Samenvatting

In this interview Jeroen Slot (head of Research & Statistics, Municipality of Amsterdam) and Kees van Paridon (former chief science officer, municipality of Rotterdam) share their ideas and reflect on their extensive experience with linking scientific knowledge and local policy making. They discuss the divergence between established institutions and emergent knowledge needs and the problematic entwinement of scientific knowledge and policy development. Conditions are proposed for the design of intermediaries between the academic and governmental sectors.