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In deze derde kroniek over de relatie tussen politie en wetenschap wordt stilgestaan bij de Strategische Onderzoeksagenda voor de Politie 2015-2019. Het is belangrijk dat onderzoekers die onderzoek voor of over de politie willen doen, goed kennisnemen van deze agenda. De Onderzoeksagenda heeft een kaderstellende, faciliterende en stimule‐ rende functie en bevat de belangrijkste thema’s die in het politieonderzoek bijzondere aandacht verdienen. De Strategische Onderzoeksagenda wordt om de vier jaar vastge‐ steld door de minister van Justitie en Veiligheid. Een eerste evaluatie is momenteel in voorbereiding. In de Onderzoeksagenda 2015-2019 is het belang onderstreept van doorwerking van inzichten uit onderzoek in de politiële beroepspraktijk en het politieon‐ derwijs.

In deze derde kroniek over de relatie tussen politie en wetenschap wordt stilgestaan bij de Strategische Onderzoeksagenda voor de Politie 2015-2019. Het is belangrijk dat onderzoekers die onderzoek voor of over de politie willen doen, goed kennisnemen van deze agenda. De Onderzoeksagenda heeft een kaderstellende, faciliterende en stimule‐ rende functie en bevat de belangrijkste thema’s die in het politieonderzoek bijzondere aandacht verdienen. De Strategische Onderzoeksagenda wordt om de vier jaar vastge‐ steld door de minister van Justitie en Veiligheid. Een eerste evaluatie is momenteel in voorbereiding. In de Onderzoeksagenda 2015-2019 is het belang onderstreept van doorwerking van inzichten uit onderzoek in de politiële beroepspraktijk en het politieon‐ derwijs.

Het onderzoek aan de ziekteverwekker Phytophthora infestans is in een stroomversnelling geraakt. Dit is grotendeels te danken aan de stormachtige ontwikkelingen in genomics en de nieuwe inzichten die uit het genoomonderzoek voortvloeien. De DNA-code van het genoom van Phytophthora infestans en van enkele verwante soorten is ontrafeld en via internet beschikbaar. We staan pas aan het begin van het ontginnen van een schat aan gegevens die in de genoomsequentie verborgen ligt maar er zijn nu al verrassende vindingen gedaan die kunnen leiden tot nieuwe strategiëen voor de bestrijding van de aardappelziekte. De moleculaire basis van de 'gen-om-gen'-interactie tussen aardappel en Phytophthora infestans wordt steeds duidelijker en we kunnen, op basis van geconserveerde motieven in effectoreiwitten, genen aanwijzen die een rol spelen in gastheerspecifiteit. Nu kunnen we bestaande theoriën gaan staven met experimentele bewijzen en voorspellingen doen over de duurzaamheid van resistentiegenen. We hebben genen gevonden die coderen voor eiwitten die niet voorkomen in andere organismen en daarom mogelijk interessante aangrijpingspunten zijn voor nieuwe Phytophthora-bestrijdingsmiddelen of een ingang bieden voor alternatieve vormen van bestrijding. Er is nu onomstotelijk bewijs dat Phytophthora, ondanks zijn schimmelachtige uiterlijk, niet tot schimmelrijk behoort maar groene voorouders heeft die over fotosynthetiserende organellen beschikten

In 2003 is het Parapluplan Phytophthora van start gegaan, gefinancierd door het Ministerie van LNV. Begin 2004 is in Gewasbescherming uiteengezet waarom een dergelijk overkoepelend onderzoeksprogramma voor de aardappelziekte nodig was. Ook werd de unieke samenwerking met de sector beschreven die een zware stem kreeg in de aansturing van het onderzoek en verantwoordelijk werd voor de doorstroming van de ontwikkelde kennis via het Masterplan Phytophthora. In dit artikel zal aangegeven worden wat er na vier jaar zowel aan nieuwe doorbraken en aan praktijkkennis is bereikt. Tevens zal kort besproken worden of de aansturing een succes was, en welke verdere onderzoekinitiatieven tot stand zijn gekomen als uitvloeisel van dit consortium van bedrijfsleven, overheid en onderzoek. Er zal vooral aan algemene resultaten gerefereerd worden. Voor meer details verwijs ik u gaarne naar andere artikelen in dit nummer waarin per thema de resultaten worden beschreven

Met het verschijnen van de 'Phoma Identification Manual' in 2004 is een tijdperk afgesloten in het Phoma onderzoek in Nederland. Met de introductie van moleculaire technieken dient zich een nieuwe fase aan. Een hernieuwd onderzoek is recentelijk opgestart door het Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures (CBS) en de Plantenziektenkundige Dienst (PD) en is gericht op fylogenetische vraagstukken zowel binnen het geslacht Phoma als tussen dit genus en verscheidene gerelateerde genera onderling. Daarnaast zullen de moleculaire data dienen als basis voor het ontwikkelen van soortspecifieke DNA-barcodes. Deze barcodes vormen de basis voor een nieuwe generatie moleculaire identificatie- en detectietechnieken voor belangrijke plantpathogene Phoma soorten

Alterra ontwerpt een methode om uitwerpselen van otters te gebruiken voor individu-herkenning

De samenvoeging van de Landbouwuniversiteit en de instituten van de Directie Landbouwkundig Onderzoek (DLO), enkele kleinere kennisinstellingen, alsmede delen van het praktijkonderzoek tot een Kenniscentrum Wageningen

De stand van zaken van het onderzoeksproject met Meishan-kruisingen van de Vakgroep Veefokkerij van de LU, dat in 1989 is gestart in samenwerking met 5 Nederlandse fokkerij-instellingen. Doel is het leveren van een bijdrage aan het in kaart brengen van het erfelijk materiaal van het varken

The KB WOT Fisheries programme is fundamental to the maintenance and development of expertise needed to carry out the statutory obligations of the Dutch WOT Fisheries monitoring and advice. The structure of the KB WOT Fisheries programme 2014 is a result of discussions on the research direction and needs between IMARES, CVO and the ministry of EZ. Important in the structure of the KB WOT Fisheries programme is the bottom up approach, where a call for proposal submission is launched ensuring innovation in the programme. However the top-down decision on the research themes within the programmes ensures that needs of both the science development within IMARES and the research questions of EZ remain covered. The KB WOT Fisheries programme will fund 17 projects in 2014 which will focus on remote sensing of the pelagic and benthic systems (acoustics and video imaging) and the interaction of ecology and fisheries, as well as new techniques for surveys and monitoring.

The KB WOT Fisheries programme is fundamental to the maintenance and development of expertise needed to carry out the statutory obligations of the Dutch WOT Fisheries monitoring and advice. The structure of the KB WOT Fisheries programme 2014 is a result of discussions on the research direction and needs between IMARES, CVO and the ministry of EZ. Important in the structure of the KB WOT Fisheries programme is the bottom up approach, where a call for proposal submission is launched ensuring innovation in the programme. However the top-down decision on the research themes within the programmes ensures that needs of both the science development within IMARES and the research questions of EZ remain covered. The KB WOT Fisheries programme will fund 17 projects in 2014 which will focus on remote sensing of the pelagic and benthic systems (acoustics and video imaging) and the interaction of ecology and fisheries, as well as new techniques for surveys and monitoring. Het KB WOT programma voor Visserijonderzoek onderhoudt en ontwikkelt de expertise die nodig is voor het uitvoeren van de wettelijke WOT Visserijonderzoektaken. De inhoud van het KB WOT programma voor 2014 is een resultaat van discussies over de visserijonderzoeksrichting en kennisbenodigdheden tussen IMARES, CVO en het ministerie van EZ. De opzet van het KB WOT Visserijonderzoek programma is een bottom-up benadering, waarbij onderzoekers van IMARES uitgenodigd worden om projecten in te dienen en onderzoeksprioriteiten in te vullen. Deze benadering vergroot de innovatie van het KB WOT Visserijonderzoek. Om er voor te zorgen dat de kennisbehoefte voor de wetenschappelijke ontwikkeling binnen IMARES als voor EZ beantwoordt wordt is er een top-down benadering waarin de grote thema’s van het onderzoek worden bepaald. Het KB WOT programma voor Visserijonderzoek financiert in 2014 17 projecten die zich richten op remote sensing van de pelagische en bentische systemen (akoestiek videobeeld analyse), de interactie tussen ecologie en visserij en nieuwe technieken voor surveys en monitoring.

Ter ondersteuning van het veredelen op resistentie vindt op het DLO-instituut voor Plantenziektenkundig Onderzoek virulentieonderzoek aan wortelknobbelaaltjes plaats. Verschillende populaties worden onderzocht op virulentie en andere eigenschappen. Het instandhouden van deze populaties is problematisch. Om die reden is gezocht naar een vorm van langdurige bewaring, waarbij de uitgangspopulatie later ook nog beschikbaar is, hetgeen belangrijk kan zijn voor genetisch onderzoek

Het LIGA-concept is als case-study gebruikt met het doel de aandacht voor voeding en gezondheid in de vroegere en huidige produktontwikkeling te analyseren

Een overzicht wordt gegeven van het nertsen- en konijnen onderzoek en de belangrijkste resultaten daarvan op de proefaccommodatie van PP

In de serie interviews ter ere van het 75-jarig bestaan van het NBT een gesprek met twee vertegenwoordigers van de nieuwe generatie bosbouwers, beiden werkzaam bij de leerstoelgroep Bos- en natuurbeleid (vakgroep Bos- en natuurbeheer; WUR). Hun visie op het belang van de maatschappelijke aspecten van bosbouw, en de betekenis van KNBV en NBT voor onderwijs en onderzoek

De achtergronden en opzet van het in 1987 ingestelde langjarige Programma bosreservaten, de resultaten tot op heden, en de thema's die in de nabije toekomst aan de orde komen. De tot nu toe verkregen onderzoeksresultaten leverden nieuwe inzichten op, o.a. wat betreft de rol van dood hout, de gevolgen van spontane bosontwikkeling voor flora en fauna, de betekenis van de bos- en beheershistorie voor de biodiversiteit, en de sturende rol van het humusprofiel voor de bosontwikkeling. Voor de toekomst lijkt het er op dat belangrijke aannames en hypothesen over spontane bosontwikkeling gaan sneuvelen, wat consequenties heeft voor beleid en beheer

Achtergronden en inhoud van dit nieuwe onderzoeksprogramma bij Alterra. Het programma richt zich op beleid, beheer en gebruik van natuurterreinen, met als centrale thema's: maatschappelijke functievervulling, integratie van ecologische processen, en bedrijfsvoering. Ook zijn er speerpunten

PRI en PPO verrichten onderzoek naar de afbraak van organische stof in duinzanden. Een verslag van de tussentijdse resultaten

Pepinomozaïekvirus (PepMV) heeft zich sinds de eerste verschijning sterk verspreid en zorgt nu al een decennium voor flinke problemen in de tomatenteelt. In de loop der tijd zijn diverse onderzoeken uitgevoerd naar dit virus. Op dit moment is de toepassing van strikte hygiënemaatregelen de enige optie waarvan met zekerheid vaststaat dat het helpt om dit virus in te perken. Cross-protectie blijkt slechts onder bepaalde omstandigheden te werken

Pepinomozaïekvirus (PepMV) heeft zich sinds de eerste verschijning sterk verspreid en zorgt nu al een decennium voor flinke problemen in de tomatenteelt. In de loop der tijd zijn diverse onderzoeken uitgevoerd naar dit virus. Op dit moment is de toepassing van strikte hygiënemaatregelen de enige optie waarvan met zekerheid vaststaat dat het helpt om dit virus in te perken. Cross-protectie blijkt slechts onder bepaalde omstandigheden te werken

Research in Action engages the researcher who wants to live up to the challenges of contemporary science and to contribute to innovation and social change. This ambition to contribute to change raises many questions. How to define the main target group of the research? What role does this group play in the research? Which methods of data collection are most appropriate? Who are the commissioners of the research and do their interests match with those of the prime target group? How to deal with power relations in research situations? What do these issues mean for the relation of researcher with the people in the researched situation? And, last but not least, what does it all imply for the researcher him- or herself? These questions have to be dealt with in situations in which the design and organization of the research is still open but also in situations where these have already been preformatted through the research proposal or earlier developments. In any case, they have to be framed in the theoretical considerations of what is science. This book aims to assist scholars and practitioners who would want to deal with this kind of research and questions. The book does not offer recipes, nor fixed scenarios. It presents a series of practical research cases and theoretical insights by experienced researchers who themselves struggled with what is probably the most meaningful questions of the science today. The practical examples of research in action are from different disciplines and include themes from health care, policy research, agricultural technology and education, in Northern and Southern context. Four leading themes of research in action are introduced in the first chapter. In the last chapter the editors return to the dilemmas research in action and try to clarify the options and responses that are possible in different situations.

Klimaatverandering vormt niet alleen een bedreiging, maar ook een kans om dingen beter te doen dan tot nu toe. Het is een uitdaging om de Nederlandse kwetsbaarheid om te zetten in onze sterkte. Onze sterkte gaat om het klimaatbestendig en klimaatneutraal gebruik van de beperkte ruimte in de delta voor onder andere landbouw, tuinbouw, aquacultuur, wonen en recreëren. Wageningen UR doet op verschillende fronten onderzoek naar klimaatverandering. Deze brochure en de daarbij behorende film bieden een overzicht van de expertise van Wageningen UR op het gebied van klimaatverandering. De relatie tussen de diverse onderzoekactiviteiten is daarbij belangrijk

Research in Action engages the researcher who wants to live up to the challenges of contemporary science and to contribute to innovation and social change. This ambition to contribute to change raises many questions. How to define the main target group of the research? What role does this group play in the research? Which methods of data collection are most appropriate? Who are the commissioners of the research and do their interests match with those of the prime target group? How to deal with power relations in research situations? What do these issues mean for the relation of researcher with the people in the researched situation? And, last but not least, what does it all imply for the researcher him- or herself? These questions have to be dealt with in situations in which the design and organization of the research is still open but also in situations where these have already been preformatted through the research proposal or earlier developments. In any case, they have to be framed in the theoretical considerations of what is science. This book aims to assist scholars and practitioners who would want to deal with this kind of research and questions. The book does not offer recipes, nor fixed scenarios. It presents a series of practical research cases and theoretical insights by experienced researchers who themselves struggled with what is probably the most meaningful questions of the science today. The practical examples of research in action are from different disciplines and include themes from health care, policy research, agricultural technology and education, in Northern and Southern context. Four leading themes of research in action are introduced in the first chapter. In the last chapter the editors return to the dilemmas research in action and try to clarify the options and responses that are possible in different situations.

Klimaatverandering vormt niet alleen een bedreiging, maar ook een kans om dingen beter te doen dan tot nu toe. Het is een uitdaging om de Nederlandse kwetsbaarheid om te zetten in onze sterkte. Onze sterkte gaat om het klimaatbestendig en klimaatneutraal gebruik van de beperkte ruimte in de delta voor onder andere landbouw, tuinbouw, aquacultuur, wonen en recreëren. Wageningen UR doet op verschillende fronten onderzoek naar klimaatverandering. Deze brochure en de daarbij behorende film bieden een overzicht van de expertise van Wageningen UR op het gebied van klimaatverandering. De relatie tussen de diverse onderzoekactiviteiten is daarbij belangrijk

In het afgelopen jaar heeft Livestock Research van Wageningen UR een prototype van de welzijnsmonitor voor vleeskuikens uitgetest, samen met Italië en Groot-Brittannië. Naast dit ‘diergerichte’ deel van het onderzoek is ook een sociologisch onderzoek uitgevoerd bij de deelnemende bedrijven (zie kader), omdat er nog veel vragen zijn over de implementatie van een dergelijke monitor

Welke verschillende vormen van interdisciplinair en transdisciplimnair onderzoek zijn er te onderscheiden inde Wageningse onderzoekspraktijk voor een duurzaam gebruik van de "groen-blauwe ruimte". Wat is de positie van Wageningen UR ten opzichte van een aantal andere Nederlandse wetenschappelijke instituten op het gebied van interdisciplinair onderzoek? Op basis van interviews met betrokken Wageningse onderzoekers van elf internationale projecten en drie onderzoekers van andere Nederlandse instituten zijn antwoorden ontwikkeld. Dit type onderzoek blijkt een specifiek Wageningense benadering te zijn vanwege de probleemoplossende insteek die veel onderzoekers kiezen.

Welke verschillende vormen van interdisciplinair en transdisciplimnair onderzoek zijn er te onderscheiden inde Wageningse onderzoekspraktijk voor een duurzaam gebruik van de "groen-blauwe ruimte". Wat is de positie van Wageningen UR ten opzichte van een aantal andere Nederlandse wetenschappelijke instituten op het gebied van interdisciplinair onderzoek? Op basis van interviews met betrokken Wageningse onderzoekers van elf internationale projecten en drie onderzoekers van andere Nederlandse instituten zijn antwoorden ontwikkeld. Dit type onderzoek blijkt een specifiek Wageningense benadering te zijn vanwege de probleemoplossende insteek die veel onderzoekers kiezen.

Research in Action engages the researcher who wants to live up to the challenges of contemporary science and to contribute to innovation and social change. This ambition to contribute to change raises many questions. How to define the main target group of the research? What role does this group play in the research? Which methods of data collection are most appropriate? Who are the commissioners of the research and do their interests match with those of the prime target group? How to deal with power relations in research situations? What do these issues mean for the relation of researcher with the people in the researched situation? And, last but not least, what does it all imply for the researcher him- or herself? These questions have to be dealt with in situations in which the design and organization of the research is still open but also in situations where these have already been preformatted through the research proposal or earlier developments. In any case, they have to be framed in the theoretical considerations of what is science. This book aims to assist scholars and practitioners who would want to deal with this kind of research and questions. The book does not offer recipes, nor fixed scenarios. It presents a series of practical research cases and theoretical insights by experienced researchers who themselves struggled with what is probably the most meaningful questions of the science today. The practical examples of research in action are from different disciplines and include themes from health care, policy research, agricultural technology and education, in Northern and Southern context. Four leading themes of research in action are introduced in the first chapter. In the last chapter the editors return to the dilemmas research in action and try to clarify the options and responses that are possible in different situations.

Een kritisch overzicht van de onderzoeken die zijn uitgevoerd om de setpoint theorie van Cabanac te toetsen. Deze gaat er vanuit dat iedereen een bepaald streefgewicht heeft dat het lichaam probeert te handhaven. Uit de resultaten van experimenten die de setpoint theorie hebben getoetst blijkt dat deze theorie niet geheel wordt bevestigd

PPO-fruit voert een meerjarig onderzoek uit naar de bestrijding van taksterfte en stamkanker bij rode bes, die veroorzaakt wordt door de schimmel Eutypa lata Het onderzoek richt zich op de effectiviteit van middelen en snoeiwondbehandeling

This study explores possible explanations for science communication behaviour on the part of researchers. More specifically, it considers which factors impact on the active participation of researchers in science communication.For the purpose of this study, science communication behaviour is defined as communication by academics about their scientific research, in the broadest sense of the word, and to an ‘external’ audience. By this we mean persons or groups outside the confines of the research setting. The audience may be affected by the research or exert an influence on it, but it should not fulfil a necessary role in it. Hence, any interaction with outsiders within the parameters of the research process, e.g. as an integral part of a participatory research approach, shall not be regarded as science communication behaviour. Likewise, communication by academics with their peers is also beyond the scope of the present study, as this is considered to belong to the field of ‘scientific’ communication.This qualitative research project endeavours to identify the determinants of the science communication behaviour of fifteen researchers with the University of Antwerp, mostly professors from an array of academic fields. Their behaviour is characterised primarily by a traditional outlook on the communication process, i.e. in terms of a source, a recipient and a transmitter. Moreover, they usually take no initiative towards participating actively in science communication, though they will participate upon request. The diversity exhibited in their science communication behaviour manifests itself in terms of the communication frequency, target group preferences, and type of science communication activities.Explanations for the science communication behaviour of the researchers were found first and foremost in the aspects of ‘willingness’, ‘permission’ and ‘ability’. These correspond with the principal determinants in Ajzen’s theory of planned behaviour, namely attitude, the subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control.With regard to the first aspect, the respondents in the study exhibit a mainly positive attitude towards science communication in general. However, that is not to say that they always communicate equally actively with external audiences, as they may also take into account a variety of critical considerations, which can be grouped into seven categories: 1) the choice of communication content: scientific facts, the scientific process or the consequences of the research, 2) the educational level, the degree of interest and the behaviour of the ‘general’ public, 3) the moment of communication: after research has been concluded or during the actual research process, 4) the manner of communication: by means of transmission or transaction, 5) the simplification of the message, 6) the use of infotainment, and 7) the individual and / or collective responsibility involved. There are also divergent opinions on the motives or reasons to engage in science communication, including the potential benefits to the researchers and their research, to the organisation and science in general, and to society as a whole. We therefore conclude that the group of academic researchers is by no means homogenous insofar as attitude towards science communication is concerned.Second, communication with an external audience requires ‘permission’. In other words, it requires a university management that gives its backing and provides a certain acknowledgment, appreciation and support, as well as a public authority that underscores the significance of science communication. If these aspects are lacking, the positive attitude of the researcher towards science communication may evaporate. Another obstacle originating in the social environment of the researcher is the lack of status of young scholars within the academic milieu, which makes them worry they might damage their career prospects by devoting time to science communication. A further element is criticism from colleagues, superiors or other members of the research team. In addition, there may be organisational factors to consider: the internal regulation of the research institution or the house rules of whoever commissioned the research may prohibit or restrict communication with an external audience. Finally, the internal scientific culture, which tends to emphasise the primacy of research and academic publications, may also undercut researchers’ intention to engage in science communication or affect their positive attitude towards it.Third, the scientist must ‘be able’, i.e. they must possess the necessary skills for science communication. This requires training as well as experience. Whereas most respondents consider themselves to possess the necessary communication skills, they also tend to feel their colleagues lack them. The most frequently cited obstacle is, however, lack of time. The respondents explain that they have many other tasks that take precedence over science communication, including research commitments, educational assignments, fundraising, administrative responsibilities and personnel management. Other bottlenecks are a lack of positive feedback and support in communication with external audiences, the often negative balance between investments in and yield from science communication, and the absence of any perceivable impact of science communication. Finally, the strained relationship with the media is cited as an obstacle or barrier. It is attributed to the different cultures of academia and the media, a primarily negative perception of the media on the part of the scientific community, and anxiety over damaging fallout.Attitude, the subjective norm and perceived behavioural control may each impact separately on the researcher’s behaviour, but they also interact. In other words, they may enhance or suppress one another. For example, the attitude of a researcher may be very positive and yet he or she may fail to exhibit active behaviour due to a lack of communication skills. Conversely, researchers who do not regard science communication as their personal duty may nevertheless choose to participate actively in it because of the appreciation shown by their social environment.In the behavioural model of Ajzen, there are also a number of individual background characteristics that play a determining role. Our research pointed to three significant factors.First and foremost, there is the knowledge paradigm within which the researcher works. The hypothesis substantiated by this study is that a researcher with a positivistic outlook will tend towards a traditional mode of communication; an approach whereby it is assumed that knowledge can be transmitted. The constructivist perspective, on the other hand, maintains that knowledge is constructed through interaction. In this approach, communication is regarded as a transaction. It speaks for itself that constructivists tend to be more at ease with interactive and participatory forms of communication than positivistic researchers are. Our research shows the respondents to have a mainly positivistic attitude and to communicate primarily in a traditional way. This suggests that the knowledge paradigm is an important determinant of how the researcher communicates with external audiences. There is a potential for conflict between the growing trend towards more interactive and participatory science communication and the preferences of researchers whose approach is based on a positivistic knowledge paradigm.A second important background factor is the professional identity of the researcher. This identity is a function of how they perceive their job assignment, their professional motivation, and aspects of their social and personal identity. Our hypothesis is that a researcher’s professional identity can help explain his or her science communication behaviour: if communication is, in one way or another, present in the researcher’s job perception and/or is part and parcel of their professional motivation, then science communication is congruent with their professional identity. An analogous reasoning applies if communicating corresponds with aspects of the researcher’s personal or social identity.The third and final background factor is interaction with society. Our study shows that the presence or absence of an external research orientation has explanatory power for the researcher’s display of active science communication behaviour. In other words, if society is in any way the focus of the researcher’s work, as might be the case in such fields as medicine, sociology or law, then communication with external audiences may be beneficial to the research. Science communication is then a tool which the researcher may apply to enhance his work.It is also noticeable that the barriers or bottlenecks that researchers experience in relation to science communication may present themselves in all of the aforementioned areas. Hence, existing recommendations for encouraging science communication by researchers are equally diverse. However, previous research into these obstacles has restricted itself too much to identifying external environmental barriers and to finding ways of eliminating them. The present doctoral research suggests that the problem is much more complex than that. It is too simple only to look for barriers that are external to the researcher and subsequently to deal with them in an instrumental way. A more comprehensive approach is called for, whereby person-related factors are also studied in order to better understand and possibly adjust the science communication behaviour of the researcher. This requires closer attention to the person of the researcher, and particularly to their perception of scientific knowledge production and attitudes towards their profession and the tasks it entails, as well as the relationship between the research activities and society.Making adjustments to researchers’ personal perceptions is however not an easy proposition and requires a different kind of approach than merely the lifting of barriers. Still, it is our expectation that communication between the researcher and society can be enhanced by combining the elimination of external bottlenecks with behavioural incentives on the one hand and, on the other, through greater emphasis in the training of researchers on diversity of knowledge paradigms, professional identity and the role of society.In sum, our study indicates that the intention and behaviour of researchers in relation to science communication depends on four major clusters of factors, namely attitude, the subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, and a number of person-related background factors. Together, these determinants constitute a complex whole in which contributing factors may enhance or suppress one another. The extent to which each of the determinants comes into play could not be ascertained in this qualitative study. A quantitative research approach might provide better insight into that aspect.

Streptomyceten vormen een belangrijke groep bacteriën in de bodem. Ze spelen een grote rol bij de afbraak van organische stof. Bovendien is aangetoond dat ze correleren met ziektewering van verschillende bodempathogenen

Valse meeldauw is een toenemend probleem in de zomerbloementeelt. Onderzoek naar de biologie van valse meeldauw is op dit moment noodzakelijk om effectieve aangrijpingspunten voor bestrijding te vinden. WUR Glastuinbouw verricht onderzoek naar bestrijdingsmaatregelen van valse meeldauw in zomerbloemgewassen. PPO bollenteelt, boomkwekerij en fruit (PPO-BBF) doet onderzoek naar de biologie van en beheersmaatregelen tegen valse meeldauw in zonnebloemen

Project “Energy Saving in Fisheries” (ESIF) aimed at investigating potential technical and operational methods to address the need to reduce energy consumption and associated costs in European fisheries. The study started with an inventory of potential technical solutions and ongoing projects in the participating member states. The economic performance of selected fleet segments was analysed with emphasis on the role of energy costs. This economic analysis considered aspects such as: break-even fuel price, factors determining energy efficiency, the economic potential for technological improvement and scenarios for future outlook related to possible develop-ment of fuel price. Finally, the economic feasibility of proposed technological adaptations was assessed

D-karvon wordt uit karwijzaadolie verkregen verkregen. Het middel heeft een toelating voor toepassing als kiemremmer in de bewaring van pootgoed, consumptie- en zetmeelaardappelen. Van 2004-2006 zijn bewaar- en veldproeven uitgevoerd om na te gaan of er naast een remming van de spruitgroei ook een vermindering van de Rhizoctonia-verliezen optreedt

I.v.m. met de vraag van het ministerie aan ASG een wetenschappelijk overzicht van de welzijnsproblemen in de veehouderij op te stellen en daarbij prioriteiten voor te stellen voor de aanpak van problemen, wordt hier ingegaan op de vraag wie bepaalt wat goed dierenwelzijn is. In maatschappelijk beladen discussies wordt vaak van de wetenschap het verlossende woord verwacht, maar de vraag is of dat wel terecht is.

This study explores possible explanations for science communication behaviour on the part of researchers. More specifically, it considers which factors impact on the active participation of researchers in science communication.For the purpose of this study, science communication behaviour is defined as communication by academics about their scientific research, in the broadest sense of the word, and to an ‘external’ audience. By this we mean persons or groups outside the confines of the research setting. The audience may be affected by the research or exert an influence on it, but it should not fulfil a necessary role in it. Hence, any interaction with outsiders within the parameters of the research process, e.g. as an integral part of a participatory research approach, shall not be regarded as science communication behaviour. Likewise, communication by academics with their peers is also beyond the scope of the present study, as this is considered to belong to the field of ‘scientific’ communication.This qualitative research project endeavours to identify the determinants of the science communication behaviour of fifteen researchers with the University of Antwerp, mostly professors from an array of academic fields. Their behaviour is characterised primarily by a traditional outlook on the communication process, i.e. in terms of a source, a recipient and a transmitter. Moreover, they usually take no initiative towards participating actively in science communication, though they will participate upon request. The diversity exhibited in their science communication behaviour manifests itself in terms of the communication frequency, target group preferences, and type of science communication activities.Explanations for the science communication behaviour of the researchers were found first and foremost in the aspects of ‘willingness’, ‘permission’ and ‘ability’. These correspond with the principal determinants in Ajzen’s theory of planned behaviour, namely attitude, the subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control.With regard to the first aspect, the respondents in the study exhibit a mainly positive attitude towards science communication in general. However, that is not to say that they always communicate equally actively with external audiences, as they may also take into account a variety of critical considerations, which can be grouped into seven categories: 1) the choice of communication content: scientific facts, the scientific process or the consequences of the research, 2) the educational level, the degree of interest and the behaviour of the ‘general’ public, 3) the moment of communication: after research has been concluded or during the actual research process, 4) the manner of communication: by means of transmission or transaction, 5) the simplification of the message, 6) the use of infotainment, and 7) the individual and / or collective responsibility involved. There are also divergent opinions on the motives or reasons to engage in science communication, including the potential benefits to the researchers and their research, to the organisation and science in general, and to society as a whole. We therefore conclude that the group of academic researchers is by no means homogenous insofar as attitude towards science communication is concerned.Second, communication with an external audience requires ‘permission’. In other words, it requires a university management that gives its backing and provides a certain acknowledgment, appreciation and support, as well as a public authority that underscores the significance of science communication. If these aspects are lacking, the positive attitude of the researcher towards science communication may evaporate. Another obstacle originating in the social environment of the researcher is the lack of status of young scholars within the academic milieu, which makes them worry they might damage their career prospects by devoting time to science communication. A further element is criticism from colleagues, superiors or other members of the research team. In addition, there may be organisational factors to consider: the internal regulation of the research institution or the house rules of whoever commissioned the research may prohibit or restrict communication with an external audience. Finally, the internal scientific culture, which tends to emphasise the primacy of research and academic publications, may also undercut researchers’ intention to engage in science communication or affect their positive attitude towards it.Third, the scientist must ‘be able’, i.e. they must possess the necessary skills for science communication. This requires training as well as experience. Whereas most respondents consider themselves to possess the necessary communication skills, they also tend to feel their colleagues lack them. The most frequently cited obstacle is, however, lack of time. The respondents explain that they have many other tasks that take precedence over science communication, including research commitments, educational assignments, fundraising, administrative responsibilities and personnel management. Other bottlenecks are a lack of positive feedback and support in communication with external audiences, the often negative balance between investments in and yield from science communication, and the absence of any perceivable impact of science communication. Finally, the strained relationship with the media is cited as an obstacle or barrier. It is attributed to the different cultures of academia and the media, a primarily negative perception of the media on the part of the scientific community, and anxiety over damaging fallout.Attitude, the subjective norm and perceived behavioural control may each impact separately on the researcher’s behaviour, but they also interact. In other words, they may enhance or suppress one another. For example, the attitude of a researcher may be very positive and yet he or she may fail to exhibit active behaviour due to a lack of communication skills. Conversely, researchers who do not regard science communication as their personal duty may nevertheless choose to participate actively in it because of the appreciation shown by their social environment.In the behavioural model of Ajzen, there are also a number of individual background characteristics that play a determining role. Our research pointed to three significant factors.First and foremost, there is the knowledge paradigm within which the researcher works. The hypothesis substantiated by this study is that a researcher with a positivistic outlook will tend towards a traditional mode of communication; an approach whereby it is assumed that knowledge can be transmitted. The constructivist perspective, on the other hand, maintains that knowledge is constructed through interaction. In this approach, communication is regarded as a transaction. It speaks for itself that constructivists tend to be more at ease with interactive and participatory forms of communication than positivistic researchers are. Our research shows the respondents to have a mainly positivistic attitude and to communicate primarily in a traditional way. This suggests that the knowledge paradigm is an important determinant of how the researcher communicates with external audiences. There is a potential for conflict between the growing trend towards more interactive and participatory science communication and the preferences of researchers whose approach is based on a positivistic knowledge paradigm.A second important background factor is the professional identity of the researcher. This identity is a function of how they perceive their job assignment, their professional motivation, and aspects of their social and personal identity. Our hypothesis is that a researcher’s professional identity can help explain his or her science communication behaviour: if communication is, in one way or another, present in the researcher’s job perception and/or is part and parcel of their professional motivation, then science communication is congruent with their professional identity. An analogous reasoning applies if communicating corresponds with aspects of the researcher’s personal or social identity.The third and final background factor is interaction with society. Our study shows that the presence or absence of an external research orientation has explanatory power for the researcher’s display of active science communication behaviour. In other words, if society is in any way the focus of the researcher’s work, as might be the case in such fields as medicine, sociology or law, then communication with external audiences may be beneficial to the research. Science communication is then a tool which the researcher may apply to enhance his work.It is also noticeable that the barriers or bottlenecks that researchers experience in relation to science communication may present themselves in all of the aforementioned areas. Hence, existing recommendations for encouraging science communication by researchers are equally diverse. However, previous research into these obstacles has restricted itself too much to identifying external environmental barriers and to finding ways of eliminating them. The present doctoral research suggests that the problem is much more complex than that. It is too simple only to look for barriers that are external to the researcher and subsequently to deal with them in an instrumental way. A more comprehensive approach is called for, whereby person-related factors are also studied in order to better understand and possibly adjust the science communication behaviour of the researcher. This requires closer attention to the person of the researcher, and particularly to their perception of scientific knowledge production and attitudes towards their profession and the tasks it entails, as well as the relationship between the research activities and society.Making adjustments to researchers’ personal perceptions is however not an easy proposition and requires a different kind of approach than merely the lifting of barriers. Still, it is our expectation that communication between the researcher and society can be enhanced by combining the elimination of external bottlenecks with behavioural incentives on the one hand and, on the other, through greater emphasis in the training of researchers on diversity of knowledge paradigms, professional identity and the role of society.In sum, our study indicates that the intention and behaviour of researchers in relation to science communication depends on four major clusters of factors, namely attitude, the subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, and a number of person-related background factors. Together, these determinants constitute a complex whole in which contributing factors may enhance or suppress one another. The extent to which each of the determinants comes into play could not be ascertained in this qualitative study. A quantitative research approach might provide better insight into that aspect.