The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has awarded funding to a consortium led by the Network for Studies on Pensions, Ageing and Retirement (Netspar) to study the role of the Dutch pensions sector in the sustainability transition.

The directors of Netspar said that they want to “contribute from different scientific angles” more insight into the “preferences of participants, the preconditions within laws and regulations, and the communication about them”.

The Netherlands faces a major challenge in navigating the sustainability transition. With around €2,000bn in assets under management, the Dutch pension and insurance sector has the potential to play a pivotal role both by redirecting capital flows and engaging actively with companies.

Yet, there remains limited understanding of what the sector is willing and able to do, and what pension participants want. Despite its unique position to drive change, the sector’s contribution to the transition remains modest.

Netspar science director, Mathijs van Dijk, explained: “Pension funds manage large assets and face difficult choices in a changing social context. At the same time, previous studies show that participants often have divergent views. This research helps to gain a better understanding of that force field.”

What makes the consortium special is the collaboration between science and the pension sector, and the applicable knowledge it can produce.

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