In 2010, the Netherlands Environment Assessment Agency (PBL) investigated the IPCC report on the social and economic impact of climate change for errors. The Dutch Environment Minister subsequently asked the Academy to review whether the PBL did so in a scientifically sound manner. The Academy considered that it did.

The social sciences can play a bigger role in solving society’s urgent problems. Government makes too little use of the latest insights of social science research, and all too often it chooses to solve problems by stepping up supervision rather than introducing smarter interventions.

In the run-up to the Rio Summit in early June 2012, the Dutch Minister for Foreign Affairs asked the Academy to survey what science has contributed to sustainable development and what it might contribute in the next twenty years.

This report proposes criteria and indicators for assessing the quality of research output in the design and engineering disciplines.

The purpose of this report was to survey what is known about the relationship between mathematics teaching methodology and maths skills based on existing insights into the material and empirical facts.

The Academy is working to improve the infrastructure for clinical research in the Netherlands. Its efforts should increase safety for patients and test persons and ensure that research funding is spent more effectively. Its advice will also help broaden the research agenda and achieve a better balance in the cooperation between industry and academia.