NextGenPhys@NL celebrated its first anniversary! Over the past year, the network has brought together early-career physicists and new-coming PIs from across the Netherlands to connect across institutions and subfields.

The milestone was marked at the NWO Physics New PI event, where the NextGenPhys@NL community reflected on shared challenges and future ambitions.

In its first year, NextGenPhys@NL focused on building a strong foundation and launched work on a white paper on tenure and career tracks in the Netherlands, aiming to contribute constructively to discussions on transparency and career development in Dutch physics. As this is an incentive that arouse from the community, we are inviting all interested new PIs to provide further input to the white paper draft until 15th of March!

Entering its second year, NextGenPhys@NL looks forward to strengthening the network further and continuing to support the next generation of physicists through the first independent NextGenPhys event and setting up a mentoring network!

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. We invite you to join the Town Hall meetings at your university!
More information about this initiative, as well as dates of Town Hall meetings can be found on the DPC website.

NextGenPhys@NL recognises 3 main topics of relevance and will advocate for them:

1. Fundamental research. Fundamental research is essential for the future of physics and society. It enables unexpected discoveries that can later develop into transformative technologies, while also fostering critical thinking and long-term scientific insight that underpin innovation. 

2. Early-Career Support. Supporting early-career researchers is a core priority of NextGenPhys@NL. We advocate for creating concrete opportunities for early-career scientists to take on leadership roles, including participation in large consortia (such as XL and Gravity programmes) and in university-level committees. Representation of early-career researchers on executive boards, management teams, and decision-making bodies is crucial to ensure continuity, innovation, and diversity within the scientific community, and to bring in fresh perspectives that drive progress.  

3. Funding landscape. The current funding landscape poses significant challenges for early-career researchers. Grant caps have not kept pace with rising salary and instrumentation costs since COVID, limiting the growth and competitiveness of young research groups. Funding schemes that once supported multiple PhD positions and essential equipment now often only sustain minimal research activity, pushing early-career PIs onto slower and less competitive career paths. To secure a strong next generation of scientists, grant caps must be increased or dedicated funding instruments introduced to support the sustainable development of young laboratories. 

The NextGenPhys@NL survey on the various tenure-track and career-track systems currently in place at universities across the Netherlands closed on December 1st.

The results of this survey will be presented on January 19th at NWO Physics during the NextGenPhys New PI meeting.

The Minerva Prize is awarded annually to an outstanding young female or non-binary physicist in the Netherlands with an overall performance that scientifically excels in any subfield of physics.  2025 winner is our board member, Antonija Grubisic-Cabo. 

Congratulations Antonija!

The NextGenPhys@NL Board is collecting information on the various tenure-track and career-track systems currently in place at universities across the Netherlands. We particularly aim to gather data since the change to the tenure/career track system took place.

By filling out our short survey, you’ll help us:

• Map the differences between tenure-track and career-track systems at Dutch universities.

• Understand the experiences and perspectives of current and incoming tenure-track and career-track staff.

• Provide valuable insights to national representative bodies (such as the Dutch Physics Council and NextGenChem@NL).

Your input will directly contribute to a white paper comparing tenure-track and career-track systems and highlighting opportunities for improvement. The results of the survey will be made publicly available on the NextGenPhys@NL website.

If you are on a tenure track/career track, or work at a university that offers tenure-track/career-track positions, we invite you to fill out the survey today. Note that we welcome input from all faculties and not solely from physicists. 

Tenure-track/career-track systems at Universities in the Netherlands