Excellent research at the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB)

FEB’s Research Institute SOM was evaluated very positively in the national Research Review Economics & Business that was recently published. FEB takes a number 1 position in the Netherlands, together with the VU Amsterdam. Especially, the societal relevance of research conducted at FEB scores very high. According to the peer review committee “it meets world-class standards.”

According to the Dutch Standard Evaluation Protocol ( SEP ) the academic quality, societal relevance and viability of research conducted by SOM researchers at FEB were assessed on a scale of 1 to 4. SOM’s scores are:

Quality: 2 (very good)
Societal Relevance: 1 (excellent)
Viability: 2 (very good)

► Download the report

Professors Tammo Bijmolt and Gerben van der Vegt, the former (until November 2015) and the current directors of SOM, respectively, are very satisfied with this result: “We have noticed a gradual improvement in research performance ourselves, but it is great that this is now also acknowledged by external experts. We thank the committee not only for their praise but also for their valuable recommendations regarding how to further improve our performance. Most of all, we would also like to thank our researchers, PhD candidates, directors of both the research programmes and centres of expertise, and the members of the SOM office who have invested so much time and energy to realize this success.”

High citation scores

FEB Dean Professor Harry Garretsen is also very proud: “Compared to the previous evaluation in 2009 , when the results were very good already , we have made further progress”, he says. “The large number of publications by FEB researchers and the high citation scores account for the good evaluation of our quality and viability. The excellent assessment of the societal relevance of our research is very much in line with what the government and students ask of universities nowadays.”

Quality

Overall, the committee believes the research in economics and business administration in the Netherlands to be of high quality (which merits a rating of ‘very good’ for all participating institutes). According to the report, SOM conducts very good, internationally recognised research.
The committee says: “although not a full service business school (e.g. it does not currently offer an MBA programme), it has greater breadth than some other units in this assessment, befitting a full range business school.” FEB is praised for acquiring AACSB and EQUIS accreditation, which is seen as a credit to its leadership and likely to provide long-term benefits in developing international links, learning best practices and the internationalisation of the school.

Relevance

An exceptional feature of SOM’s high-quality academic output is its societal relevance; the report states : “ An exceptional feature of SOM’s high quality academic output is its societal relevance. Rather than relevance detracting from excellent academic research, SOM shows that the two can grow together”. Furthermore the committee notes that SOM has clear policies and structures to enhance the societal relevance of its research and that these are well integrated into the unit’s operation and go beyond being policy measures.

Viability

The committee finds that SOM is viable and robust, with a sound strategy for its future development: “The exceptionally good management of SOM enhances its ability to continue its successful development.” Also the excellent facilities, such as the experimental research lab, the library, and the availability of relevant databases are highly appreciated.

PhD programme

The committee notes a number of strengths of the PhD programme, mainly with regard to the rigorous admission procedures. Like elsewhere, there is a clear benefit for all concerned in linking the research master’s programme that combines economics and business to the PhD programme to shorten the total time for PhD completion. Furthermore, the PhD programme is praised for the excellent supervision of candidates. The committee concludes that the SOM Research Institute is very well equipped for the future.

Committee and QANU

The Economics & Business committee conducting the review was appointed by the Executive Boards of the six participating universities and consisted of ten academics from institutes of three continents. Prof. Arie Kapteyn, Professor of Economics at Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and Executive Director of the Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR), University of Southern California, USA, acted as chair.

The assessment covered the research that was conducted in the period 2008-2014, as well as the research strategies that were outlined for the 2015-2020 period. In this sense the assessment was both retrospective and prospective. QANU (Quality Assurance Netherlands Universities) coordinated the review. QANU is a quality assurance agency, which primarily focuses on assessing degree and research programmes offered by universities in the Netherlands.

For more information

Prof. Gerben van der Vegt , Director of SOM

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