The best of both worlds. I’m a researcher with multiple years of experience as practitioner. I obtained my PhD degree in February 2016 at University of Twente, based on a research on Accountability of Cohesion Policy in the Netherlands. I executed this research (mainly) in my spare time next to having a job in the implementation of ERDF in the northern part of the Netherlands at SNN (Samenwerkingsverband Noord-Nederland). After having worked in academia for 1,5 years, I am currently working for The Netherlands Court of Audit (Algemene Rekenkamer), where I focus on EU related issues, and more specifically on the Declaration of Assurance on the expenditure of EU funds in the Netherlands. In my PhD research, I formulated a theoretical framework on accountability, based on the academic literature on accountability, which had been more theoretical than practical until then. I used this framework to analyze the situation of ERDF in the Netherlands, focusing on the actors on European, national and regional level. By classifying all the (accountability) relationships between those actors, a view comes up of the situation of accountability and also on the flaws in the system. The research is based both on desk research (regulations and documents) and interviews with actors (e.g. European Commission, European Parliament, European Court of Auditors, Ministry of Economic Affairs, The Netherlands Court of Auditors and authorities responsible for the implementation of ERDF in NL). My strong points are my analytical skills and the ability to assess the implications of policy and decisions on its implementation. Next to my experience with Cohesion Policy and its implementation, I have a lot of experience with the process of acquiring and implementing grants. I love to be a 'spider in the web' for ongoing projects, a process of implementation and to connect both people and information. Improvements are what I'm always focused at.