Measures coronavirus

NWO-I follows the guidelines of the national government, the RIVM, and the GGD regarding the prevention of the spread of the coronavirus. For foreign business trips, NWO-I follows the guidelines of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Update 15 July

From 9 July 2020, external visitors will be welcome to a limited extent at the NWO Offices in Utrecht and The Hague.  The principle is that it must be functional to meet each other in person. Meeting space must be reserved in advance. Keep in mind that the capacity of the meeting rooms is (very) limited.

Update 22 April

Measures extended
Most of the cabinet measures (keeping a distance of 1.5 meters, working from home as much as possible) will remain in force until at least 20 May. Until then, the NWO buildings in Utrecht and The Hague will remain closed, while the buildings of NWO Institutes will remain closed or open to a very limited extent.

Scientific research and its facilitation will continue as much as possible. The board, directors, and management are working on solutions for the medium and long-term consequences for the organisation and for employees (such as researchers with temporary contracts). NWO-I is also preparing for the situation in which (partial ) return to buildings becomes possible again.

Update 17 March

The Prime Minister addressed us last night. Prime Minister Rutte emphasized that the Netherlands is facing an enormous task because of the coronavirus. NWO-I and NWO support Rutte's appeal to follow the instructions of the government and the RIVM. We have already done this and will continue to do so.

The Prime Minister underlined that the coronavirus will remain with us for the foreseeable future. This affects the primary process of our institutes very deeply. NWO-I will work towards weighted decisions, preparing for the short, medium, and long-term effects.

Thursday 19 March at 16.00 hours p.m. the buildings of NWO and NWO-I in Utrecht and The Hague will be closed.

Update 16 March

The exceptional situation in which we find ourselves requires caution and care for every colleague, but also for other members of society. This extends beyond the workplace, given the risk of contamination and the possible overload of our healthcare system. For this reason, it is advised to work mainly from home. The objective is to support employees with school-aged children as much as possible on the one hand, and at the same time to prevent contamination on the work floor.

The management of the NWO Institutes will determine which critical processes of work for which presence on the work floor of employees is necessary, and must continue. The employees in question are asked to come to the workplace, whereby the (RIVM) rules to prevent contamination and to contain the spreading of the virus are of course in force (social distancing).

Update 12 March

We ask employees to work from home as much as possible and in consultation with their manager. If you feel a cold/sick: stay indoors as much as possible.

All events with over 100 people are canceled. For internal and external meetings under 100 people, the organizer decides whether it is responsible to proceed. These measures are valid until at least 31 March.

Update 11 March

We no longer shake hands. Employees who go on holiday abroad and return should contact their manager prior to coming to the office to find out about the current state of affairs.

Disease symptoms/information coronavirus

The RIVM website provides information about the extent of spread, the symptoms, contamination, the chance of the virus reaching the Netherlands, and the preparations that will be made. This information is also available in English and Chinese. RIVM moreover provides an elaborate Q & A page.

Travel advice

The website 'Wijs op Reis' (in Dutch only) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs gives travel advice for specific countries. Via this website you can download – for free – the Travel app Foreign Affairs (also known as the app 'BZ Reisadvies'). This app gives up-to-date travel advice for countries and it also gives out an automatic warning when the travel advice changes for the specific country that the user is monitoring. When you are staying abroad or when you receive foreign guests, please be aware of the fact that there can be travel restrictions for certain areas.

Doubt, advice, and work-related questions

Are you having doubts about making a trip (business or private) to a certain area and would you like advice on this matter? Do you have other work-related questions concerning the coronavirus? Then please find your contact person below:

NWO Institutes
P&O Advisor, health & safety coördinator, Institute manager, and/or Institute director.

NWO-I University workgroups (BUW)
Contact your workgroup leader and follow the guidelines of the university you work at.

NWO-I Office
P&O advisor.

NWO Domain organisation
P&O advisor.