Dutch statistics office says NWO decision keeps joint research funding open

The Dutch statistics office CBS says a ruling by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) allows it to continue applying for research funding alongside universities and other partners, opening the way for further joint studies and doctoral research.

CBS says it has submitted research proposals with partners since last year, and some have been funded and started. The office says collaborations help it maintain its research expertise while giving academic partners access to its experience working with large datasets.

One example is EPIC, a research programme on young people’s involvement in organised crime, which began in 2022 with NWO funding. CBS is involved in one work package and contributes its population network, built from government register data, to examine young people’s social connections and possible exposure to criminal suspects.

The network draws on five kinds of relationships: family, household members, neighbours, colleagues and classmates. CBS says researchers can link it to police data, but do not see direct identifiers such as names and addresses; those details are pseudonymised. The office says it takes measures to prevent the disclosure of personal information.

CBS researcher Das says earlier research found that young people surrounded by more suspects of general crime faced a higher risk of coming into contact with police. The EPIC doctoral project will investigate links between young people’s social networks and organised crime, with CBS expecting the work to contribute to new statistical products and research publications.

CBS says it will join collaborative research where it is relevant to its work programme and is expected to generate new knowledge or statistical products.