The report, entitled Ties of Eindhoven University of Technology with the Israeli industry and academia - Where academia meets arms consortia, calls on TU/e to be more transparent and critically evaluate its international collaborations. The authors remain anonymous, but indicate they’re part of the TU/e community. ‘The research was initiated by individuals associated with the TU/e who were concerned about potential ties between their institution and entities involved in activities that may conflict with international humanitarian law and human rights,’ the report reads.

The authors also write: ‘This report was drafted in response to administrations of universities in the Netherlands refusing or delaying cutting ties with technological companies and Israeli academic institutions that are complicit in genocidal warfare development. As the TU/e is leading in several technological innovations, both in the Netherlands and in Europe, the authors of this report felt the necessity to catalogue the specific ties that the TU/e has with Israeli institutions and companies.’

University Council questions board

Of the fourteen public universities in the Netherlands, twelve have now indicated they are reconsidering their collaborations with Israeli institutions, according to a recent article by EenVandaag. The TU/e, along with Wageningen University, are among the only two that indicate they are not re-evaluating their current collaborations.

Student faction Groep-één - as part of the University Council - has therefore questioned the Executive Board (EB) asking for the reason behind its lack of re-evaluation. In addition, the group asks about the previously mentioned report and wants to know how the EB will move forward from here onwards regarding their position on the conflict in Gaza.

A first written response from the EB will follow later this week, after which the matter will be discussed more in detail at the next University Council meeting on Monday, June 16.

Horizon projects

Through European Horizon projects, TU/e collaborates with Israeli institutions that are also active in military consortia, says the report. Examples are cited from quantum technology, cryptography, 5G/6G communication technology, and other fields. The authors indicate that these technologies may also have military applications, raising ethical questions about the role of the university.

The authors conclude that for legal and moral reasons, European universities, including TU/e, should stop collaborating with Israeli military and academic institutions given the serious violations of international law. They make three recommendations: end ongoing Horizon projects, raise awareness of ethical consequences, and provide additional support to Palestinian students in need.

Conscientious objection

Follow the Money (FTM) inventoried the Horizon projects in which Dutch universities are collaborating with Israeli partners and published an article about this on June 5. Here, FTM quotes a spokesman of the European Commission, which is responsible for the Horizon program, saying that “Military use [...] is legally not excluded under the current rules.”

And even though the rules say that Horizon research should have an exclusive focus on civil applications, the European Commission itself doesn’t verify whether the end product of scientific research will be used militarily, FTM says. So it is up to researchers themselves to set the limits, but “Scientists with conscientious objections cannot simply quit a project because of the dire (financial) consequences of breach of contract,” FTM writes.

Response from TU/e

TU/e spokesperson Ivo Jongsma sent Cursor a written response to the report by the university: ‘We have taken note of the report. We see it as a sign that the authors are concerned about the situation in Gaza, and the position of TU/e. We understand these concerns. We too are deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the ongoing violence. The images and stories touch us deeply. The Executive Board would therefore welcome a discussion with the authors of the report.’

In its response, the university also addresses the content of the report:
‘The report describes projects of collaborative research consortia funded by the EU Horizon program, in which both TU/e and an Israeli party are one of many partners. The information is public and is available on the EU website.

The Horizon program focuses on the development of science and technology with civilian applications. Military projects are excluded from funding. Consequently, the projects described in the report are all focused on non-military knowledge areas, such as quantum technology, semicon, AI, and energy.

Having said that, the Horizon program is open to the development of what are known as dual-use technologies, i.e., knowledge and technology that may also have a military application. To give a simple example: everyone benefits from better batteries, but you can also use them to make a military drone fly better. Horizon allows projects that may involve dual-use, as long as they do not have a clear military objective. The latter is the case with all the projects mentioned. Moreover, many of these projects are still at a low ‘technology readiness level’. In other words, it concerns research that is fundamental in nature, and still far from application.

All research results of the projects are published publicly, as is customary in science and required by Horizon. This allows everyone to learn about the results.