‘Dutch science on top thanks to international collaboration’

Some publications are quickly forgotten while others have an impact: they are frequently read and cited. According to Elsevier, the score of the Netherlands for scientific citations is 72 percent above the world average. The number of publications is also relatively high.

Crème de la crème
Publications involving international collaboration by researchers have a considerable impact. And the Netherlands is pretty strong on that front. Publications in which only Dutch researchers collaborate have an impact score that’s "only" 20 percent above the world average. 

According to Elsevier, Dutch universities collaborate with the crème de la crème of academia in Europe and North America, such as Oxford and Harvard. Almost two-thirds (63 percent) of all Dutch publications result from international collaborations, which is above the world's average (20 percent) and the EU average (43 percent). 

Erasmus University Rotterdam and the University of Amsterdam have the highest impact, Elsevier reports. But it’s also possible to compile rankings in which other universities come out on top. 

"Cherish internationalisation"
According to the Interim President of Universities of the Netherlands Jouke de Vries, Elsevier's study makes it clear that radically limiting the intake of international students and reducing the international character of science will have major negative consequences. “Dutch universities will then no longer play in the world's Premier League.”