Abstracts
ICT as the Basis for Innovation -The Dutch Approach
Tuesday 5 May 2009, 1630 – 1715
Presenter: Leo Plugge
Scientific Technical Council, SURF, NETHERLANDS
Presenter Biography
Leonard (Leo) Plugge received his Masters degree in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Utrecht in 1986. He was the first master student Psychology in Utrecht who specialized in machine learning. In 1992 he received his PhD from the Medical Faculty at University Maastricht for his thesis on computer aided medical diagnosis of Alzheimer and other forms of dementia.
From 1993 Leonard worked at the dept. of Computer Science as associate professor where he did research on knowledge management and the use of the Internet. Among others, he introduced in 1993 the Internet as a private network (Intranet) for the Dutch police forces and as cross border extranet for communication with the police forces in Germany, Belgium and France. In 1999 Leonard was appointed as researcher and later manager at the Learning Lab of the Maastricht McLuhan Institute. In 2001 he was installed as Executive Secretary of the Scientific Technical Council (WTR) of Stichting SURF. The WTR is an independent advisory council for the Board of Stichting SURF and all higher education institutions in The Netherlands. Additionally Leonard is Executive Secretary of the Board of GigaPort NG, which deploys a highly innovative hybrid research network infrastructure for The Netherlands. This networks plays a central role in the data processing of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.
More information about Leonard is available at www.plugge.org
Abstract
The Dutch have a reputation for keeping their feet and their sheep dry. The constant threat of the sea forced us to collaborate and to innovate in order to sustain our way of life below sea level. This collaboration born out of necessity has resulted in a magnificent infrastructure for the defense against and use of the water that surrounds us. The constant struggle has also given us a pragmatic view on collaboration: work together on those issues you cannot solve alone and where there is no one else who can solve it for you. This has also been the basis of SURF, the national ICT organization of the Dutch Higher Education and Research Institutions in The Netherlands. Since its foundation in 1985 SURF has worked for and with its participants and the government to build an advanced ICT infrastructure and an organizational model that is now considered an example for others to follow. (See Cook Report, February 2009) The basis for this is the continuous innovation of the network infrastructure, SURFnet. As with our water infrastructure, it is the foundation for building innovative services to support the advancement of research and higher education. This talk will review the way The Netherlands approach the innovation of research and education through the use of ICT, what has been accomplished and how we intend to proceed in the years to come.
There is one thing we have learned the hard way: we cannot take achievements for granted. We need a constant collaborative investment in innovation by all participants – including the government – to sustain our position, or we will get our feet wet.
