where Nyenrode is quite unique. Other universities in the Netherlands generally leave supervision to individual professors, while we set up a special program for this purpose.” 

Groenland: “Because of our knowledge, skills, networks and specializations, we are able to show the world a unique outlook, which is generating a lot of interest in the business community. We are really different from the run-of-the-mill business schools and research universities in this way." 

Guardians of quality
“For us, research has to be theoretically, practically and socially relevant,” says Tissen. NRI carefully monitors the quality of the research conducted at Nyenrode. Groenland: “The NRI has a supervisory role in the planning of PhD and contract research and we evaluate the research proposal. However, we also test whether scientific criteria have been met when the research has been completed. Only then will we allow it to be published. We guarantee the quality of the methodology in this way, which is where we differ from many other organizations where applied (contract) research is carried out, such as market research companies. The latter often handle methodology in a more intuitive way.” 

PhD School
“The PhD School has been designed to enhance the quality of the research, particularly the research methodology,” says Groenland. “We offer a coherent package of courses in the field of research design, data collection, data analysis, and reporting. An overarching organization like NRI is able to offer this because the methodology transcends the subjects of the research. We also provide researchers with specialized software, and I conduct information sessions in which I provide them with advice.” 

PhD Seminars
Van Eerde says that the sharing of knowledge and receiving feedback from others in the field is very important for researchers. For that reason, NRI organizes PhD seminars in which the work of an individual researcher occupies centre stage.  Groenland: “The seminars serve a number of purposes, for example the improvement of the outcome produced by the PhD student, the enhancement of fellowship between people, and the setting of a standard among researchers. The guests are usually people from the network of the PhD student and his or her supervisor. Not just academics, but also people working in the field who have an interest in the subject. Discussions could range from definitions, literature and methodology, right through to practical applications. They are conducted in an amicable atmosphere, where critical remarks will be made, but with a positive attitude. This is experienced in a very positive way by both the researchers and the participants”. 

Academic independence
Even though a lot of research at Nyenrode is conducted with money from sponsors, the independence of the research and the results is beyond dispute. Groenland: “One of the first things that we did as NRI was to formulate a declaration of independence that all sponsors have to agree to. It states that the research will be conducted independently. The sponsor will also have to accept any results that may be less favorable from their point of view.” Tissen added: “We also have a confidential committee that researchers can turn to if they have questions with regard to any pressure being applied. The committee concerned has not been required to meet so far. This means that there are few real problems.” Groenland: “Many sponsors like the idea that Nyenrode guarantees the scientific quality and covers their backs as an independent academic institute. After all, it is always possible that the results will be criticized from an unexpected quarter.”  

Humility
“You notice a certain personal humility among researches at Nyenrode,” Tissen observed. “They will adopt a self-effacing attitude with regard to the often high quality standards they maintain during the research.  Often, they are also quite unpretentious when it comes to publicity. Some of our researchers could be a bit more in the spotlight, without stepping into the ‘ego trap’. However, let there be no doubt that we have researchers with both strong ambitions and the qualities to achieve them.”

Successes and developments
“Right now, we have 70 PhD students,” Tissen explains. “We have so many applications for PhD places, that we cannot accommodate them all. After all, every PhD student needs to be supervised by a professor.  We also receive an increasing number of applications from abroad.” 

Nyenrode is also attracting a lot of attention with regard to content. Tissen: “A considerable number of people at Nyenrode are determined to put research on the map, and they are being very successful. As a result, the number of research points has structurally increased during the last few years. This also applies to the number of A and B publications.” 

From the perspective of its social function, the NRI will shortly launch a publication called Research in Residence. “Within this project, people working in the field will be able to spend three to six months conducting research under the supervision of one of our researchers. It is an ideal program for managers and directors who are looking to broaden their scientific knowledge. With this program Nyenrode serves both the business community as well as society as a whole. And the is precisely the essence of Nyenrode,” Tissen says.  

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