On June 19^th to 26^th, 2019, a delegation led by NSFC Vice President Wang Chengwen visited the Netherlands and UK from at the invitation of the Dutch Research Council (NWO) and the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI),

In the Netherlands, VP Wang Chengwen met with Prof. Stan Gielen, President executive board of NWO, Ms. Eveline van Erp, Head of Human Resources, Ms. Joke Rubery, Human Resources Specialist, and Mr. Berry Bonenkamp, Senior Policy Officer. President Gielen briefed the delegation on the latest developments of NWO’s organizational reform, in particular the overall design and institutional positioning, etc. VP Wang Chengwen introduced NSFC’s reform measures and recent progress. The two sides engaged intensive discussions over varied issues including institutional structure, mission and positioning and personnel management.

In the UK, VP Wang Chengwen met with Ms. Anne Dixon, Head of Operations UKRI, Dr. David McAllister, Associate Director - Research & Innovation Talent, and Mr. Ben Sharman, Senior Manager of International Policy. Ms. Dixon gave an overview of the UKRI institutional reform and human resources strategy. VP Wang Chengwen gave an introduction on the NSFC reform developments. The two sides discussed priority issues of the institutional reform, and exchanged views on the experience in human resources management.

The delegation also visited the Technische Universiteit Delft and Imperial College London.

Mr. Chen Lei, First secretary of the Science and Technology Division, the Chinese Embassy in the Netherlands, attended the meeting with NWO. Zhou Yanze of the Bureau of Personnel at NSFC accompanied the visit.