Organisational structure

How is the NMO organised? Find out more about the structure of the Netherlands Materials Observatory (NMO), including the Steering Committee, Advisory Group, and Programme Secretariat. You can also read about the goals attached to our five programme lines.

TNO employees working in a meeting room

How is the NMO organised?

The NMO is housed at the Geological Survey of the Netherlands (GDN), part of TNO. One of the GDN’s core tasks is to map the Dutch subsurface, along with the associated collection, management, and publication of data and information.

Steering Committee and Advisory Group

The NMO Steering Committee establishes the NMO's strategic frameworks. The relevant ministries, namely the Ministry of Economic Affairs (responsible ministry and chair of the Steering Committee), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, are represented on the Committee. These ministries are jointly responsible for drafting and implementing the National Raw Materials Strategy (NGS), based on their different fields of expertise in relation to raw materials.

The NMO Advisory Group advises the Steering Committee on proposals submitted through the NMO Programme Secretariat. The NMO's key stakeholder groups and knowledge partners are represented in the Advisory Group.

Programme Secretariat

The Programme Secretariat is responsible for the day-to-day operational and tactical direction of the programme. The programme management consists of the following elements:

  • The director acts as a point of contact for stakeholders and ensures the long-term development of the NMO.
  • The programme manager bears full responsibility for the day-to-day implementation and execution of the NMO programme.
  • The programme line coordinators oversee activities within their respective programme lines and manage dependencies between programme lines. They also provide the programme with advice from the field where necessary.
  • The official secretary serves as the secretary of the Steering Committee and Advisory Group.

NMO programme lines

Programme line 1 - Organisation and network: aims to further develop the structure of the NMO, its positioning within the Netherlands, and networking with the Dutch business sector, knowledge institutions, and national observatories within the EU.

Programme line 2 - Value chain monitoring: provides insight into supply chain vulnerability. Methodologies are being developed to obtain such insight and to inform the wider public, policymakers, and, indirectly, politicians about these vulnerabilities.

Programme line 3 - Mineral resources expertise: provides information on mineral deposits and raw material potential within the Netherlands, including mineral intelligence research with a global focus.

Programme line 4 - Data infrastructure: designs, implements, and manages the data and information infrastructure and ICT, making this information available through the NMO website.

Programme line 5 - International knowledge partnerships: develops and facilitates knowledge relationships with resource-rich countries outside the EU, as  part of Dutch or European partnerships, envisaged in the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) and National Raw Materials Strategy (NGS).