“For years, the Opening of the Academic Year has been a major event, and I am pleased that we can continue that tradition with Minister Brekelmans. Given his knowledge and prominent role in Dutch politics, he will make a valuable contribution to the theme of this year’s event,” said Koen Janssen, President of the Executive Board, in the press release announcing the program.

This year’s theme is Building blocks for the future. According to the university, the event highlights TU/e’s close cooperation with partners to address global societal challenges and develop innovations that strengthen Europe’s technological sovereignty and global competitiveness.

Logical

Brekelmans shares this perspective. “Without you, we cannot keep the Netherlands safe. What you design, research and develop has the potential to contribute to the security of the Netherlands, Europe and NATO.” The choice of speaker appears logical, given that TU/e held talks with the Ministry of Defense earlier this spring about a possible strategic partnership.

“Defense is a rapidly evolving field due to geopolitical developments, and innovation plays an increasingly important role. That makes the connection between the minister’s field of work and our university a natural one,” TU/e spokesperson Frans Raaijmakers explained.

A Difficult Moment

But for some, Brekelmans’ visit comes at a sensitive time. In recent years, protests have been held across the Netherlands against collaboration with Israeli universities and companies because of their ties to the military and defense industry. Similar criticism has been voiced in Eindhoven, where protests have continued to take place on campus.

This time, University Rebellion Eindhoven (see box) has expressed concern about the choice of keynote speaker. “Within our group, one major question has come up: do universities think it’s fine to sponsor their own funding cuts?” said spokesperson Magdalena Skoda, referring to the budget cuts to higher education announced by the outgoing administration last year.

The activist group supports campaigners in Enschede, who earlier this summer demanded that Prime Minister Schoof be replaced as keynote speaker at the University of Twente’s OAY. According to these groups, including University Rebellion Eindhoven, the current setup of such public events fails to create real dialogue.

No Speech, but a Debate

The format universities choose for conversations between opposing viewpoints is crucial, Skoda argues. “When a powerful politician is given the stage, their authority on academic matters and on the future of academia is legitimized – even when the event is presented as neutral.”

“Rectors of Dutch universities of technology have been saying that the government is increasingly restricting academic freedom. They argue that universities must remain places for research, dialogue, and reflection,” Skoda continued. The group’s message: don’t let Schoof or Brekelmans deliver a speech – give them a place in a debate or panel discussion instead.

A panel discussion will indeed take place during the OAY, but without the outgoing Minister of Defense. The discussion will focus on the question of what conditions The Hague must create to allow innovation clusters such as Brainport to thrive and strengthen Europe’s competitiveness. Among the participants are Eindhoven’s mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem, start-up advisor and Lightyear founder Lex Hoefsloot, and researcher Maaike Okano-Heijmans from the Clingendael Institute.

University Rebellion Eindhoven is a local branch of the national activist movement University Rebellion, part of Extinction Rebellion Netherlands. The movement describes itself as a non-hierarchical, locally organized group rooted in student activism. University Rebellion Eindhoven consists mainly of TU/e students, who stage protests as part of their campaigns.