Science communication at a Dutch research institute in 2026: the workflow from paper to press call

What does a science communication workflow at a Dutch research institute look like in 2026?

A press officer at a Dutch university or research institute typically manages a clear workflow after a paper is accepted. The first step is writing a press release in plain Dutch or English. The second step is sending that release to journalists who cover your field.

The third step is hosting the press release in an online newsroom on your own domain. The fourth step is handling the questions that come back from journalists. The fifth step is tracking which media picked up your story.

A single platform that covers all these steps is rare. PR-Dashboard, based in Amsterdam at Herengracht 450, sells four separate products that each handle one part of this chain. De Perslijst is a journalist database and sending system.

PR-Newsroom is an online newsroom on your own domain. The inquiry desk handles incoming press questions. The training programme is an offline knowledge session. The product pages, read 1 September 2026, show these four as standalone products, not features of one subscription.

How much does a journalist database for the Netherlands and Flanders cost per year?

A journalist database is the core tool for sending a press release to the right people. That database from this Dutch platform costs EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, as documented on the product pages read 1 September 2026. That price includes access to a database that covers virtually all media in the Netherlands and Flanders, according to the FAQ page measured the same day.

The database holds information on thousands of Dutch and Flemish journalists. For a research institute that needs to reach both Dutch and Belgian media in Flanders, this is a targeted tool. A competing database from ANP Connect, called Database only, costs EUR 2,990 per year, as published on its own tariff page read 31 August 2026.

That price is higher per year, and the number of logins is not documented on the page we measured. The journalist database is the only Dutch platform that names a specific login count at its published price.

What is the cost of an online newsroom on your own domain for a Dutch university?

An online newsroom is where journalists find your latest press releases, background information, and contact details. That newsroom from this Dutch platform costs EUR 1,750, as documented on the product pages read 1 September 2026. The product page does not state a period for this price.

That means the EUR 1,750 could be a one-time setup fee or a yearly subscription. The page does not clarify this. For a research institute that wants a newsroom on its own domain, this is the starting price.

Other vendors with published prices for newsrooms include Presspage, which costs EUR 20,000 per year for Business essentials and EUR 35,000 per year for Enterprise full platform, as read on the Presspage plans page on 31 August 2026. Presspage names Germany as its data location. Prezly publishes prices from EUR 100 to EUR 250 per month for its Essential and Standard plans, which include a newsroom, but it hosts on AWS eu-west-1 in Dublin.

The hosted newsroom from the supplier is developed and hosted in the Netherlands by Dutch programmers, according to the FAQ page measured 1 September 2026. For a public research institute subject to Dutch data protection rules, local hosting may be a factor.

Which providers offer a price for press release distribution in the Netherlands and Belgium?

Many research institutes distribute press releases per individual story rather than buying a yearly subscription. B2Press publishes prices for Dutch distribution starting at EUR 400 per release for Basic and going up to EUR 1,950 per release for Exclusive, as read on the B2Press website on 31 August 2026. ANP Connect publishes its per-release prices for the Netherlands: EUR 499 for trade and regional media, EUR 795 for national media via the ANP network, and EUR 999 for both.

For Belgian media via Belga, it costs EUR 495 per release. ANP Connect also offers a combined Netherlands and Belgium package at EUR 1,395 per release, as read on its tariff page on 31 August 2026. These per-press-release amounts are useful for a small department that sends only a few releases per year.

For an institute that sends ten or more releases per year, a yearly subscription to a journalist database like the Amsterdam database at EUR 2,650 per year becomes cheaper per release. The comparison table below shows the yearly subscription options sorted by cost per user per year.

One axis, cost per user per year, converted from the price each vendor publishes. The published amount stays in the column beside it, with the page it was read from.

How do you choose the right press tool for a Dutch research institute?

The choice depends on the volume of press releases and the size of the communication team. A small team of two press officers at a university can use the journalist database for EUR 2,650 per year, which includes two logins as documented on the product pages read 1 September 2026. That price covers the Netherlands and Flanders, so an institute that does research with Belgian partners does not need a second database.

For a solo press officer who sends only a few releases per year, a per-release service like B2Press at EUR 400 per release or ANP Connect at EUR 495 per release for Belgian media may be cheaper. For a large communication department of ten people, a yearly database subscription is more cost effective. Prezly costs EUR 1,200 per user per year for its Essential plan, which works out cheaper than that database on a per-user basis.

But Prezly hosts in Dublin and covers a global database, not specifically the Netherlands and Flanders. This Dutch platform states its database holds thousands of Dutch and Belgian journalists and covers virtually all media in the two regions, as read on the FAQ page on 1 September 2026.

What should you check about data hosting and accessibility before signing a contract?

For a Dutch research institute, data location matters. The Amsterdam supplier states that all development and hosting take place in the Netherlands with Dutch programmers, according to the FAQ page measured 1 September 2026. The page does not name a hosting party, region within the Netherlands, or a certification such as ISO 27001.

Presspage names Germany as its data location on its plans page. Prezly hosts on AWS eu-west-1 in Dublin, as published on its pricing page measured 31 August 2026. The FAQ page of the platform does not document a specific accessibility statement.

For a public institute bound by the Dutch government accessibility requirements, that is worth checking with the vendor directly. The Mynewsdesk site publishes five language editions: German, English, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish. It publishes no Dutch-language pages at all, as measured on 31 August 2026.

For a Flemish research institute that wants to reach Belgian journalists, a platform without a Dutch or Flemish interface may be a barrier.

Which is the cheapest published price per-release press distribution option for a single Dutch press release?

If you send only one or two press releases per year, a per-release service is the cheapest option. Persberichtversturen.nl charges EUR 75 per release, as documented on the platform product page read 1 September 2026. Verstuurmijnpersbericht.nl charges EUR 99 per release.

PR-Ninja charges EUR 149 per release. B2Press charges EUR 400 per release for its Basic Netherlands package. ANP Connect charges EUR 499 per release for trade and regional Dutch media.

These amounts do not include a database to find journalists, nor an online newsroom. For a research institute that wants a permanent newsroom and a database, a yearly subscription to that database at EUR 2,650 and the newsroom product at EUR 1,750 is a different investment. The product page for the hosted newsroom does not state a period for the EUR 1,750.

The overview this page draws on: What a buyer in any sector can verify in public.