The Rathenau Instituut carries out research at the interface of science, technology and society. The Rathenau Instituut’s basic funding is provided by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (and disbursed by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences). In addition, the institute receives external funding by conducting contract research for the European Parliament, the European Commission, the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), Dutch ministries and provincial authorities.
Over the past few years the Rathenau Institute has invested in the Facts and Figures series and an information website about the Dutch Science System.