Change in knowledge infrastructure: the third generation university

Rudy Rabbinge; Maja Slingerland

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Change in knowledge infrastructure: the third generation university

In: Transitions towards sustainable agriculture and food chains in peri-urban areas

Authors:

Rudy Rabbinge

Rudy Rabbinge
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Maja Slingerland

Maja Slingerland
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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 51–61

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-688-5_005

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During the last 150 years one dominating aspect of Dutch agriculture has been it’s dynamism and ability to innovate. Both the government and the private sector have believed that science and technology have a lot to offer in improving the agricultural sector’s competitive ability. Investments in research, education and valorisation of knowledge were promoted, even in periods of crisis. In the 1990s, when the diversification of goals for agriculture and a negative public attitude towards it caused enormous challenges for the sector, the government pursued a similar policy. Wageningen UR was founded as one response to those challenges, signalling a renewed major investment in the knowledge infrastructure. The ambition to pursue its new course is strongly present in Wageningen, where the emphasis in the renewed university structure lies in extended public-private cooperation to promote and fund the desired dynamism and innovation. The reformulated mission, the role that the university plays in education, research and, last but not least, utilisation of that knowledge, was made possible by merging the university, research institutes and experimental stations. The character of this new, third generation university is different from that of its predecessors. It is a university where the hierarchical structure, present in the medieval and Humboldt University is replaced by a network structure where excellence and authority prevail. Direct government influence is limited, the orientation on science for impact determines the attitude of all scientists and there is a willingness to accept that graduate schools have the right to exclude non-performing professors. The strength of a third generation university is determined by three widely accepted characteristics, the first is the internal coherence which comes as a result of the generally accepted vision and mission of the university. The second is the flexibility, but nonetheless stability of the institution’s finances and, finally, the willingness and ability to work with partners from very varied backgrounds. Wageningen University can be seen as one of the first universities that has made the change and reflects these characteristics. Wageningen University and Research Centre adopted this strategy about 10 years ago, and the results are already visible in scientific output, growing graduate students (MSc and PhD) numbers, its sound financial structure and close ties with partners within the Netherlands and a growing network outside the Netherlands. The history and background of that development is described in this paper.

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Transitions towards sustainable agriculture and food chains in peri-urban areas

E-Book ISBN:: 9789086866885

Publisher:: Wageningen Academic

Print Publication Date:: 24 Oct 2009

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- Life Sciences

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Change in knowledge infrastructure: the third generation university

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Transitions towards sustainable agriculture and food chains in peri-urban areas

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