A research consortium headed by Rob van Tulder, Professor of International Business-Society Management at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) will receive 700,000 euros from the 'Sustainable Business Models' programme of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). The consortium studies the transition to sustainable business models. A total of five consortia of researchers, organisations and companies will receive money from this NWO programme.

The consortium ‘Transition to sustainable business models: leadership and the measurement of shared value creation' is headed up by Prof. Rob van Tulder. The organisations participating in the consortium are Erasmus University Rotterdam, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, University of Amsterdam, Utrecht University, TNO Hoofddorp (Labour), Phusis Foundation and the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs.

The transition from a traditional business model to a sustainable business model demands fundamental changes in business processes and new forms of leadership. A precondition for this transition is the measurement of progress and impact. The interdisciplinary consortium that Van Tulder heads brings together knowledge from various disciplines in order to offer solutions to three sectors: healthcare, food security and energy/biodiversity. These sectors are confronted with so-called 'wicked problems', problems that are difficult to define and require the involvement of stakeholders. The research will therefore also be partly action-oriented and performed together with social groups and businesses, in order to generate insights that are not just fundamental scientific ones, but that are also socially relevant.

The ‘Sustainable Business Models' programme

NWO's ‘Sustainable Business Models’ programme hopes to develop new knowledge and methods that can accelerate the transition to sustainable business models in the Netherlands. Scientists, companies, government bodies and social organisations work together in the consortia, bringing academic disciplines such as business administration, innovation sciences, psychology and economics together with companies and other organisations.

The five consortia will investigate the factors that play a role in successful sustainable business. New forms of entrepreneurship and the role of purchasing departments are just a few of the subjects that the researchers are addressing. The research is being performed in close collaboration with the companies and organisations involved.

Along with NWO, two organisations that promote sustainability, Het Groene Brein (The Green Brain) and De Groene Zaak (The Green Deal) have taken the initiative for the programme. NWO determined the research subjects together with various financially contributing companies and organisations.

Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) is ranked among Europe’s top 10 business schools for education and among the top three for research. RSM provides ground-breaking research and education furthering excellence in all aspects of management and is based in the international port city of Rotterdam - a vital nexus of business, logistics and trade. RSM’s primary focus is on developing business leaders with international careers who carry their innovative mindset into a sustainable future thanks to a first-class range of bachelor, master, MBA, PhD and executive programmes. RSM also has offices in the Amsterdam Zuidas business district and in Taipei, Taiwan. www.rsm.nl

For more information on RSM or on this release, please contact Marianne Schouten, Media & Public Relations Manager for RSM, on +31 10 408 2877 or by email at mschouten@rsm.nl.

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