Following the request of the Dutch Minister for Development Cooperation, Mr. J.P. Pronk, the Tropenbos Foundation prepared a compilation of the present achievements of tropical rain forest research funded by the Dutch government and executed by Dutch research groups. This paper presents a brief review of these achievements and illustrates to what extent Dutch research has contributed to improve conservation and wise use of tropical rain forests. The study includes a review of past and present long-term research programmes. These are presented in the main text and further detailed upon in the annexes. The compilation indicates that Dutch tropical rain forest research has become better geared to societal and policy demands and has become increasingly demand-driven and problem-oriented. The long-term presence of research programmes and the involvement of stakeholders appear to be crucial for successful impacts on forest policy and management.