Cry from the heart Floriade More rooms Rectors worried about WUR builds Street of the Future | p.18 | Idealis has big building plans | p.26 | academic freedom | p.5 | RESOURCEFor everyone at Wageningen University & Research no 13 – 23 February 2017 – 11th Volume Wageningen voting guide p.12 2 >> picture MEASURING GAS EXCHANGE The Human Nutrition Unit in Helix opens its doors to guests from the business world on Thursday 23 February, to show off the many possibilities in this spanking new research facility. One of the many pieces of measuring equipment here is this basal metabolic rate monitor. This apparatus measures the gas exchange: the amounts of carbon dioxide and oxygen inhaled and exhaled. This is an indica- tor of the amount of energy someone burns up. TL, photo Guy Ackermans RESOURCE — 23 February 2017 PHOTO COVER: SHUTTERSTOCK >>CONTENTS no. 13 – 11th volume >> 10 >> 20 >> 24 BEDIR TEKINERDOGAN GRIPES ABOUT ACT VEGGIE OPTIONS ‘We need a fourth Multicultural group work Student studied the meat-free options technological revolution’ remains tricky in canteens ACADEMIC FREEDOM Academic freedom is under fire all around the world. And not just in Turkey or Iran; we need to be alert in the west as well. Politicians and companies are bring science into disrepute everywhere. This is affecting science in the Netherlands, says the Dutch universities’ rectors’ conference in an open letter to the newspa- AND MORE per NRC Handelsblad. Stating the obvious, one might think. But there is more to 4 Singaporean visitors this letter than that. This public warning can make us more aware of how we deal 6 TO2 institutes sound alarm with undesirable messages on social media. We attack the messenger. We tar 7 Proposal for national debate and feather him and hurl him into a pit, egged on by virtual cheers of applause. day And it’s not just the man on the street that does this, it’s no holds barred for the 8 Termite lore compiled American president too. Type in a hashtag about ‘fake research’ and you’ll sure 9 Herpes virus manipulates carp of a rich harvest. In their open letter the rectors called on the leaders of coun- 10 Vegetable-fat candles tries and continents to stand up against the attacks on academic freedom. But 26 Pole-jumping to go how? Ban Twitter? Establish codes of conduct? That is impossible and restricts 27 Meanwhile in Romania another kind of freedom. Can’t freely operating academics come up with a soluti- 29 Spotting ocelots in Panama on to this? Edwin van Laar >> Prins Vleermuis crèche comes to campus | p.7 23 February 2017 — RESOURCE 4 >> news TIES WITH SINGAPORE STRENGTHENED A delegation from Nanyang Tech- nological University (NTU) in Sin- gapore is visiting Wageningen University & Research this week to discuss collaboration on the education front. The universities already have a joint Bachelor’s programme and are now working on a Master’s. NTU is a young and highly regard- ed university in Singapore. It has 25,00 students and is in 54th place in the Times World Educa- tion Ranking, 11 places higher than Wageningen. Since 2014, NTU and WUR have run a joint major in NTU Bachelor’s pro- gramme Food Science and Tech- nology. NTU selects about 30 stu- ACKERMANS GUY PHOTO: dents a year from four technical Staff and students from Singapore had a look round some WUR labs on Wednesday. degree programmes for this ma- jor. portant because for NTU the arriv- in Wageningen for six months. es, NTU and WUR signed an ex- Over two years, the students al of international food compa- The second year consists of a the- change agreement in December. from Singapore take five Wagenin- nies in Singapore is a major rea- sis and an internship, says Anja The first student from Singapore gen courses. These are taught on- son for starting this major. Kleijn, coordinator of the collabo- will arrive in Wageningen this line but for the practicals Wagen- At the end of last year WUR and ration with NTU in Wageningen. spring for a period of six months. ingen lecturers go to Singapore or NTU decided to extend the collab- The Master’s students in Singa- The delegation from Singapore the students come to Wagenin- oration on the Bachelor’s pro- pore could of course just come to is paying visits on campus this gen. In the second year the stu- gramme until 2022. They are also Wageningen for a Master’s degree week, and going to food compa- dents from Singapore combine now preparing a two-year Master’s programme, says Kleijn. But so far nies and institutes in the Nether- one of these practicals with an ex- programme in Food Studies that not many do so. That is because lands. With the delegation is a cursion week in the Netherlands, follows on from the Bachelor’s. In these students’ first degrees often journalist from The Straits Times visiting food companies such as this Master’s programme, the stu- don’t provide a good foundation in Singapore, who will be writing Mars and KraftHeinz. Exchange of dents spend the first six months in for these programmes. In order to a report on a small country with a knowledge with companies is im- Singapore and then take courses stimulate more student exchang- strong food sector. AS DBA ACT CAUSES CONFUSION AND EXTRA WORK Staff at Wageningen University & Research liable in the event of an infringement rather is yes, this is really an employer-employee rela- who regularly hire freelance professionals than the freelancer, as was the case for the tionship and hiring a freelancer is therefore have lots of questions about the Assessment of VAR. not permitted. The department should then Employment Relationships (Deregulation) Act De Vries and Kanis have had dozens of re- look for an alternative solution such as a pay- (DBA Act). The act is also increasing the quests for assistance since May 2016 from roll setup. The freelancer and client can also amount of paperwork. WUR staff who want to hire a freelancer. They sign a model contract that clearly states the as- have also had complaints about the extra pa- signment, stipulates the mutual responsibili- This is what Marleen de Vries and Johan Kanis perwork due to the DBA Act. ties and contains a declaration by both parties at Corporate HR say. The DBA Act, which came De Vries says that departments who want to that this is not an employer-employee relation- into effect in May 2016, was intended to put an engage freelancers, such as lecturers, editors ship. ‘If freelancers are not prepared to sign end to bogus self-employment. It replaces the or translators, should ask themselves three the model contract or to go for a payroll solu- Declaration of Independent Contractor Status questions. Is the freelancer in a subordinate tion, they won’t be hired. The risk of fines by (the VAR) that freelancers used to be able to position with respect to the client? Is personal the tax authority is just too great,’ says Kanis. use to show they really were self-employed. work being delivered (in other words, can only It should be noted that the tax authority will The DBA Act enables stricter checks. It also the freelancer do the work)? Is money being not be enforcing the DBA Act until January makes the organization hiring the freelancer paid for it? If the answer to all three questions 2018. VK RESOURCE — 23 February 2017 news << 5 ‘ACADEMIC FREEDOM UNDER THREAT’ ©OLUMN |STIJN The turmoil in the world is threatening aca- ‘our own country’. demic freedom, wrote the rectors of the Dutch And this poses a threat to academic freedom, universities last week in NRC Handelsblad. ‘Let say the rectors, pointing to the example of Iran – No reply us turn the tide while we still can.’ and those of Russia and the United States. Peo- M is only in the Netherlands for a few ple whose opinions are not welcome are feeling days. She is spending some of her pre- According to the rectors, among them Arthur the pinch and it has become harder for academ- cious time with me, over a bowl of soup Mol of Wageningen University & Research, ics and students to travel. Also, science is being in Orion. I tell her about my end-of-PhD things have been moving in the wrong directi- discredited increasingly often. stress but emphasize that things are go- on since the economic crisis and the Arab The rectors call on the Dutch government, ing great apart from that. Spring. ‘Europe’s incapacity to respond quic- the EU and governments around the world to She says the postdoc job in London has kly and adequately to the influx of refugees, take a strong stand against restrictions on aca- taken some getting used to. Way too along with rising east-west tensions, have led demic freedom. ‘History teaches us that we too busy. But after some ups and downs it’s to serious fears among segments of the popu- often looked the other way when unacceptable OK now. ‘Only...’ A silence falls. ‘It’s so lation, the increasing strength of populist things went on, or let ourselves be lulled into difficult working with A.’ I stare at her in parties, and an ever stronger orientation to complacency for too long.’ HOP amazement. ‘Really, with A?’ ‘Yes,’ she replies adamantly, ‘A is doing nothing towards the paper we’re supposed to be working on together. I’ve emailed and in brief phoned her but I never get a reply.