The Dutch Physics Council is updating their strategic vision for academic physics in the Netherlands. Our new vision will connect to the National Technology Strategy, which defines our country’s top ten innovation priorities, the upcoming Wennink report on innovation and industrial competitiveness and the Draghi report that also calls for renewed support for early-stage research.

Our previous vision paper stems from 2015 and given the turbulent geopolitical development it is now the time to share with the world what makes physics so special. The DPC is very  happy that Prof Albert Polman (AMOLF, UvA) will chair the writing team in their effort to write a new vision paper.

Our new strategy, to be finished in May 2026, will call for:

• A clear national vision: physics as a cornerstone of innovation, talent, and sustainable growth.
• Sustained investment in fundamental research — the source of tomorrow’s breakthroughs
• Continuity across the full knowledge chain — from blue-sky ideas to high-tech applications.
• Collaboration with industry and policy, turning insight into impact.
• Focus on talent — training the high-tech experts for the industry of tomorrow.
• Support for education and early-career scientists, ensuring the next generation of physicists can thrive.

For the content of the report we collect advice and input from: academic physicists, via our advisory board members, the NWO Round Table Physics, The Science Deans, Board of NNV, Ministry of OCW, Physics teachers’ network and from industry.

Town hall meetings

What can you, as a physicist working in The Netherlands, expect from us the coming months?

December 2025/January 2026: town hall meetings will be organized by your local representative in the DPC’s advisory board at each university/institute.

• Curious to know who represents your university/institute? The members of our advisory board can be found below.

• The input that will be gathered encompass:
  • What are future key areas of research in physics?
  • What additional funding is needed, for what goal (PIs, PhDs, …).
  • What big investment needs are needed?
  • Are there important and relevant areas that have a risk to disappear?
  • In what areas can we collaborate with industry?
  • How can we train talented people with the proper skills for society?
  • How do we make physics more visible in society and policy making, show the importance of physics to create jobs, technology, sustainability, etc.
  • How can we better support early career researchers?
• This input will be used by the writing team to address the most important topics in physics

19, 20, 21 January 2026: we will be around at NWO Physics where we will also announce this endeavor and present the writing team. You are welcome to discuss with the writing team members any suggestions you may have.