At present, at least fifteen EU-funded research projects involve Dutch and Israeli researchers working together on technologies that could also be used for military purposes, Investico reports.

In eight of these fifteen projects, not only the technical universities of Delft, Enschede, and Eindhoven are participating, but also companies affiliated with them. These are spin-offs and start-ups founded by academic staff or (former) students.

In the case of TU/e, one such company is Avular, a university spin-off. In addition to its current involvement, Avular has also previously worked with an Israeli partner, according to Investico’s findings. “In 2017, the company collaborated with Israel Aerospace Industries, an Israeli aircraft manufacturer and weapons producer, on a project to develop unmanned drones for traffic management,” the research collective writes. 

Shares

In response to Investico, Avular stated that it complies with all relevant laws and regulations and does not share sensitive knowledge with other project members. “The company does not disclose what knowledge or technology is involved, nor does it respond to questions regarding its Israeli partners,” according to Investico.

In several of these companies, the universities themselves also hold shares, sometimes through intermediary companies. According to the researchers, this means they also have a financial interest in collaborations with Israeli parties.

Experts quoted in the publication consider it likely that the knowledge developed will be deployed by Israel on the battlefield. For example, work is being done on technology enabling groups of drones to fly in autonomous “swarms.” If one drone is taken out, the others will continue on toward the target.

Independent choices

There are frequent, heated protests against the ties between Dutch knowledge institutions and Israel. Nearly all universities have set up special committees to review these collaborations, but not everyone believes this is sufficient.

All three universities of technology say they are currently working on new rules to reassess their collaborations with Israeli partners. However, TU Eindhoven and the University of Twente told Investico that they do not want to interfere with their spin-offs and start-ups. “These companies make their own decisions.” TU Delft says it wants to evaluate such cases individually.

This article was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor.