Despite the decline, some members of the TU/e community appear to be vulnerable to socially unsafe behavior. According to the confidential advisors, these include PhD candidates, EngD candidates, employees on temporary employment contracts, and non-EU staff members whose residence permits are tied to TU/e. 

“These groups often express concerns about the potential consequences of bringing up socially unsafe behavior in the workplace,” the annual report states.

The Executive Board acknowledges that younger employees in particular are in a vulnerable position. “This requires explicit attention of senior leadership,” the board writes in a separate section of the annual report.

Stolen bicycle

Although the number of reports concerning inappropriate behavior decreased from 133 in 2024 to 115 in 2025 (a decline of 13.5 percent), the total number of reports increased from 153 to 164. The explanation lies in reports categorized as “non-integrity issues,” which rose from 11 to 37. 

Further inquiry with Henny van Alphen, coordinator of the Integrity and Social Safety Desk, reveals that these issues are unrelated to inappropriate behavior and therefore do not really belong with the desk. “Examples include a stolen bicycle or someone being unable to leave a parking lot,” she explains.

Lab safety

The “actual reports” concern inappropriate behavior, irregularities (violations of internal TU/e regulations, for example regarding laboratory safety), and misconduct (matters prohibited by law, such as fraud). Van Alphen sees the increase in the total number of reports as a positive sign: “It means that more people know we exist and are better able to find us.”

The confidential advisor for scientific integrity handled ten new cases in 2025. “Most of the concerns pertain to the role of senior supervisors, typically full professors,” the annual report explains. It describes it as “unfortunate” that there are “hardly any specific benchmarks” defining what the scientific supervision of researchers should entail. 

Consultancy firm Berenschot is currently conducting a study on the social safety of PhD candidates at TU/e, with particular attention to the relationship between PhD candidates and their supervisors.

Students

Among students as well, a “relatively large proportion” of reports concerns poor supervision, particularly during graduation projects. In total, the student ombudsperson received 27 reports in 2025.

According to the Executive Board, measures are needed to improve communication about the supervision of graduation projects. “But also how supervisors are provided with tools to better understand and take into account differences in cultural backgrounds of (inter)national students.”

Ombudsperson

Reports submitted by employees to the ombudsman were not included in the annual report. This is because a new ombudsperson for staff was appointed in November 2025. Job Luyken succeeded Anna Soedira, who resigned from the position before the end of her term.

TU/e spokesperson Frans Raaijmakers explains: “Due to the change in ombudsman at the end of 2025, no separate annual report will be published for 2025. A report covering an incomplete reporting period would not provide a complete picture. The next report will cover the 2026 reporting year and is expected to be published in the spring of 2027. After that, reporting will resume as part of the regular annual cycle.”

Also new is that, in 2025, the Complaint Committee on Irregularities was dissolved and replaced by a Committee on Whistleblowing. According to TU/e, this change brings the university in line with national guidelines.

Update 12:40 p.m.: spokesperson’s explanation added.

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