The article addresses the realization of the CLHC in 2013, the origin of the centre’s name and the quality and quantity of the forensic scientific research performed within the research centre.

The importance of a flourishing forensic academic programme for both the education system and the forensic practice in the Dutch criminal justice system is illustrated by a number of successful research projects like ARISTA, the first test site in the Netherlands where taphonomic research can be carried out under Western European climate conditions, and the collaboration between UvA, TNO and NFI with regards to research into energetic materials, from which new methods are emerging for the chemical profiling of explosives.

To conclude, the article highlights the most recent initiative to achieve a Dutch research agenda, the ‘Nederlandse Forensische Onderzoeks Agenda’(NFOA), with which the CLHC hopes to give the forensic academic network a truly national character.