NWO appoints local quartermaster for DuCaRP on Statia

The Dutch Research Council (NWO) is setting up a network organization with anchor points on the six islands of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, based on an advisory report published in 2021. The network organisation is called the Dutch Caribbean Research Platform, DuCaRP, and its main task will be to facilitate and support research (incl. outreach) on the islands.

The Caribbean Netherlands Research Institute (CNSI) on St. Eustatius will cease to exist in its present form and shall be replaced by an anchor-point of DuCaRP. This was recommended in the advisory report, which was commissioned by NWO to find the best way to continue facilitating research on the six islands after the 10-years’ funding period of CNSI ends in 2022. DuCaRP will be a support network and not undertake research on its own.

To prepare, facilitate and guide the processes, NWO has appointed Mr. Jaap Vreeling as the local quartermaster for DuCaRP on Statia. This appointment was coordinated with the local authorities and with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science in the Netherlands. Mr. Vreeling is very familiar with Statia. He lived here in the late 80s and was a teacher at the Gwendoline van Putten School. He returned to Statia in 2020 and is currently taking up permanent residency. Mr. Vreeling is well known among the local stakeholders; he will carry out his task in close collaboration with all relevant players on the island, with the DuCaRP Taskforce and with NWO.