Dutch institute forced to respond to crisis in recruitment of postdoctoral researchers

Hoeven, Netherlands

The Netherlands is faced with a crisis in the recruitment of postdoctoral researchers, with scientists increasingly reluctant to accept living on a series of short-term posts.

Figures from the medical council of the country's largest public research agency, the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), show that last year it filled less than a fifth of postdoctoral positions within its programme grants (see Table), only a third in its research support grants and just two thirds of its personal fellowships. Edvard Beem, deputy director of health research at the NWO, says that as a result it has been impossible for the council to request additional research funds from the NWO.

Table 1 Influx of personnel onto medical council grants

Problems in recruitment have also surfaced over the past two years at the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) — a leading national research institute. Staff there say it is difficult to retain and attract postdocs to a country that does not have a large critical mass of research work.

Although there is no shortage of postdoctoral fellowships, the number of tenured positions in academia is limiting. Senior postdocs in particular feel unable to continue their scientific careers in the Netherlands as short-term fellowships are unattractive to postdocs looking for career advancement and tenure. NKI staff and postdocs have dubbed this situation the ‘postdoc paradox’.

Peters: postdocs want permanent positions.

“While universities and institutes are looking for graduate students and postdocs, there is, at the same time, a population of ageing postdocs looking for a permanent position and recycling through standard postdoc positions,” says Peter Peters, a researcher at NKI.

Unsurprisingly, 90 per cent of the postdocs are ultimately looking to find permanent university or research positions. “Postdocs that don't make it have limited alternative prospects in the Netherlands because of limited career possibilities in biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries in the country, and the general decay in existing research jobs in industry,” explains Peters.

Recruitment difficulties are due to a variety of factors, he continues, most importantly a lack of career development and prospects. Some universities have had to re-advertise postdoc jobs with better salaries and contract terms in order to recruit.

NKI's new director — Anton Berns — last week responded to postdoc concerns, by establishing a novel junior faculty position that would give postdocs some degree of independence and career prospects. Junior faculty could apply for project grants with a senior staff member, would supervise graduate students, serve as senior authors on papers, carry projects with them when relocating to another laboratory and would also have their salaries boosted by about $5,000.

Such a change is timely within a national, political context. A government report on science funding, published last year, stated that “the research establishment must itself take responsibility for developing a challenging personnel policy”. In response, NWO will make available $0.7 million per annum to improve the prospects for women in research and the science ministry will contribute a further $0.25 million.