Basis for innovation under threat in the Netherlands

‘There is a threat that the knowledge infrastructure that is needed as a basis for an innovative climate that encourages companies to carry out R&D in the Netherlands may start to crumble away.’
These words were spoken today by Unilever chairman Antony Burgmans at the annual presentation of the Unilever Research Prizes in Vlaardingen. He came to this conclusion on the basis of a number of signals:

• a significant decrease in the number of students of science subjects, which means that the effective filling of vacancies is at risk, also within Unilever.
• investments in knowledge in the Netherlands are not growing in real terms.
• efficiently operating institutions such as the Technologische Top Instituten of which the Wageningen Centre for Food Sciences is one, are the target of budget cuts.
• there is too little focus in the research and too little attention for the needs of industry.
• knowledge and innovation are not high on the political agenda and were not mentioned in the Queen’s Speech, whilst the interest being shown for these is not really high within society either.

‘Unilever therefore supports the initiative of the VNO/NCW employers’ federation to draw up a comprehensive plan for research and innovation’, said Burgmans. This plan is aimed at encouraging top-class research, getting children in secondary schools more interested in science studies, improving the focus of research work and achieving wider cooperation between businesses, knowledge institutions such as the TNO applied research organisation and the universities.

According to Burgmans, innovation is a key element in creating greater prosperity and action is urgently needed to keep the country’s innovative strength up to the required standard. ‘As regards its innovative capacity, Unilever is partly dependent on the Dutch universities and the innovation climate in general. An optimal knowledge infrastructure is essential, in addition to people, organisation, market knowledge and the like.’ Burgmans referred to the European Summit in Barcelona in 2002 where one of the agreed objectives was to strengthen the European knowledge economy by increasing the investments in R&D to 3 per cent of the European Gross Domestic Product in 2010.

Main thrust

Unilever regards research into food and health as a main thrust. Its research in the area of food is concentrated in the Unilever Health Institute (UHI) that was established in 2000 and now employs some 100 people. Its budget amounts to € 15 million. Research in the UHI focuses on four areas:

• Cardio-vascular diseases, currently the biggest killer in the Western world and also set to become the major cause of death in the Third World in ten years’ time. A large-scale research programme is under way to study whether the effect of Becel and pro·activ can be further strengthened. The research is looking not only at cholesterol but also at a healthy circulatory system, the elasticity of the arteries as people get older and the reduction of high blood pressure.
• Vitality & performance. Unilever’s Lipton brand has for a number of years been successfully researching the effects that tea antioxidants (polyphenols) have on health/vitality.
  
• Food & health in developing countries. More than 1 billion people, especially young children from the lower socio-economic classes, are suffering from serious dietary deficiencies of minerals, vitamins, good-quality protein and sufficient energy. At the moment 17 projects in the UHI are focused on developing countries in which ordinary foodstuffs are being enriched with iron, iodine or vitamin A to help reduce these deficiencies. The UHI is also investigating the possibilities of making a contribution to reducing protein-energy malnutrition and of lowering the risk of highly prevalent intestinal infections in children.
  
• Weight control: ‘overeating’ leads to overweight and obesity. This is now an enormous and growing problem, and experts are also pointing to the food industry and calling for action. Under the Slim·Fast brand Unilever markets a range of sensible, nutritionally well-balanced meal replacers which have proved effective for reducing overweight and for remaining at the right weight after slimming.

Unilever Research Prizes

The annual Unilever Research Prizes are aimed at encouraging high-quality scientific research and at promoting good contacts between Unilever and the universities. The prizes, each amounting to
€ 2,500, were presented this year for the 46th time. They are awarded to young students who have carried out important research work in the fields of chemistry, biotechnology, mechanical engineering and social sciences at Dutch universities. By awarding these Research Prizes, Unilever wants to encourage the further development of promising young talent at Dutch universities.

The thirteen prizewinners in 2002 are: Davy Nieskens (Technological University Eindhoven), Geeske Boode (Free-Reformed University Amsterdam), Lotje van der Does (University of Amsterdam), Marleen van der Veen (State University Groningen), Erwin van der Geer (Leiden University), Michelle Habets (Catholic University Nijmegen), Petra Stoltenkamp (Twente University), Annemart Koornneef (Utrecht University), Matthijs Groot Wassink (Technological University Delft), Wout Knoben (Wageningen University), Gijs Goossens (Maastricht University), Cecile van Rijen (Catholic University Brabant) and Tessa van Steekelenburg (Erasmus University Rotterdam).