A new bibliometric analysis method of the University of Leiden shows that the publications of the Strategic Programme of RIVM (SPR (Strategic Programme RIVM )) score well worldwide. SPR publications are cited twice as often as average. In addition, one-fifth of these scientific publications belong to the top 10 of the most cited articles in the world. RIVM shares this honour with other institutes, because most SPR publications have been created in collaboration with others.
Our Strategic Programme was assessed by the Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) of Leiden University. The method used is based on citation analysis, which analyses references to articles in other scientific publications. This gives a good indication of the degree of interest from the scientific world. Compared to the world average, RIVM publications receive citations relatively often. This quantitatively good score is a good indicator of the impact in terms of valuation and application of the publications in other studies worldwide.
Programme for future research questions
Not all RIVM research is commissioned; we also have our own budget for research, innovation and knowledge development. Our strategic programme focuses on topics that deserve extra attention because they can have an impact on our future health and living environment, such as population ageing, the influence of lifestyle and living environment and new threats to infectious diseases. In addition, RIVM also devotes attention to describing the social relevance of SPR (Strategic Programme RIVM ) research. The current round of SPR projects will be completed in 2018 with a large number of scientific publications. In 2019, the programme will start with new main themes and substantial programmes that are currently being worked out in detail.