Message on behalf of the TU Delft Applied Sciences PhD council:

Please find below a link to the online petition we as the PhD council of Applied sciences have made for automatic extensions for both PhD and Postdoc contracts due to the delays experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can find the link to the online petition and the publicly available open letter to Ingrid van Engelshoven (minister of education, culture and science) below. It explains our initiative in detail and the concerns PhDs and postdocs currently have.

https://petities.nl/petitions/contract-extensions-for-phd-students-and-postdocs?locale=en

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hCRqBDwMhoiIV3GKLOO0rId-LFY418JVvmkdd3q0u_o/edit?usp=sharing

We have made this petition in the wake of success of similar petitions in the UK, Canada and discussions underway in Germany in the hope that the same discussions can begin in the Netherlands!!

We would very much appreciate that if you agree with this initiative you sign the petition and support us by making the rest of the academic community not only at TU Delft but in the Netherlands aware of its existence. 

I would like to point out, however, that this initiative is not necessarily meant to achieve exactly what we are asking for in the petition, but primarily to raise awareness for the issues PhDs and postdocs face during this crisis and increase the chance of unified support for all. Even if you feel this may not be a direct need for you yourself (or you have already received an extension), we ask you to consider those who may be facing more stressful situations or less supportive environments, and sign for them if you feel inspired. 

If you have further questions or would like more information, feel free to send me an email.

Thanks very much in advance,

Best regards,

Rebecca McKenzie

on behalf of the TU Delft Applied Sciences PhD council