As from 31 August 2009, some 20 talented young academics will be at work in the new FNWI faculty building to tackle the question of how consumers can be spurred on to make energy-efficient choices.

Professor Bart Noordam, FNWI dean and co-founder of the National Think Tank (Nationale DenkTank), has hosted an official welcome for the Think Tank members on Tuesday, 1 September. For the next three months, 21 Master's students, recent graduates and PhD students - including four from the UvA - will be investigating the question: ‘What and who can stimulate consumers to choose energy-efficient solutions and renewable decentralised energy sources?'

On 12 December, on the eve of the Climate Conference in Copenhagen, the Think Tank will present its plans to the Dutch Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment.

The National Think Tank is an annual initiative joining around 20 Master's students, recent graduates and PhD students, who are selected on the basis of their intellectual capacities, interpersonal ability, creativity and interest in issues affecting society.