Some of the leading Dutch pension funds and financial institutions have backed a new E25m pension research institute called Netspar.
It will be based at the University of Tilburg, under the management of Professor Lans Bovenberg of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration. It will also involve researchers from other universities.
More than 20 bodies have already given their support to the new institute, including PGGM, ABP, SFB, MN Services, the Social Insurance Bank, ING and Achmea. With a budget of about E25m, Netspar will be focusing on intra-sectoral pension issues, with an emphasis on the long term.
Bovenberg said that the institute was set up to assess current and future changes in the sectorand to conduct long-term research into the effects of ageing, pension systems and saving behaviour.
He added that it has become necessary to integrate current knowledge of the three pillars of the Dutch pension system with existing national and international scientific research.
Netspar will not only provide research and advice, but also train masters-level pension graduates.
Bovenberg said Netspar would target three issues: increased long-term research on pensions, support for human capital development and the exchange of knowledge between all pension sector pillars.
Bovenberg has put the E1.5m granted to him as the Spinoza prize into the scheme himself – and this has been doubled by the GAK Foundation. Other sponsors of Netspar are the University of Tilburg with about E7m and other Dutch universities (E6m). The SVB, pension funds and insurers have put in about E9m.

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