Leaving WUR a bequest: 'Scientific research helps the world make progress'

‘I always thought I would leave part of my estate to a cause,’ says Ton van der Heijden. ‘But then something scientific, because I feel that’s what helps the world make progress.’ He wants to leave a considerable part of his estate at least to WUR, and his sister is considering the same idea. ‘Neither of us have children, nor do we have any immediate family members still living.’ Van der Heijden studied physics for several years, followed by a long and successful career in ICT. ‘I have always had broad interests. I live in the countryside and I’m interested in biology, ecology and sustainability. I have bookcases full of books about these subjects.’

Remarkably, Van der Heijden is not an alumnus. But he did know that Wageningen does a lot of research in the areas of his interest. ‘I had never been here before, so my sister and I planned a holiday in Wageningen. Then, later on, we spent a day on the campus at the invitation of University Fund Wageningen.’ The Van der Heijden siblings were given a guided tour and several talks on topics of their choice. ‘I let them know in advance which topics we were interested in, such as non-toxic crop protection, biodegradable plastic and the potential for using algae and seaweed for CO2 sequestration, food production and the production of biofuel
and sustainable building materials. In these fields, WUR is a world-class institute.’

It is important to Van der Heijden that the money is used to address the long-term challenges facing the world. ‘Plastic and synthetic materials are going to be a problem for a long time yet, and to me, our future food supply is another important issue, not least in relation to CO2 emissions.’ Another reason WUR appeals to Van der Heijden is that it does not restrict itself to applied research. ‘WUR sees the importance of fundamental research, which is something I firmly believe in myself.’ He has therefore stipulated in his will that some of the money should be used for fundamental research. Meanwhile, Van der Heijden tries to do his bit himself where possible. ‘I have solar panels and I had underfloor heating and a heat pump installed a few years ago. In the garden, I’m replacing paving with things like tree bark as much as possible. My sister thinks sustainability is important too. She suffers quite a lot from flight shame, in fact – which is a bit tricky given that she lives in Spain.’