NCSE (National Centre for Soil Ecology)

The National Centre for Soil Ecology (NCSE) is a virtual platform to connect soil ecologists in the Netherlands. NCSE is a grassroots initiative led by Dutch universities, research institutions and universities of applied sciences.

Goal

The aim of the National Centre for Soil Ecology (NCSE) is to stimulate interactions between soil ecologists and facilitate collaboration and knowledge exchange between researchers and between research and practice. Worldwide, the Netherlands is a front runner in soil ecological research and NCSE is envisaged to keep and further expand playing this role and in exchanging knowledge at the national level.

Participants

The organisation of NSCE is done by 10 institutions across the Netherlands:

• Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW)
• Wageningen University and Research (WUR)
• Leiden University (LU)
• University of Amsterdam (UvA)
• Utrecht University (UU)
• University of Groningen (RuG)
• Radboud University (RU)
• HAS Green Academy
• Van Hall Larenstein (VHL)
• AERES University of Applied Sciences

Additional organisations are welcomed!

History

The CSE was initiated by Wim van der Putten and Hans van Veen (NIOO-KNAW), and Peter de Ruiter and Lijbert Brussaard (Wageningen University and Research, WUR). It was established in 2010 as a virtual cooperation between NIOO-KNAW and WUR with the aim to bring together soil ecologists in Wageningen and to train future generations of leaders in this field, from basic to applied research approaches. In 2023, researchers from several universities and research institutions felt the need to expand CSE into a National Centre for Soil Ecology, to connect soil ecologists across the country. Worldwide, the Netherlands is a front runner in soil ecological research and by connecting via a national platform, we can keep and further expand this position. On November 14^th 2024, the National Centre for Soil Ecology was established. This was celebrated with a kick-off symposium.