TU Delft develops world's smallest aeroplane DelFly Micro

At 10-centimetres long and weighing 3 grams, the world's smallest aeroplane was presented by scientists at the Technical University of Delft near The Hague. Resembling a dragonfly, the so-called DelFly

Micro is equipped with a camera and a mini-computer, and flies at a maximum speed of 5 metres per second or 18 kilometres per hour. The tiny craft, which works by remote control, was designed by the Dutch scientists for reconnaissance in areas difficult or too dangerous to access.//[dpa / Expatica/TU Delft

Costs of MVV are still high in Holland

The Advisory Committee on Immigration Affaires (ACVZ) has concluded that the Dutch student visa is one of the most expensive in Europe. In addition, it appears that the administrative costs involved are a major source of irritation to the international “knowledge migrant”.

A comparative study by the ACVZ into the level of migration costs has revealed that only Britain charges a higher price for a visa. For example, visas cost less in Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden and France.

A student from outside the European Union pays €250 for his/her MVV (Provisional Residence Permit) and another €188 on top for the residence permit. "All together that’s €438," calculates Sander Vergeer. “In Sweden they have just one standard fee. Everybody there pays €107.” Vergeer is a policy officer at ACVZ and believes the differences are glaring. "It is even worse if we compare the Dutch fees to those in Switzerland or Belgium,” he says. “Belgium tops it all. A student from outside the EU pays €90 for a visa and €10 for their residence permit.”

Foreign students also face large hurdles if they need to make changes to their residence permit. “Students frequently experience changes in their personal situation. Moving to another institution for example or changing their field of study costs the student €433,” Vergeer explains. “That’s a lot of money. In Belgium, the same change costs €10."

“But the biggest obstacle is the procedural burden,” says Vergeer. “The Netherlands uses the same procedure for an entry visa as for a residence permit. So, two sets of the same requirements, two sets of the same questions and two sets of legal costs." Knowledge migrants in paid work and foreign PhD students also experience a lot of problems, especially when applying for family reunification visas.The Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU) fully endorses the ACVZ conclusions and, in response, points out that some students do not come to the Netherlands due to high legal costs.

Nuffic

Driving and parking in Holland

To drive a car in the Netherlands you must have a valid license, be aged 18, have third party insurance and be driving a registered vehicle. Once you are a resident of the Netherlands, you cannot drive a car registered in another country.

Exchanging a driving license
To exchange (omwissel) your existing national driving license (rijbewijs) for a Dutch one, you must fit into one of the categories below. Otherwise you can use it for 185 days after arrival after which you must pass the regular CBR theory and driving tests (available in English but you may need to pay extra).

“Drivers in international traffic” - essentially a tourist or short-term visitor, are non-residents on the Dutch roads and do not need a Dutch driving license. Dutch licenses are generally issued for 10 years. If you have a license from an EU country, it is also valid for 10 years from the date of issue. You may like to exchange it anyway:  it is a valid proof of identity in many cases.

Licenses that can be exchanged:

• Aruba, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, (States of) Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Isle of Man, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands Antilles, Norway, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Quebec, Spain, Slovenia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Sweden and Switzerland
• Specific licenses from Taiwan, Israel, Japan, Singapore, Andorra, South Korea, Canadian Province of Quebec
• Residents with the 30% ruling status (whatever nationality).

Apply at a municipal office for an ’Aanvraag omwisseling voor Nederlands rijbewijs‘ form; an uitstrekkel: a proof of your registration details; and an ’Uitgebreide Eigen Verklaring‘ a declaration of health form. There are fees for these. If you are applying under the 30% ruling you will need a statement from the tax office. You will forfeit your licence (unless applying under the 30% ruling).

Additional documentation may be required in certain circumstances so check with your own embassy for any specific translation or authentication requirements. You need a special license for a brommer or motorbike and must be over 16 to get one. For all information on driving licences visit the website www.rijbewijs.nl where you’ll find an English language section with comprehensive information.

Expatica

In Holland - 1,376 study programmes in English

Why study in Holand? In the years 2009-2010 international students will be able to choose from 1,391 international study programmes and courses in universities in Holland. This means an increase of 90 international programmes compared to 2008-2009.

Within these 1,391 programmes, 1,006 degree programmes are at bachelor’s or master’s levels. The other 385 are short, preparatory courses for bachelor and master programmes, and preparatory language courses. It is worth mentioning that 1,376 programmes out of the 1,391 are programmes taught in English. The other 15 programmes are taught in a language other than Dutch, such as German or Spanish.// Nuffic

 

Surveys find Dutch in the Netherlands impolite

Internationals living in the Netherlands and Dutch expats living abroad say Dutch people are increasingly becoming more impolite.A survey conducted by Radio Netherlands Worldwide among 1,200 Dutch people living abroad shows that 55 percent of them find the Dutch to be impolite compared to other nationalities.

Sixty-five percent say that the Dutch people back home have become ruder since they left the Netherlands.About 300 expatriates living in the Netherlands filled in a questionnaire – and 1 percent found the Dutch impolite compared to other nationalities. The longer the expatriates live in the Netherlands, the more rude they find the Dutch. Fifty-one percent found it impolite when Dutch people answer them in English when they are trying to speak Dutch.

Expatica 

Holland: Dutch police play games

This evening Dutch TV news reported that some police regions in The Netherlands play games. Games? You mean catching criminals? No, Games!

Police officers of the city of Dordrecht were caught speeding in Amsterdam by a fixed radar photo camera. You have to know, Amsterdam is very very far away from their police district Dordrecht. It turned out that these cops from Dordrecht were not in hot pursuit of a criminal but just racing to win their police game.

The game the police in the city of Dordrecht plays is to drive as far as possible from your police district during you’re shifts and take a picture to prove it. Since the location of police cars is centrally monitored, many police officers have to be involved in this gaming activity.

It is said they planned to race to Paris too.

 

DutchReport

Utrecht University Summer School is popular

International summer schools in Europe are attracting foreign students in ever-increasing numbers. For a number of years now, universities and universities of applied sciences have been organising summer schools as a serious activity to promote internationalisation.

Utrecht University has also seen a rapid increase in the schools' popularity. "We crossed the magic threshold of one thousand students last year," says Jeroen Torenbeek, who is the Director of the Utrecht University Summer School. "We're aiming for at least 1,250 for summer 2008."

The Utrecht Summer School began in 1987 with a single subject, namely Dutch Culture and Society. This was a fairly obvious choice, which was intended to draw international students' attention to the Netherlands. Now, 21 years later, that subject is part of a university-wide programme of some 60 subjects, run in collaboration with Hogeschool Utrecht (Utrecht University of Applied Sciences) and the Utrecht School of the Arts.

"We have created specialist subjects in all fields of study. Nowadays, students fly half way around the world for a three-week course in epidemiology," says Torenbeek, who has been involved in the Utrecht Summer School since its inception. "Last year, we were in doubt as to whether a one-week business course would provide enough reason for people to travel to the Netherlands – until twenty Taiwanese students registered who were willing to make the trip." For a complete overview of subjects offered at the Utrecht Summer School, see www.utrechtsummerschool.nl.

Nuffic

The number of international students in Holland increased to 6.9%

The number of international students at Dutch universities is increasing. Mobility in higher professional education (hbo) has stabilized. 40% of the more than 40,000 international students registered at Dutch universities are from Germany. The number of registered international students increased to 6.9% in the 2007-2008 period, which is below the European average of 7.2%. With regard to the international composition of the list of centrally-registered students, the University of Maastricht and, for higher professional education, the arts courses are taking the lead.

Outbound credit mobility, as part of a study programme at their own institution, is most reported by graduates of the Hotel School The Hague, HAS Den Bosch, Wageningen University and the University of Maastricht. Annual research by the Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market (ROA) of the University of Maastricht continues to show that students can benefit from international experiences during their studies.

Since the beginning of this century Nuffic, the Netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher education, has been collecting quantitative data on the international mobility of students. Over time, the provision of data has much improved. However, the registration of country of prior education still leaves room for improvement in the Netherlands.

Nuffic.nl 

10,000 TU Delft publications available in full text

TU Delft Repository, the online archive with full-text versions of scientific publications from TU Delft, is growing fast. At the end of May the milestone of 10,000 full-text publications was reached.

TU Delft Repository helps to make Delft-based scientific output visible and accessible worldwide. The TU Delft Library is responsible for creating and managing the repository. Read all about it on the TU Delft website.

 

Dutch students are not eager to go abroad

In comparison with colleagues in other countries, Dutch students are not eager to go abroad. In this respect our country scores low on the European Union list. And of those Dutch students who do study across the border, the large majority choose one of the neighbouring countries: the United Kingdom, Flanders and Germany.

Not even a quarter of recently graduated students in the Netherlands has gone abroad for study-related activities. However, in primary, secondary and professionally-oriented education, as well as adult education (BVE), there is an increase in activities with other countries. The biggest percentage of growth in terms of international mobility is recorded in BVE education.

Since 2003 this has more than doubled. These are the main findings of the 2007 Internationalization monitor, compiled by Nuffic, CINOP and the European Platform, on behalf of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.

Nuffic.nl

Saxion University: Hospitality Management programme

Saxion’s Hospitality Business School in the cities of Deventer and Apeldoorn will start an internationally oriented bachelor programme in English. By developing this course, the Hospitality Business School is anticipating the trends in the cross-border hospitality sector.

The market is asking for internationally oriented managers who can work in different cultural settings. What makes the course so unique is its broad focus in the first year on the scope of the hospitality business. From the second year onwards, students will specialize in Hotel Management, Facility Management or Tourism & Leisure Management.

The first year
The focal point of the first year is to offer a full scope of the international hospitality business. You will become familiar with the basics of facility, hotel and tourism & leisure management. Study tours and company visits will give you a realistic picture of the industry. At the end of the first year, you have the opportunity to determine which programme will be your main focus. An increasing understanding of the industry will lead you towards one of three different specialisations: a Bachelor in Hotel Management, in Tourism & Leisure Management or in Facility Management. From the second year onwards, each semester will have a specific focus.

The second year
You’ll start with an industry-specific semester in which you will deepen your knowledge of your specialisation. After that you will gain practical experience by doing a 5-month internship abroad with one of our business partners.

The third year
A minor semester provides you with the opportunity to specialise in a subject of your choice.
You can choose between various option semesters, either at Saxion or at the Hospitality Business School or at other schools at Saxion. This year of your study includes a semester in International Events Management.

The fourth year
This year starts with a semester aimed at strategic issues in your specialisation. Finally, you carry out a graduation project for a company or a research project for the knowledge centre of the Hospitality Business School. For the genuine globetrotter, HBS offers the possibility of following parts of your programme at partner universities abroad.

 

 

We offer two different Bachelor Courses: a full 4-year progamme and a 1 year 'Final Year' construction. By completing our bachelor courses you will be awarded with an internationally recognized bachelors' degree.

• Bachelor in Facility Management 4 years Hospitality 
• Bachelor in Facility Management (Final Year) 1 year Hospitality 
• Bachelor in Hotel Management 4 years Hospitality 
• Bachelor in Hotel Management (Final Year) 1 year Hospitality 
• Bachelor in Tourism and Leisure management 4 years Hospitality 
• Bachelor in Tourism and Leisure management (Final Year) 1 year Hospitality 

Bachelor in Hospitality Management

Utrecht University: New transnational law degree programme

The University of Utrecht will start a unique international law degree programme, the Transnational Law Program. This four-year English-taught combined bachelor’s – master’s programme is offered in cooperation with the Washington University School of Law in St Louis.

The programme will give students a sound base in the field of law during their bachelor’s programme. In addition, they will follow classes in other fields, such as political science and economics. Students will follow this programme at the University College of Utrecht, part of the University of Utrecht. For their fifth semester they will go on an exchange to St Louis. The Transnational Law Program is concluded with a master’s (LLM) of one year in St. Louis.

Conversely, American students will follow most of their Juris Doctor’s (J.D.) study in the US and will come to Holland for one semester of their J.D., and for the master’s. The Transnational Law Program is part of the Liberal Arts & Sciences programme at the University College Utrecht, which has a selection procedure.

American internship

It is the first transatlantic law degree programme that offers students a combined bachelor’s and master’s programme. Students will have the opportunity to do internships at American corporations, law firms, courts, government organizations and non-government institutions. There will be a structured exchange programme of teachers and staff between all participating universities, to ensure that the programme is truly international and well-integrated.

Globalization

The main reason for offering this programme is the continuing globalization, which causes a growing number of legal issues to stretch beyond country borders and jurisdictions. A prime example of this is the current American credit crisis and its effects on the rest of the world. But it doesn’t just apply to the world market. Criminal trials, and cases in the field of environmental and family law, increasingly have an international dimension too. This results in a growing demand for legal professionals who are able to work in different legal systems.

Partners

University College Utrecht and the Faculty of Law of the University of Utrecht are working in close cooperation with the Washington University Law School in the US to offer this programme. In addition, the University of Trentino, Queen’s University Belfast and the Catholic University of Portugal are closely involved in this programme.

Nuffic

Holland: Dutch teens again the happiest

Dutch children are the happiest in the western world, according to a new World Health Organisation survey of 41 European and North American countries, quoted in Wednesday’s Volkskrant. Last year, a Unicef report also found that Dutch teenagers were the happiest in the developed world. The WHO report found that Dutch teens were the most pleased with life. They get on well with their parents and have a large social network.

Dutch children are also particularly happy with their schools, the Volkskrant said. Some 204,000 children aged 11 to 15 took part in the survey between 2005 and 2006. ‘We have to conclude that we live in a country where it is good to grow up, for most children at least,’ Utrecht University researchers Wilma Vollebergh and Tom ter Bogt told the Volkskrant.

While Dutch children do watch a lot of tv, their drinking and smoking habits have changed. Dutch youngsters are no longer among the top-three biggest drinkers. They also smoke less than in other countries, the paper reported. Other Dutch surveys also confirm the decline in smoking and drinking.

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