Societal Relevance
Ecological knowledge is essential for a sustainable society, and so for the future of our planet as we know it: ecology is truly the science of the 21st century. This makes disseminating our science to society an invaluable part of our mission.
Here are some examples of projects that cover different aspects of NIOO's approach to societal relevance and public outreach:
1) Impact of artificial light at night
There has been a dramatic increase of artificial light at night due to human activity. Using an experimental facility that is unique in the world, we have studied the long-term impact of this increase on flora and fauna. The scientific output from this project is being used in new guidelines for lighting in the Netherlands.
2) Aquatic Knowledge Centre Wageningen
AKWA is an initiative of NIOO's department of Aquatic Ecology together with Wageningen University, aimed at stakeholders such as water boards. AKWA has increased environmental awareness and literacy through peer reviewed publications and professional reports, online movies, digital games, festivals and media.
3) Nature restoration by soil transplantation
Based on our long-term research on plant-soil interactions, the largest private Dutch nature conservation organisation (Natuurmonumenten) is currently testing soil inoculation on a practical field scale. The results have also been disseminated to other nature conservation organisations, through workshops, field visits, a website and films.
4) Discovering new antibiotics
Antibiotic resistance is increasing globally and is threatening to make ordinary bacterial infections untreatable in the future.Through genome mining and by exploring interspecific microbial interactions, we have developed practical approaches for the discovery of new antibiotics and antimicrobial volatiles that can combat resistance against antibacterial and antifungal compounds.
5) Surveillance network for arboviruses in wild birds
Countrywide surveillance for arboviruses in migratory birds was started in 2016, in collaboration with the Erasmus Medical Centre and relying on our network of well-trained citizen scientists. In its first year, this surveillance network identified two tropical viruses that were new to the Netherlands. The identification of one of these — the Usutu virus
— preceded an actual outbreak by five months.
6) Why poop is actually gold
Re-using nutrients is vital if we are to make our society ‘futureproof’ by closing cycles. Phosphate mines, for instance, will be depleted in the coming century. And our current toilet systems require large volumes of costly ‘waste’ water. To create social awareness of this issue and make people (re)think, NIOO has featured its innovative toilet system at many festivals, on guided tours and in media appearances. This prompted the Dutch government to nominate NIOO as one of the finalists in its National Icons competition in 2016.
NIOO has a vigorous and long-standing commitment to societal impact. Not only is NIOO housed in a sustainable building designed to translate our ecological principles in terms of architecture and construction, we also have a number of units that are tailor-made for disseminating our ecological knowledge to specific target groups, we have a very active outreach policy, and we actively involve citizens in our research through large-scale citizen-science projects.
Direct technology transfer
Public-private partnerships are blossoming. In the nationwide BE-Basic programme, various STW/TTW projects including the Perspective programme ‘Back to the Roots’, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation project ‘PROMISE’, and NWO projects financed from the Dutch government’s ‘Top sectors’ initiative (e.g. NWO-Groen), NIOO collaborates with a range of industrial and governmental stakeholders. Our bio-based projects are important within the government’s focus on a sustainable bio-based industry, circular economy and sustainable food production. This also enables us to bolster our collaborations with strong developing countries including Brazil,Colombia, South Korea, China, Ethiopia, and India.
NIOO initiatives such as AKWA, CSE, CAPS (see Box 3), and NIOO’s multi-partner projects on nutrient cycle/wastewater treatment with algae, roof vegetation, urban biodiversity development, and nature restoration, are all geared towards solving environmental issues through direct knowledge transfer to participating stakeholders. Examples are the ‘Green Deal Green Roofs’ with GOs; Community of Practice (STOWA); direct interactions between AKWA and METS and water boards; joint ecosystem restoration practices with NGO Natuurmonumenten, etc. In addition, dissemination is increasingly used to set research agendas and propose new research directions.
In 2016 and 2017, NIOO filed three new patent applications based on NIOO inventions. One patent has already been licensed to a company for commercial exploitation. For two others recently filed, an active commercialisation strategy is currently being developed in consultation with companies and/or academic research partners. A previous NIOO patent has served as the basis for the creation of Microlife Solutions BV, a spin-off company under the holding of BioDetectionSystems BV.
Impact on policy
NIOO scientists also aim to positively influence the policies of societal, private company, NGO and governmental stakeholders. NIOO’s director currently chairs a major national initiative on the recovery of biodiversity, with stakeholders from science, nature organisations, the agrochain, companies, banks and retail (Deltaplan Biodiversiteitsherstel). She also strategically advises Dutch governmental agencies and Dutch and European politicians on environmental issues, circular and bio-based economy, e.g. through KNAW ‘Science for Parliament’ meetings and lectures, and at EU level through the Environmental Steering Group of EASAC. NIOO presently leads an EASAC report on Soils at Risk.
Another example is our ‘Light on Nature’ project; the scientific output of this project is being used directly to mitigate effects of public lighting as the results are implemented in the national guidelines for the deployment of illumination in and near natural areas in the Netherlands, and in the general guidelines on illumination of larger roads.
Popularising science
NIOO values the dissemination of its knowledge to a wider audience by popularising science. This involves open days, press releases, public lectures, film and gaming projects, active participation in public debates and social media, website news, eye-catching stands at festivals (including the popular Summerlabb partnership), school projects, well-visited tours of the NIOO building and citizen science projects. For examples of the latter, we refer to the Dutch Centre for Avian Migration & Demography, which serves all Dutch volunteer and professional bird ringers, and the annual Soil Animal Days, which are held with the help of hundreds of citizens throughout the country.
NIOO provides training (presentations skills, building and using networks, use of social media, websites, films and so on) to further increase the societal impact of its research, and to assist researchers when it comes to engaging in various kinds of outreach activities. In addition, the institute reaches out via projects on research and high impact papers in order to address a wide audience.
