Many scientific research projects have faced unforeseen obstacles since the start of the Covid crisis in 2020. The impact on researchers with temporary contracts is especially dramatic because they have so little chance to make up for lost time.

162 million euro

The government has estimated the total financial damage caused by the delay at 600 million euro. To alleviate some of the pain, it has made 162 million euro available through the National Education Programme to cushion the impact of the Covid pandemic on education and research as a whole.

In June, the government took a second look at how things stood with the support programme. Dijkgraaf was able to report that universities and research institutions had spent between 25 and 58 percent of the delayed research budget available in 2021. University hospitals in particular chose to hold on to part of the budget in anticipation of costs projected further down the line.

Earmarked funding

Critical questions have been asked in the House of Representatives, with the VVD especially keen to know whether the funds will actually reach researchers whose work has been delayed. This week, Dijkgraaf assured the House that the funding has been earmarked and the institutions are obliged to account for the spending in their annual reports. The money has to be used to benefit the relevant researchers by 2024 at the latest.

Dijkgraaf says he is not surprised that only a fraction of the money available has been spent to date, explaining that most scientists on temporary contracts are engaged in research that spans several years. “Even if they were delayed back in 2020, the cost of that delay will not become apparent until later years,” he writes.