Strategic Evening

The annual Strategic Evening at NWO Physics is collaboratively organised by the NWO Round Table Physics and the NWO Domain Science.This evening brings together PI’s from across the Dutch physics community for an inspiring and interactive programme. The evening will feature discussions on a timely and relevant topic for the future of the field. Alongside opportunities to network and exchange ideas. 

Programme Monday 19 January 2026
17:00 registration and drinks
18:00 start programme
22:00 end programme

Title: Opportunities and challenges for Physics research in a time of rapid geopolitical change.

Governments have re-awoken to the importance of science-driven discovery and innovation for broader societal resilience. Science’s relevance ranges from industrial production and economic independence to defence. This has opened new funding opportunities, but also challenges and concerns. This evening will cover some of these current developments both in Europe and in the Netherlands where the primary source of new funding is defence. We will cover the current status of NWO's interaction with defence, the novel aspects that come into play, but also experiences that researchers have with other nation’s defence based funding, as well as opportunities and challenges that (may) arise from such collaboration. The NWO and the Round Table Physics aims to create an open discussion with the opportunity for the community to share their opinion in the widest possible sense. The evening will be a combination of a seated dinner, invited speakers, inspiring discussions and conversations. The NWO and the Round Table Physics are looking forward to collect valuable input on this topic.