Universities and Ministry of Defense sign letter of intent

Billions of additional euros will be allocated to the Ministry of Defense in the coming years, part of which has been earmarked for knowledge and innovation. The question is where the armed forces will get that knowledge and innovation.

Last year, universities of applied sciences already said they were ready to contribute. Now the Association of Universities in the Netherlands (UNL) is joining them. On Monday, State Secretary Derk Boswijk (on the right in the photo) and UNL President Caspar van den Berg (on the left) signed a “letter of intent.”

Free world

Van den Berg seems to consider the collaboration self-evident. Universities are at the heart of society and are eager to contribute to solutions for major societal challenges. “That includes peace, security and resilience,” he says when asked.

He emphasizes that this is not just about technological research at universities. Universities also conduct research into, for example, the consequences of war, effective decision-making in crisis situations and trauma among military personnel following a peacekeeping mission.

He believes the collaboration also strengthens the universities’ own continued existence. “We provide education and conduct independent research. We can only do that in a free world where there is peace.”

Confidentiality

The sensitive issue in this collaboration is, of course, academic freedom. Open and free research, preferably with colleagues from around the world, can sometimes conflict with the confidentiality that Defense may require.

That is why university administrators did not rush to sign such an agreement. They held a series of talks with people from the Ministry of Defense “to learn to speak each other’s language,” Van den Berg says. “We wanted to understand their needs and make clear why the universities wanted to do this within a clear framework.”

Academic freedom and scientific integrity would be non-negotiable. The statement says: “Because this is also where the strength of science lies, these principles are important to Defense as well.”

Existing collaboration

The statement comes at a time when universities have already been working with Defense for quite some time. Letters of intent have even been drawn up with individual universities. TU Delft, for example, signed one in April 2025, nearly a year and a half ago. The military even has its own “base” on that campus.

Researchers can also already apply for funding through research funder NWO for research that could help advance the military. The first ten grants have now been awarded, nine of them to technical universities and one to the University of Amsterdam.

Still, Van den Berg says it is useful to have one joint letter of intent. He believes this will allow discussions about new research to get to the heart of the matter more quickly.

Finances

Few, if any, financial agreements have been made. The universities and Defense have agreed only that they will follow the universities’ current “cost system.”

Collaboration can therefore take place through research funder NWO, through direct contract research at the universities themselves, and through collaboration with the Netherlands Defense Academy, an educational institution of the armed forces.

Interest in Defense has been fueled not only by geopolitical developments, but also by the previous government’s budget cuts to higher education and, conversely, by major investments in Defense. In addition, the armed forces are eager for knowledge and innovation.

Students

Students can now also take a military minor. This is possible not only at many universities of applied sciences, but also at several universities. Students are then appointed as reservists, receive a salary, and learn “basic military skills.”

The National Union of Students opposes collaboration between universities and Defense and speaks of a “major negative impact on academic freedom.” The union argues that academic freedom is already under pressure, and now Defense is getting involved as well.

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