Tenure track

The tenure track system has been in place in the Netherlands for some years. The Dutch research universities see the tenure track system as a way of recruiting and retaining excellent researchers from all over the world.

The tenure track system is based on the principle that talented young researchers who perform very well over a fixed period of time (not more than six years) receive tenure. How this idea is given form differs between the universities. The framework for the Dutch tenure track system is the collective labour agreement, article 6.5a, specifying which aspects of a tenure track need to be regulated by the universities.

Examples of tenure track policies at the Dutch research universities

• Wageningen University and Research Centre
• University of Twente
• Erasmus University Rotterdam
• Delft University of Technology
• Eindhoven University of Technology (pdf)