KIN was founded by NWO and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), with broad support from all types of knowledge institutions. This enables us to involve scientists from a wide range of backgrounds, expertise and disciplines in our activities. The KIN also functions as a network organisation. Within our KIN Pact community, scientists and non-scientists work together to accelerate system change.
How is KIN organised?
KIN consists of a small permanent team that forms the coordinating body under the umbrella of the Dutch Research Council and the KIN Pact.
The coordinating body
The KIN team consists of a managing director, two scientific figureheads and a small staff. The figureheads act as scientific points of contact and represent KIN externally to the scientific community and policymakers. The general director is responsible for all KIN activities.
The team within the steering body promotes national cohesion and cooperation in transition-oriented climate research and organises activities aimed at knowledge development and transdisciplinary collaboration, including within the Pact Community.
The KIN Pact
The Pact is the KIN community within which organisations and individual members commit to accelerating system change through mutual coordination, collaboration, knowledge sharing and prioritisation of issues. Representatives of the Pact are united in the Strategy and Advisory Council (SAR), which advises the KIN on strategic and social priorities.
Governance
The KIN is governed by a steering group which, acting on behalf of the NWO Executive Board, determines the KIN’s strategic direction and programmes. The steering group is supported in this by a number of advisory bodies: the Strategy and Advisory Council (SAR), the Global Transitions Programme Committee, and a supervisory committee for the first KIN work programme (ACT).
KIN Steering group
The steering group takes decisions on behalf of all research organisations regarding the programmes and activities funded and undertaken by KIN. The steering group brings together experience and expertise from the public, civil society, academic and private sectors. All board members have a strong affinity with science. The KIN steering group operates under a mandate from the NWO Executive Board.
Meet the steering committee
Strategy and Advisory Council (SAR)
The SAR has two key tasks: (1) advising the KIN on which issues raised by civil society partners they should focus on, and (2) providing input on the strategic development of the Pact. The SAR comprises a diverse group of experts with extensive practical, policy and scientific experience in climate transitions. This enables the SAR to contribute a wide range of societal perspectives on climate transitions, such as those from the fields of psychology, the financial sector, water management, policy and the energy transition.
Read more about the KIN Pact
Programme Committee Global Transitions
The Programme Committee monitors the quality of the activities within the Global Transitions programme line. It acts as a quality monitor for the programmes, focusing on both scientific and social quality and the potential impact of the activities. The Programme Committee represents a diversity of national and international knowledge and expertise from various sectors.
Read more about the Global Transitions Programme Commitee
There is also a supervisory committee for the ACT work programme. A programme committee is currently being set up for our Knowledge in Action programmes.
Sounding board group
A sounding board group comprising directors from all types of knowledge institutions ensures broad support for the activities of the KIN. The sounding board group includes members from universities of applied sciences, universities, university medical centres, NWO and KNAW, TO2 and government knowledge institutions.
Who founded the KIN?
In academia and beyond, the urgency to act on climate change is palpable. That is why KNAW and NWO established a climate research task force in 2022. Twenty-three scientists from various backgrounds issued a recommendation on how science can accelerate the transition to a climate-resilient future and a climate-neutral society in the coming years. The advisory report of this task force, chaired by Heleen de Coninck (Professor of Socio-technical Innovation and Climate Change, TUE), forms the basis for the establishment of the KIN. In the report, the advisory committee concludes that we can still prevent the worst irreversible consequences of climate change. However, this will only be possible if scientists and relevant social actors work together intensively to accelerate system transitions. The committee therefore recommended the establishment of a new network institute for science-wide climate research focused on transitions.
Download advisory report
Do you have any questions?
Would you also like to contribute to a climate-proof world or learn more about KIN? Please contact us.
E-mail KIN
Founding partners
Many organisations and individuals were involved in the establishment of the KIN. As the initiators, NWO and KNAW facilitated the implementation phase by providing funding for the initial activities, staff resources and strategic support. ZonMW also contributed to the KIN’s support activities.
Furthermore, various expert groups comprising representatives from research institutions, government bodies and civil society organisations have collaborated, contributed to the drafting process and provided input within the various working groups.
The KIN was established with the support of
Dutch Research Council (NWO)
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW)
Zonmw
Universities of the Netherlands (UNL)
Association of Universities of Applied Sciences (VH)
Netherlands Federation of University Medical Centres (NFU)
Deltares
Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO)
Wageningen University & Research
Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR)
National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM)
Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS)
Scientific Research and Documentation Centre (WODC)
Naturalis Biodiversity Centre
Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE)
Dutch Institute for Public Safety (NIPV)
Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI)
Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP)
