IISH Annual Report 2015

In 2015, research and collections of the International Institute have turned out to be more relevant than ever. This was apparent not only from the reading room clientele but also from requests for IISH research­ers to appear in person and in the media. Issues relating to social and eco­nomic inequality figure high on the social agenda all over the world. In this debate, the IISH aims mainly to highlight the chronological perspective: the notion that con­temporary problems are often deeply rooted in the past or have occurred before.

For the Institute, the challenges that lie ahead and how we expect to meet them are becom­ing increasingly clear. We approved an ambitious, detailed collection plan and an open access policy. Basic staffing of the Research Department returned to its normal level and the IISH research group achieved a more than satisfactory output of quality publi­cations and, as in 2014, was awarded a number of research grants like an ERC starters grant for Bas van Leeuwen and a NWO Veni for Matthias van Rossum.