Nuffic turns 60 this year
This year marks an important anniversary for Nuffic: on 11 January 2012 it will be 60 years to the day that we were founded by the Dutch universities as the Netherlands organisation for international cooperation in higher education.
Established at the government’s request, the new organisation was envisioned to make Dutch knowledge, skills and technology accessible to the rest of the world. Initially, that was done by inviting students from abroad, expanding later to take various forms, including institutional cooperation.
Wide range of activities
Since Nuffic’s foundation on 11 January 1952, its portfolio of activities has grown with the years. Today, we administer programmes for international scholarships and institutional cooperation, promote Dutch higher education in the international arena, evaluate diplomas, provide information to our target groups and conduct policy-driven research.
Anniversary celebration
Anniversary celebrations have a long tradition in Dutch higher education. At the close of every lustrum, or five-year period, we stop to cast a look back at what we have accomplished and ahead to what the future holds in store. With Nuffic set to commemorate its 60th anniversary – and thus its 12th lustrum – this year we would like to add an extra dimension to the celebrations.
As a professional, service-oriented organisation, it is not in our nature to claim the spotlight. Therefore, we have chosen to dedicate 2012 to exploring opportunities for international cooperation in higher education.
We will kick off with an international anniversary conference on 11 January, to be followed on 13 March by the Nuffic Annual Conference, which will focus this year on the theme of 'regionalisation versus globalisation'.