THE HAGUE – The future Knowledge Center for Kingdom Relations will begin the next phase of its development in September, focusing on securing funding, building a network across the Caribbean and European parts of the Kingdom, preparing research projects and expanding its team.
The preparations were outlined by Tanja Fraai, communication and network adviser of the knowledge center. Leiden University previously announced that the center is expected to officially open in September 2027.
The preparatory team will begin consultations with researchers, knowledge institutions and other organizations in the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom and the Netherlands. These discussions will help determine the research themes and questions that the center will focus on.
A website will also be developed to provide information about the center’s activities and introduce the members of the team.
Initial funding for the preparation phase is being provided by Campus The Hague. However, additional funding is still needed for the long-term development of the center and its research activities.
The Knowledge Center for Kingdom Relations aims to collect existing knowledge about the political and administrative relationships within the Kingdom of the Netherlands and coordinate new research. Planned areas of focus include socioeconomic development, security, climate change and migration.
Leiden University has stated that the center will be built together with researchers and institutions from the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. However, the exact structure for how Curaçao, Aruba, Sint Maarten and the Caribbean Netherlands will participate in governance and decision-making has not yet been finalized.
The current preparatory team consists of project leader Wouter Veenendaal and communication and network adviser Tanja Fraai. An additional education and research officer will also be recruited as part of the expansion of the team.
The creation of the knowledge center comes amid ongoing discussions about the future of Kingdom relations, cooperation between the Netherlands and the Caribbean countries, and the need for more research and exchange of knowledge on shared challenges.