HISTORICAL BACKGROUND TO THE FOUNDATION OF IIAS The foundation of IIAS marks the outcome of more then ten years of drastic changes in higher education in The Netherlands which resulted in, among other things, substantial cuts in the budgets especially of the humanities and social sciences. In the eighties several reports were produced which signalled that important scientific research and education was about to disappear in the humanities and especially in what is usually called in The Netherlands the Kleine Letteren (disciplines which include in particular Oriental studies). To name but a few: the 'Uhlenbeck Report' and the report of the Faculty of Arts Committee of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences: 'Tegen de Stroom'. These reports alerted polticians, which resulted in the foundation of the 'Committee Kleine Letteren', more frequently called the 'Staal Committee', after its chairman J.F. Staal, professor emeritus of philosophy and of South Asian languages, University of California at Berkeley, on 18 July, 1989. THE STAAL COMMITTEE AND 'BABY KRISHNA' The main task of the Committee was to formulate proposals on how to secure and improve the quality of research and education in the field of the Kleine Letteren and the social sciences, the latter in as far as they were supportive to the former. Furthermore, the Committee was to advise on the future position and institutionalization of these fields of study. Most of the advice given by the Committee in its report called 'Baby Krishna' pertained to Asian studies. It stressed the necessity for the extension of and the consequent support for Asian studies. The foundation of an International Institute for Asian Studies was seen as one of the means to strengthen Asian studies in The Netherlands. In addition, it was suggested that the Netherlands Ministry of Education and Sciences take steps on the international level to establish a European Foundation of Advanced Asian Studies. The planned International Institute for Asian Studies would function as an adminstrative office for this Foundation. It was also to organize post-doctoral courses, meetings, workshops, and seminars in the field of Asian Studies and to provide facilities for scholars who would receive fellowships from the future European Foundation for Asian Studies and other institutes of higher learning. In its report, the Staal Committee laid special emphasis on the linguistic and cultural aspects of Asian studies, while the situation in the field of the social sciences remained underexposed. The Committee was aware of this omission and therefore its first recommendation was to set up a new Committe to advise on the strengthening of this aspect of Asian studies, in this way stressing the complementary relation between humanities and social sciences. The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences installed a Committee on May 1, 1991, to investigate the position of the social sciences in the field of Asian studies. THE VAN DEN MUIJZENBERG COMMITTEE AND 'KRISHNA IN THE DELTA' The main task of this Committee, headed by professor O.D. van den Muijzenberg, was to advise on the position, institutional structure, and tasks of the social sciences in relation to the proposals devised by the Staal Committee and to formulate proposals on how to improve and secure the quality of research in the field of Asian studies in the social sciences and humanities. In its report 'Krishna in the Delta', which was published October 30, 1991, the Committee also underlined the importance of a future Asia Institute as suggested by Staal c.s. It viewed the establishment of such an institute as an important step towards the internationalization of Asian studies. It describes its main tasks as the implementation of an internationally oriented research fellow programme and the strengthening at an international level of research in close co-operation with other important European Institutes in the field of Asian studies. Furthermore, the institute should act as an international conference centre; and perform a bridging function through co-ordination of information networks. THE KNAW WORKING-GROUP On December 4, 1991, the Board of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences installed a working-group consisting of members of the Centre for Asian Studies Amsterdam (CASA), the Centre for Non-Western Studies (CNWS) and the Royal Institute for Anthropology and Linguistics (KITLV), who were to define the structure and tasks of a post-doctoral International Institute for Asian Studies. By that time, the parties involved had already decided that the institute would be founded jointly by the University of Amsterdam, the Free University of Amsterdam, Leiden University and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences and that it would be located in Leiden. The working-group produced a report which was published December 20, 1991. As the main tasks of the International Institute for Asian Studies it outlined: to set up a post-doctoral programme for Dutch and foreign researchers and to use this programme to develop scientific agendas to strengthen the academic endeavour in the field of Asian studies. Furthermore, the institute should function as a platform for international scientific co-operation, and co-ordinate scientific activities in the field of Asian studies. It should also represent The Netherlands on the board of the future European Foundation for Asian Studies. Moreover, the working-group stressed that the institute should co-operate closely with other Dutch scientific organizations in the field of Asian studies. It was expected to play a stimulating and integrating role in the field of Asian studies in Europe through organizing international workshops, conferences, a data-base and by publishing a newsletter. Leading scholars from foreign countries should be invited to give a strong impetus to existing and future research programmes. The research fellows working at the institute should also co-operate with other institutes and research clusters and they should participate in the educational activities of universities and other institutes. CONSOLIDATION OF THE KLEINE LETTEREN In 1992 a memorandum of understanding called 'Consolidatie van de Kleine Letteren' was signed by J.M.M. Ritzen, Minister for Education and Sciences, and the presidents of the universities of Leiden (RUL), Groningen (RUG), Amsterdam (UvA and VUA), Utrecht (RUU), Nijmegen (KUN), and of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). In the memorandum it was stipulated that the RUL in conjunction with the UvA, the VUA and the KNAW would found the International Institute for Asian Studies. Its main task would be the strengthening of the humanities and social sciences in the Netherlands with special emphasis on South, Southeast, and East Asia. A board consisting of representatives of the constituent institutions (RUL, UvA, VUA, KNAW) would bear the responsibility for the policy of the Institute. The financial means were declared as follows (in millions of Dutch florins): 0.68 (1992), 1.2 (1993), 1.7 (1994) and 2 (1995). On 8 May, 1992, the Board of the KNAW appointed a provisional board presided over by the chairman of the Committee for Humanities and Arts of KNAW, Professor P.W. Klein. Its main tasks were to draft a definitive version of the co-operation agreement between the constituent institutes and to appoint the Board of the future institute. FOUNDATION OF IIAS On 8 January, 1993, the first Board of the International Institute for Asian Studies was installed under the chairmanship of Professor F.A.M. Husken (KUN). The co-operation agreement between the constituent institutions was signed in the summer of 1993. In Article 2 of the agreement, the objectives and activities of the International Institute for Asian Studies were finally defined as follows: 1 To set up and execute a post-doctorate programme for Dutch and foreign researchers. 2 The organization of international scientific gatherings. 3 To act as a national centre for Asian studies to improve international co-operation in the European context. 4 To develop other activities in the field of Asian studies such as the publication of a newsletter or the establishment of a data-base which should contain up-to-date information on current research in the field of Asian studies. In the coming years IIAS will do its utmost to realize these objectives but it is aware that its success will also be determined by the degree of co-operation which will be achieved in the field of Asian studies in the future.