The Caribbean Research programme of the Dutch Organisation for Scientific Research
(NWO) is developing a knowledge agenda with residents of the Caribbean part of the Kingdom.
This knowledge agenda maps out where the most pressing societal questions lie and how
scientific research can contribute to answers to them. In June and July 2024, the NWO will
organise public meetings in the six islands to check whether the content is recognised. Monday
the 17 th to Friday the 21 st of June there will be meetings in Aruba.
Impact Hub Aruba
A 'community conversation' will take place on Tuesday the 18 th of June at Impact Hub Aruba. The
meeting will start at 18:00 and will end at 20:00. Everyone is invited to join the conversation. During the
meeting, the team will identify which topic or topics are of high interest. NWO will then organise a follow-
up discussion on Wednesday the 19 th of June at the same location. You will receive more information
about this during the meeting on Monday.
On Monday and Thursday, shorter talks will be held with stakeholders. These may be individuals,
representatives of organisations, or a number of organisations together. The visit to Aruba will conclude
on Friday with a meeting at the University of Aruba. This meeting will focus on the conditions for being
able to conduct research. The organisation of that meeting is in the hands of the university.
Dutch Caribbean Research Week
The knowledge agenda was drawn up on the basis of extensive surveys of residents and researchers of
the six islands on social issues in 2019 and 2021. Following the 'community conversations' and other
discussions in June and July, the final knowledge agenda will be drawn up. The communities of the six
islands are invited to participate in the sessions in order to decide for themselves what will be included
in the knowledge agenda. NWO also asks how the Caribbean communities see a role for themselves in
the development or implementation of scientific research. The final knowledge agenda will be presented
during the Dutch Caribbean Research Week in October 2024. After that, NWO is keen to work with
Caribbean communities to enable new research based on the knowledge agenda.
The team that will conduct the interviews in Aruba consists of Edrieënna Brandao, Danick Trouwloon,
Elton Villarreal and, on behalf of NWO, Dr Arnold Lubbers, coordinator of the Caribbean Research
programme. If you are interested in an interview, please contact us at caribbean@nwo.nl
NWO organises community conversations in Aruba
