Looking Forward: PNN’s Strategic Resolutions for 2026

Happy New Year! As we step into 2026, PNN is looking forward to a year of consolidation and action. Following the significant subsidy awarded to us in 2025, we are expanding our capacity and sharpening our focus on the systemic challenges that shape the quality and sustainability of PhD education in the Netherlands.

For the coming year, our strategy is built on enhancing representation, professionalization, and social safety, while deepening our engagement with the policies that determine the future of doctoral training. Here is what we have planned for 2026:

1. Connecting with Every PhD Candidate

Our first goal for 2026 is to ensure that every PhD candidate in the Netherlands knows PNN by name and understands our purpose. We aim to increase our visibility by strengthening our online presence and positioning our website as the central hub for resources and updates. By collaborating closely with local PhD Organizations (POs) and partners, we hope to reach candidates across all disciplines. This increased visibility will help ensure you are better informed about your rights, working conditions, and available support.

2. Strengthening Our Network of PhD Organizations (POs)

We are committed to improving two-way communication with local POs to create a strong feedback loop between institutional and national levels. We will develop tools and structures—such as regular meetings and joint advocacy projects—to enable continuous communication. This ensures that our national advocacy reflects your real experiences, while simultaneously empowering local POs to represent their communities more effectively.

3. Securing a Sustainable Future for PNN

The subsidy received from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) in 2025 was a major milestone, allowing us to professionalize and—jointly with PostdocNL—hire a shared employee to support our development. However, sustainable operations cannot rely solely on temporary subsidies. Therefore, in 2026, we will dedicate expertise to developing additional sources of stable income to safeguard our continuity and independent status.

4. Researching the Keys to Good Supervision

This year, we are launching a national study on supervision practices to improve the structural conditions for PhDs. We will begin with a national survey focusing on supervision time, workload, and candidate needs, while also seeking to incorporate the perspectives of supervisors. Following the survey, we will organize focus groups to explore what constitutes good supervision and what barriers hinder it. These insights will result in a report with actionable recommendations for universities and research institutes.

5. Advocating for a Sustainable Academic Infrastructure

Finally, we are tackling the systemic financial and structural issues facing Dutch academia:

• Restoring Structural Funding: With a new cabinet forming in 2026, we will advocate for an enlargement of the lumpsum to repair the long-term consequences of budget cuts that have led to heavier workloads and declined supervision capacity.
• Reforming Funding Incentives: We will contribute to the national discussion on reforming the funding model ("bekostigingsmodel"). We believe the current system, which incentivizes quantity over quality by linking funding to the number of PhD degrees awarded, is counterproductive.
• Dialoguing on Capacity: We will facilitate an evidence-based dialogue on the number of PhD positions the Dutch academic infrastructure can actually support. The rapid expansion of positions has not always been matched by sufficient supervision capacity or long-term funding, and we aim to align PhD education size with available resources.

We are excited to get to work on these goals to ensure that PhD candidates in the Netherlands have a strong, independent voice. Here is to a productive and impactful 2026!