Radboud University is still calling for employee nominees for the Heineken Young Scientist Awards. Remarkable, seeing as how the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences severed ties with the organisation last July; this was done due to the beer giant’s ties with Russia.

Klaas Landsman, professor of Mathematical Physics, states he was ‘very shocked’ to receive a call by his faculty board, asking for employee nominations for the Heineken Young Scientist Awards.

The awards for up-and-coming young scientists are sponsored by foundations belonging to the Heineken family; the judging of the awards has been headed by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) since 1964. The awards are quite prestigious, considering that many former laureates went on to win Nobel Prizes.

Nominating scientists

Earlier this year, research platform Follow the Money uncovered the fact that beer multinational Heineken was still active in Russia, despite promises to the contrary. This was highly controversial in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

This revelation did not sit well with the KNAW, who announced last July that they would no longer take care of nominations and selections for the Heineken awards. That is why the brewing company has taken organisational matters into their own hands; they are asking universities to provide their own nominations.

‘Deans can decide for themselves whether or not to provide nominees’

Radboud University has chosen to heed the call. University spokesperson Martijn Gerritsen explains that the faculties were simply apprised of Heineken’s call for nominees. ‘As was the case for previous years, deans can decide for themselves whether or not to provide nominees.’

61 new products

Landsman, who was a recipient of the Spinoza Award, does not care for that response. ‘Despite the KNAW severing ties with the Heineken Awards, universities keep going along with it’, he says.

Does the Executive Board have no compunctions about Heineken’s activities in Russia? Even after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Heineken brought 61 new products to the Russian market through one of its subsidiaries; Heineken had claimed earlier that it was no longer active in Russia.

‘The awards provide opportunities to young scientists’

University spokesperson Gerritsen points out that there is an ongoing discussion with employees and students regarding Radboud University’s mission statement, and with whom they should cooperate. ‘That discussion should lead to advice for the Executive Board. It is possible that this advice will also be valuable in the decision of how to handle the Heineken Young Scientist Awards.’

The spokesperson goes on to say that –after this round of discussions– the Executive Board will be happy to talk to scientists and other universities on the handling of the Heineken awards in the future.

Beer promotion

According to Landsman, the KNAW and Radboud University should have stopped their cooperation with Heineken much sooner. ‘Through these science awards, universities allow themselves to promote beer. This is despite the beer brewer having systematically manipulated scientific results that proved the dangers of alcohol.’

As stated by Gerritsen, whether Radboud University is complicit in promoting beer through its participation in these awards is a valid, but complicated question. ‘The awards provide opportunities to young scientists, who can use that to do independent research’, he says. ‘The Executive Board values a critical discussion of the matter.’

Translated by Jasper Pesch