Frans van Dongen is now a consultant in the field of public sector performance and innovation. Until his retirement on January 1, 2026, he was a programme manager on public performance at the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations in the Netherlands. In this position, he was responsible for the development, exploration, and dissemination of empirical and practical knowledge about the performance of the public sector including drivers for success, efficiency, effectiveness and innovation. He was, for example, the initiator of the Dutch Government Innovation Barometer. He acted in close collaboration with various partners, both nationally and internationally. The purpose of these actions was to inspire and support government organisations to improve their performance. In addition, he was the representative of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations at EIPA’s board of governors and the Dutch member of the steering committee for the European Public Sector Awards.