Each year, from 2024 onwards, the NAE will select up to 10 new Fellows. Candidate Fellows must meet the NAE criteria to be selected. The selection of new Fellows takes place via the NAE Fellow Nomination Regulation.
In 2023 – its first year of its existence – NAE will launch with a total of 55 new Fellows, in addition to the members of the NAE Board who also have the Fellow membership status. Nominations may be made by the governing bodies of organizations entitled to nominate. Only in 2023 can members of AcTI (Academy for Technology and Innovation) submit a self-nomination, as outlined in the Fellow Nomination Regulations.
The NAE Board cordially invites the governing bodies of the eligible organizations and members of AcTI to nominate candidates for the election of Fellows in 2023 by completing and submitting the PDF nomination form (with deadline August 18th, 2023).
A. Selection criteria for NAE Fellows
NAE Fellows are the top experts active in technological sciences and applied research and development from scientific, governmental, and industrial organizations in the Netherlands. NAE brings together a body of Fellows with a diverse background, elected for their prestigious track record of impact in technical sciences and engineering-based innovation, their motivation and ability to make a difference, and for their objective, cross-sectoral, and high integrity attitude. Being elected as a Fellow comes with the commitment to make an impact within the NAE context (“noblesse oblige”).
NAE Fellows play a decisive role in technological sciences and engineering-based innovation, with contributions covering any of the phases, ranging from conceptualization to design and realization, and from theory to practice. The NAE Fellows share a passion for engineering-based innovation to overcome many of our societal challenges, and to sustain the earning power of our country within the European and international context.
NAE Fellows meet the following criteria I, II and III.
I. Manifest themselves as a crucial actor in the knowledge and innovation ecosystem through above-average proven intellectual contributions in the field of engineering, in the range from technical-scientific research to innovation projects and industrialization. Also, have a demonstrable affinity with social issues and be prepared to actively contribute to the objectives of the NAE with a broad perspective.
II. Demonstrable (personal) impact in at least one of the following areas.
- Technical-scientific research: for example, but not limited to, the design of engineering artifacts, as evidenced by articles in relevant scientific journals, conference proceedings, books or volumes, reports (if confidential, they must be made available for inspection to the Fellows Selection Committee) including the scientific and/or technical impact of this research.
- Innovation projects: successful projects that focus on innovative products, devices, software, buildings and other artifacts, and where the person has had a demonstrable decisive role in the technical design or construction.
- Technology transfer and market impact: bringing innovations and/or use of devices, software, buildings and other developments to the market or to society, for example in the form of protocols, tools, measuring instruments, design methodology, standards, patents, spin-offs, and other signs of industrialization.
III. Are regarded by colleagues (in a broad sense) as authoritative in the field. This can be evidenced for instance by:
- publicly active in the field of innovation both within and outside its own domain, for example through supervisory directorships, participation in advisory councils or committees, consultancy and/or memberships of program committees and (international) assessment committees.
- technical-scientific recognition: such as prizes, including lifetime achievement awards, and membership of prestigious professional organizations, chairman or member of the editorial board of scientific or professional journals, honorary doctorates (including an ‘honorary EngD’), visiting professorships, prestigious personal grants (e.g. Simon Stevin Premium, Spinoza premium, ERC Consolidator of Advanced Grants, Vidi/Vici).
B. Fellow selection regulations
The essential points of the regulations:
- The entire procedure is confidential towards third parties. In order to arrive at an optimal nomination, the organization or person eligible to nominate is allowed to obtain information from the candidate to be nominated.
- Nominations can only be submitted by the governing body of the organizations mentioned in Section C.
- Each organization can nominate up to a maximum number, taking into account the required gender parity.
- Only in 2023, members of AcTI (Academy for Technology and Innovation) can submit a self-nomination.
- Submission of nominations can only be done by submitting the completed PDF nomination form (optionally accompanied by one PDF curriculum vitae file) before the submission deadline. Incomplete forms or forms submitted after the deadline will be declared not valid.
C. Organizations eligible to make nominations for new Fellows
The following table lists the organizations that are eligible to submit nominations. Each eligible organization may nominate a maximum number of candidates as listed in the table, taking into account gender parity. That is, the submitted proposals for NAE membership must have the same number of male and female candidates. Natural persons who qualify themselves as non-binary can be nominated in place of a male or female candidate.
Organization | Maximum number of nominations |
The chairs of the Executive Boards of the Dutch universities | 2 per university |
The chairs of the Executive Boards of the Dutch university medical centers | 2 per UMC |
The chairs of the boards of the knowledge institutions affiliated with the Federation TO2 | 2 per TO2 organization |
The chair of the Association of Universities of Applied Sciences | 2 |
The chair of the National Network of Women Professors LNVH | 2 |
The chair of the Executive Board of NWO | 2 |
The chair of Regieorgaan SIA | 2 |
The president of the KNAW | 2 |
The chair of The Young Academy DJA | 2 |
The chair of VNO-NCW | 18 |
The chair of MKB Nederland | 6 |
The chair of SER | 2 |
The chair of KIVI | 4 |
The chair of the ROMs | 2 per ROM |
The figurehead, scientific member or SME member of each of the MTIB top team (MTIB: Mission-driven Top Sectors and Innovation Policy) | 2 per topteam |
The special Envoy from Techleap | 2 |
The chair of AWTI | 2 |
The chair of WRR | 2 |
The chair of STT | 2 |
Triplet of AcTI members (2023 only) | 1 per triplet |
Self-nominations of AcTI members (2023 only) | 1 self-nomination per AcTI member |
D. Selection process 2023
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The selection process for 2023 is carried out by the Fellow Selection Committee (FSC), composed of the following members:
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Colette Alma.
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Marc Hendrikse.
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Emmo Meijer.
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René Penning de Vries.
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Wim van Saarloos.
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Hans Schikan.
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Karin Sluis.
Ingrid Heynderickx.
The fellow selection procedure follows the following steps.
- The FSC evaluates the Fellow nominations based on the criteria described in Part A using the PDF nomination form and the (optional) submitted curriculum vitae information file, and selects a set of candidate Fellows.
- The FSC monitors the extent to which the NAE represents the diversity of constituencies, disciplines and gender diversity.
- The FSC interviews each candidate Fellow with the objective to confirm that the candidate Fellow aims to actively contribute to the objectives of the NAE with a broad perspective.
- The FSC prepares the proposal for the election of new Fellows for the NAE Board, including a motivation for each candidate Fellow.
- The NAE Board takes the decision to appoint the new Fellows.
- New Fellows are informed about the decision of the Board.
- The nominating organization are informed about the results of the selection process.