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Frequently asked questions

About Npuls

  • Npuls is a National Growth Fund programme involving every one of the 102 public tertiary educational institutions in the Netherlands: vocational education and training schools, universities of applied sciences and research universities. The goal is to help make society more resilient, with a strong economy and prosperity for all. This can only be achieved with a properly trained workforce, and that requires a strong and future-proof tertiary education sector where learners can learn without obstacles and receive continued high-quality education. 

    Click here to find out more about Npuls

  • For the education sector to become future-proof, it needs to transform. The goal of Npuls is to set the sector in motion and realise that transformation. We have defined a series of collective goals to achieve and public values to protect, in order to retain control of our digital infrastructure. The three goals are:

    Learning without obstacles

    The vocational education and training, higher professional education and research-oriented education sectors are undergoing a shift towards agile education. This refers to a system where learners have control of their own learning and development path, with a greater range of options besides the existing pathway. These pathways should provide world-class quality, align with learners’ needs and offer possibilities for lifelong learning. 

    Click here to find out more about Learning without obstacles

    Continued high-quality education

    Npuls wants to consistently offer every learner the best possible education that is both topical and of a high standard, and that aligns with the knowledge and skills that the learner and society as a whole need. An area of particular importance is the proper and safe use of digital resources.

    Click here to find out more about continued high-quality education

    Ethical and effective use of AI and data

    AI is shaking up our existing approaches to learning, teaching and organising. Npuls will gather knowledge and expertise to allow everyone involved in tertiary education in the Netherlands to safely utilise AI and data to help them learn and do their jobs. We are developing practical tools and guidelines for responsible use of AI, and a collective vision for the vocational education and training, higher professional education and research-oriented education sectors. 

    Click here to find out more about ethical and effective use of AI and data

  • Each institution has its own Npuls linking team. These teams are made up of key individuals who play an important part in digitalisation, education policy, information and instruction and education organisation. The linking teams have an important role within Npuls. First, they make sure that their own institutions make optimum use of the facilities offered by Npuls. Second, they also contribute to Npuls’s overall success through mutual cooperation and by fostering knowledge exchange between the separate institutions. Click here to find out more about the linking teams.

    Click here to find out more about the linking teams

  • A learner is a student of a study programme, or an upskilling or reskilling professional. Anybody might be a learner, regardless of their age, experience or phase of life. Npuls refers to learners in connection with public tertiary education.

Npuls’s organising partners

  • Npuls is an organisation for educational institutions, run by those institutions themselves. It brings together the country’s public vocational education and training schools, universities of applied sciences and research universities to develop the future of tertiary education in the Netherlands.

    Npuls is a cooperative effort between five partners. The education sector is represented by the Netherlands Association of VET colleges (MBO Raad), the Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences (VH) and the Universities of the Netherlands (UNL). The other partners are SURF and the Netherlands Initiative for Education Research (NRO). The programme falls under the responsibility of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW).

    At the national level, Npuls has cooperation arrangements with other National Growth Fund programmes. Npuls also seeks out partners at the international level. Click here to find out more about the national and international partnerships.

  • Npuls is a cooperative effort between five partners: the Netherlands Association of VET colleges (MBO Raad), the Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences (VH), the Universities of the Netherlands (UNL), SURF and the Netherlands Initiative for Education Research (NRO).

    The Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW), the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and the National Growth Fund are also involved.  

    The National Growth Fund was set up by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. When the application was granted, that ministry provided the funding to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW). OCW passes on the funding to Npuls, and is a close partner.

    OCW received €560 million in funding for Npuls from the National Growth Fund. The Npuls steering committee reports and renders financial account to OCW.

  • The public tertiary education institutions in the Netherlands are represented by the Netherlands Association of VET colleges (MBO Raad), the Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences (VH) and the Universities of the Netherlands (UNL), including on the steering committee, the programme team and the coordination teams.  

  • SURF is the tech cooperative for education and research. It serves as the secretariat for Npuls. As the developer and manager of the education sector’s tech infrastructure, SURF is represented on Npuls’s steering committee and executive team. It also carries out activities under the programme, specifically for the tech infrastructure.

  • Npuls is a partnership between various organisations that are working on transforming tertiary education in the Netherlands. Although we do not develop new education directly, we facilitate access to education from other programmes (including NGF programmes) for every learner in the Netherlands. For example, we have partnerships with LLO-Katalysator, DUTCH and GroenvermogenNL.

  • Npuls also actively seeks out partners at the international level. Developing shared standards and solutions will improve the country’s international position, and the position of public tertiary education. 
    Npuls works with SURF and with other national research and education networks (NRENs) in Europe, and with transformation programmes such as Digivisio and Hochschulforum Digitalieserung (HFD).

Finances

  • The Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) has committed €560 million to Npuls, across its 8-year duration. Of that total, €140 million was unconditional funding for the first phase of Npuls. Phase 1 covered the two years from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2025. For Phase 2, €420 million was initially granted as conditional funding, with €244.7 million having since become unconditional for the first two years. This leaves €175.3 million in conditional funding reserved for the remaining four years of Npuls.

  • Npuls has several subsidy schemes for institutions to draw on.

    The CTL subsidy scheme provides funding for setting up or developing Centers for Teaching & Learning. Click here to find out more about the CTL subsidy scheme.

    The OpenUp subsidy scheme provides funding for institutions to gain greater control over the use of digital and open educational resources. Click here to find out more about the OpenUp subsidy scheme. De regeling OpenUp is een subsidieregeling om meer regie te krijgen op het gebruik van digitale en open leermaterialen. Lees meer over de regeling OpenUp.

    The Get Connected incentive scheme provides funding to support the efforts of vocational education and training schools, universities of applied sciences and research universities to adopt digital resources in the education sector. Participating institutions are given financial and technical assistance to help them implement and adopt the systems. Click here to find out more about the Get Connected incentive scheme.

    The programme will develop arrangements about setting up an organisation (including a tech organisation) for all the public educational institutions. Those institutions can draw on support for giving shape to this. Npuls invests in experimenting with new ways of structuring education and in researching new ways of teaching and learning.

  • Npuls renders account for its expenditure in multiple different ways, including to the steering committee and to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW). All finances are a matter of public record.

What can Npuls do for me?

  • Npuls would be glad to have you on board! Learners have various choices for taking part in Npuls. To find out more, get in touch with the linking team at your institution. 

  • Npuls would be glad to have you on board! The institutions are already undertaking a variety of actions, but individuals, your institution and its linking team can also participate in the various communities, pilots and projects.

    Click here to find out more about becoming an active participant in Npuls.

  • Npuls does not provide subsidies. However, the organisation has set up a number of schemes to encourage developments.

    Click here to see a list of the schemes. 

  • Anyone in the public tertiary education sector in the Netherlands is welcome to take an active part in Npuls. See the agenda for a list of forthcoming activities and events, follow us on LinkedIn and sign up for our newsletter.  

  • No: Npuls is funded by the National Growth Fund, and its goals and membership are restricted to public tertiary educational institutions. Private institutions may not join Npuls.

  • Although we do not at this time have specific processes to support these initiatives, we might set them up in the future. If we do, we will inform the sector by sharing details with the linking teams and announcing the initiatives on our channels (newsletter and LinkedIn).

  • If anyone at your institution has any questions, they should get in touch with the linking team. Click here to see who to contact on your institutions linking team.

  • No: Npuls does not provide research grants. Npuls only uses incentive schemes for public vocational education and training schools, universities of applied sciences and research universities, and only for a limited number of topics. However, the Netherlands Initiative for Education Research (NRO) will issue calls for research proposals.

  • At this time, our focus is on promoting awareness of what Npuls is doing in partnership with the institutions. We do not use our channels to promote other projects.   

  • If you would like to help out Npuls, for example with event catering, send an email to events@npuls.nl.