Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have a troubled relation with research, researchers, and research institutions. Generally, modern NGOs do not distrust research as such, but they are often wary of the ways in which research is mobilised as a tool for continued exploitation of natural resources, as a resource for institutions that reproduce or exacerbate global inequalities, bought and co-opted by corporate interests. Nevertheless, NGO interventions often build on research results that can be mobilised for campaigning or practical purposes. Just think about environmental campaigns that rely on scientific findings of environmental damage, or patient groups that present findings to support the social importance of ‘their’ illness.

 NGO involvement can take many different forms:

	participation in research policy, e.g. identification of knowledge gaps for research programmes
	lobbying for more research on a particular topic
	use of research results in campaigning
	commissioning of research for campaigning purposes
	research NGOs producing knowledge for own use, or use by other NGOs
	cooperation with academic researchers, formal or informal (e.g. science shops)

Meanwhile, new forms of engagement are constantly being explored, e.g. ‘co-operative research’, distributed knowledge production, etc.

	involvement of NGOs in research policy (Netherlands or European Union)
	theory of participation and the problems of research participation
	research done by NGOs, e.g. Médicins sans Frontières’ bush medicine
	examples of co-operative research in current research programme of the European Commission
	conflicts over framing of research or knowledge-intensive policies, e.g. biofuel debate

	How do NGOs position themselves with respect to research policy?
	What are NGO experiences with participation in EU or Dutch research policy?
	How do conflicts over framing of research get resolved (or not)?

	Have a background in policy sciences or political science and are interested in participation issues
	Students with basic social science training interested in policy areas with high NGO involvement, or with NGO experience

	Possible combination with NGO internship
	Possible combinations with European research network on this topic
	Participation in ongoing research (NGOs in Dutch environmental research and environmental policy)