History
The importance and visibility of institutions in the field of education, research and innovation on the European level grew considerably since the early nineties of the 20th century. This was one of the reasons organisations, institutions and departments of some of the member states established informal representative organisations in Brussels. The network of these organisations was called the Informal Group of RTD Liaison Offices in Brussels for EU R&D (IGLO).
In 1995, the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), the Association of Universities in The Netherlands (VSNU), the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and EG-Liaison (EGL) founded along this same line the Netherlands house for Science and Technology (NEST) as representation of the Dutch institutions in Brussels. In 1997 the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) became partner in NEST as well.
Since 1995 NEST was part of the IGLO-network. At this moment, 21 organisations of member states and associated countries have a representation of their institutions in Brussels and are united in IGLO.
The publication of the communication Towards a Europe of Knowledge by the European Commission (EC) and the conclusions of the European heads of government and state during the Spring Summit in Lisbon in 2000 (Lisbon-strategy) brought an acceleration of these developments. This development and the recommendations of the Netherlands Advisory Council of Science and Technology Policy (AWT) and of the Education Council of the Netherlands were reason for the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) to ask the international consultancy Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld in Brussels to advise the Ministry how to increase its effectiveness in European policy. The former Dutch member of the European Parliament, Mr. Wim van Velzen, employee of the consultancy recommended among other things to considerably reinforce the presence of the Dutch institutions in Brussels.
Subsequently, OCW asked the former rector and president of Twente University (UT), mr. Frans van Vught, to investigate the establishment of a representation of the Dutch field in Brussels. In spring 2006 Van Vught produced a paper ‘Netherlands house for Education and Research (Neth-ER)’ wherein he pleaded for the foundation of a representation with the same name. He also succeeded in getting the support of eight Dutch (field) organisations.
With a promise of support by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science the eight Netherlands organisations decided spring 2006 to establish the international association Neth-ER and incorporate NEST in it. Summer 2006 the Neth-ER office in Brussels was a fact. The president of the EC, Mr. José Manuel Barroso, officially opened Neth-ER on 21st February 2007 in Brussels.