Michiel is the general director and chair of the board of NEMO Science Museum since 2003. Under his leadership NEMO became the largest Science Museum in the Netherlands. Michiel is convinced that the role and impact of science centers and museums will grow and he is committed to work on public engagement for a better world. As an experienced cultural entrepreneur he has a special interest in finding sustainable business models for science centres and museums of different sizes. Michiel is a member of the supervisory board of several cultural and scientific institutions and networks in the Netherlands.
"Science and Technology are incredibly important in terms of keeping the world healthy and liveable," Michiel says, "not just for ourselves, today, but also for our children and their grandchildren. It is important for every member of the public to question the world around them, to be aware of what is happening, to seek answers and to assess their worth. This often starts at the very moment of inspiration, something we call the “spark”. Their exhibitions and activities make science museums and science centres ideal places in which to discover that doing science is not only extremely useful, it is also a lot of fun."
More than 70% of the costs of NEMO are generated from own revenues and about 30% comes from a contribution from the central government, from business partners, science organizations and funds. Michiel strongly believes in cultural entrepreneurship and the ability to find creative ways to finance our new exhibitions and programs.
NEMO is the largest science museum in The Netherlands and is meant for visitors of all ages. NEMO allows a wide audience to actively experience how fascinating, fun and useful science and technology are. NEMO does this with a large variety of programs, exhibitions, activities and events inside and outside the museum.
