The Dutch Research Council (ASTRON is part of its institutes organisation) is shocked by the invasion of Russian troops in Ukraine. The news and images of the past few days have made it clear that a peace-loving and free country is being ruthlessly occupied by an aggressive foreign power. NWO empathises with the Ukrainian people in general and its Ukrainian employees and employees with Ukrainian family and friends in particular, and wishes to declare its solidarity with them.
NWO is considering appropriate measures in response to the Russian aggression. It is doing this in consultation with various Dutch bodies, such as the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and other government departments. NWO is meanwhile itemising all ongoing cooperations and planned projects with Russian scientific institutions.
NWO will examine how it can help people from the war zone, who in the coming period will register as refugees, to continue their scientific work in safety. Furthermore, NWO wants to keep providing a safe and inclusive work environment for employees from Ukraine and for Russian colleagues, who are not in any way part of or involved in the acts of war.
Furthermore NWO will keep investing in a scientific environment that flourishes by international cooperation en that contributes significantly to the well being of society as a whole.
This post originally appeared on the website of the Dutch Research Council.
Please also see the statement on the website of the International Astronomical Union.
Published by the editorial team, 2 March 2022