‘Ofcourse, I would much rather see, that KIN is no longer needed in ten years.’

26 February 2024

He has been officially appointed as the director of the Climate Research Initiative Netherlands (KIN): Michiel van den Hout. Earlier appointed as a pioneer to get the KIN off the ground. That mission has succeeded: at the end of November, the formal establishment of the KIN as a coordinating body became a fact. At that time, he already said he would prefer to see KIN no longer needed in ten years, ‘if we have truly made strides and become a sustainable and climate-neutral country.’

The KIN team

As of February 1st, Michiel has been formally appointed as director by the board of directors. The goal of the KIN is to make a substantial contribution to accelerating the transitions necessary to become a sustainable, climate-neutral society by 2050. More news is expected in the short term about the scientific figurehead that the KIN is currently recruiting. Michiel will work together with this internationally recognized expert in the field of climate (transition) science and policy to guide what the KIN needs to do, along with a strong team of colleagues, partly detached from NWO, ZonMw, and the KNAW. Eventually, more full-time staff will be recruited to further shape the activities.

Michiel is the right person

Jan de Boer, responsible for the KIN on the board of directors of NWO, on Michiel’s appointment: ‘We are particularly pleased with Michiel’s appointment as general director. Michiel has been immensely valuable as a pioneer of the KIN in shaping its structure, network, and initial activities. With his deep commitment to the climate theme, his enthusiasm, and his entrepreneurial spirit, he is exceptionally well-suited as general director to truly help accelerate the necessary system transitions.’