Frequently asked questions

Experts will be needed in the teams of the (transformation) hubs who can innovate with support around the various themes. The transformation hubs will be led by a programme manager and captain(s). They have a key position in moving the hub forward. They are supported by a team of experts from the institutions. A core team of representatives from vocational and education training schools, universities of applied sciences, and research universities will always have to provide the connection between practice in the institutions and innovative work in the hubs. The process on filling this team will be explained in more detail soon.

These centers play an important role in interacting with the central programme. Funds will be released for institutions – through the ministry – to invest in a Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL). A subsidy scheme will be opened for this purpose. You can find more information about CTLs and the subsidy scheme on the website.

To maximise the connection between the transformation hubs and infrastructures and the institutions, we aim to form a team of key staff within each institution. These linking teams will be the link between Npuls and the institutions for the duration of the programme. The linking teams consist of the key players in the institution around digitisation, education policy, and education implementation and organisation. These include officials with key roles in (strategic) education policy, information management, the technology department, libraries, education and student administration, professional development of lecturers, and data and IR. Check the contact page for the linking team at your institution.

There will be several opportunities to participate. In the transformation hubs, you can contribute to experiments in educational innovation yourself. You will find more information at a later date on this website and through your institution.

From 2023, lecturers will have several opportunities to participate. In the Knowledge hub learning & innovation, we connect and start networks for lecturers. We do this in collaboration with the ComeniusNetwork, SURF Communities and with existing lecturer networks in educational institutions. At your institution’s Center for Teaching & Learning you will find knowledge and advice on how to innovate your educational practices. In the transformation hubs, you can contribute to experiments with educational innovation. You will find more information at a later date on this website and through your institution.

From 2023, you can contribute to the Knowledge hub learning & innovation and the Centers for Teaching & Learning. Keep an eye on this website for vacancies.

From 2023, you can contribute to the Technology infrastructure. Keep an eye on this website for vacancies.

From 2023, you can contribute to the research taking place in the transformation hubs and the shared knowledge infrastructure. From 2023, NRO will launch a call for educational research. More information can be found later on this website.

In the transformation hubs, lecturers, learners, researchers, employees, employers, and suppliers work together on complex issues. They are the frontrunners around a theme. They organise experiments aimed at solving bottlenecks and realising ambitions. The experiments take place in the educational practice of participating institutions, and sometimes also in the practice of employers. The transformation hubs issue calls to contribute to the experiments.

The transformation hubs not only provide knowledge but also requirements for new technological facilities. They answer the question “What is needed for this experiment to succeed on a larger scale?” What succeeds is further developed and managed in the Knowledge hub learning & innovation and technology infrastructure. This way, the results become available to all educational institutions.

We will start with the focus areas of agile and efficiently organised education and digital educational resources. At a later stage, the current pilot hubs will possibly develop into transformation hubs.

On the focus areas of agile and efficiently organised education and digital educational resources, a lot of collaboration is already taking place within the institutions and educational sector. We are already quite far along in figuring out and organising what is needed on these themes. By starting with these focus areas, we can set the pace quickly.

We are starting with these focus areas whilst preparing for three other transformation hubs. Those will possibly start in the second phase of Npuls. Currently, we run pilot hubs on the themes Data and AI, XR, EdTech. Based on the preparations, it will be decided whether these transformation hubs are promising enough. We will only launch them if all sectors (vocational and education training schools, universities of applied sciences, and research universities) participate.

In the Knowledge hub learning & innovation and architecture technology infrastructure, work is done to secure and share the new insights and developments. Besides knowledge, the transformation hubs also provide requirements for new technological facilities. They answer the question “what is needed for this experiment to succeed on a larger scale?” What succeeds is further developed and managed in the knowledge and technology infrastructure. This way, the results become available to all educational institutions.

A steering committee oversees the achievement of the programme’s objectives. The steering committee includes six administrators from vocational and education training schools, universities of applied sciences and research universities. As manager of the architecture technology infrastructure, SURF, the collaborative organisation for IT in Dutch education and research, also has a seat. The seat for the administrator of the shared knowledge infrastructure has yet to be filled. An independent chairman chairs the steering committee. The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science is an occasional member. Groups of learners, lecturers and directors of technology departments advise the steering group. A programme director, together with staff, facilitates the implementation of the various focus areas.

The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) has received a grant from the National Growth Fund for this programme. The Ministry of OCW is accountable to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate. SURF, the programme’s coordinator, applies for funding from OCW on behalf of the participating parties to implement the programme. The programme’s steering committee is accountable (financially) to OCW. OCW is a member of the steering committee’s agenda. OCW organises coherence with other programmes that interface with Npuls.

All public vocational and education training schools, universities of applied sciences and research universities are participating. These institutions are represented by the Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences, Universities of the Netherlands and the MBO Raad. All three of these sector organisations have a seat on the steering committee. They are also represented in programme team (responsible for day-to-day management) and in the coordination teams.

SURF, the collaborative organisation for IT in Dutch education and research, is the programme’s secretary. As developer and manager of the architecture technology infrastructure, SURF has a seat on the programme’s steering committee.

Yes, we certainly do, and in particular with these three projects: National LLL Catalyst, Edu-V and Ontwikkelkracht.

An impulse grant is available for all institutions to set up or expand a Center for Teaching & Learning. This is €500,000 per institution. In doing so, the institution is expected to co-finance at least 70%. These grants are paid out through a subsidy scheme managed by DUS-I, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science’s grants office. The substantive criteria for allocation and the members of the assessment committee are determined by the programme’s steering committee – and thus by the educational institutions.

The programme includes agreements on setting up the (technology) organisation that will apply to all educational institutions. For all 107 educational institutions, support is available to work according to those agreements. How this support will be made available will be worked out in the preparation phase. This may be in various forms (small incentive scheme, support in the form of temporary consultants, etc.).

We are also investing in experiments with new ways of shaping education and in research into new ways of providing education and learning. These are organised from the transformation hubs; (experts from) institutions can apply to participate in these.

Much of the budget is a reservation for the next phases of the project. Those plans are deliberately not yet further developed. In the first two years, we will discover what works. We keep an eye on what developments require attention so we can invest in them at the right time. We are in close contact with all stakeholders: the education sectors, employers, employees, ministries and, of course, the National Growth Fund assessment committee.