The University of Twente (UT) will enter into new scientific partnerships with organisations based in conflict areas only if the partnership demonstrably contribute to peace and the protection of human rights. The Executive Board has adopted this policy, following the positive advice of the University Council. UT will apply this principle with immediate effect.
Precautionary principle
The UT feels a responsibility to prevent possible involvement in research whose end use could contribute to human rights violations, war crimes or genocidal violence. In practice, information about the role of partners from conflict areas is not always available or reliable, and the potential end use of research results in these situations is unpredictable.
The current situation in Israel and Gaza, Sudan, Ethiopia and Yemen, for instance, with immense human suffering, ongoing violence and violations of humanitarian law, underlines the urgent need for clear and careful policy on scientific collaborations in conflict areas. In particular, the intense situation in Israel and Gaza calls for explicit reflection on the ethical boundaries of collaboration, given that the UT has a relatively large number of collaborative relationships in this area compared to other conflict areas. These dramatic events not only affect those directly involved, but also cause tensions, discussions and moral dilemmas within our academic community, with questions about responsibility, solidarity and academic freedom becoming increasingly prominent.
The UT, therefore, considers it extremely important to exercise caution and has decided to enter into new collaborations partnerships with organisations based in conflict areas only if they demonstrably contribute to the protection of human rights, the prevention of violence, the alleviation of humanitarian suffering, peace initiatives, science diplomacy, or reconstruction. In such cases, strict ethical supervision and careful assessment are applied to prevent the misuse of research results.
Based on core values
At the University of Twente, we collaborate internationally with partners worldwide, for example, through the ITC faculty. Based on its specific mission, ITC often works in countries experiencing political instability, natural disasters or post-conflict situations. The precautionary principle is broadly applicable, so that in all such complex contexts, the university continues to take its core values of fairness, sustainability, openness and inclusion as a guide for its actions. This provides a basis for carefulness, consistency and transparency.
Tto provide clarity to researchers when initiating international collaborations, particularly in the context of grant applications, the university uses objective guidelines for identifying conflict areas. The list of countries where the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has key operations is used as a starting point for this. We realise that this may not provide a comprehensive and complete overview, as there are other regions where serious human rights violations or a tense political situation may affect collaboration. Collaborations with partners from these areas will be assessed individually based on the nature of the research and the context of the situation.
Ongoing collaborations
The policies of funding bodies generally allow only minimal scope for early termination on such grounds. As long as there are no other options for early termination of ongoing collaborations, existing projects in which UT participates as a consortium partner will be continued. We will complete these projects within the framework of the agreements made.
We find it desirable that funding bodies also take responsibility in their policies and working methods to prevent research taking place whose end use may contribute to human rights violations, war crimes or genocidal violence. The University of Twente will therefore share our position and concerns about the conflict situation, human rights and humanitarian suffering with them.
Distinction between forms of collaboration
The UT will continue to uphold academic freedom. This means, among other things, that:
- Individual and informal scientific collaboration with researchers from conflict areas will remain possible, unless prohibited by law.
- Supervision of individual students from such countries will remain possible, provided that it does not involve military technology or technology with clear military applications.
- Participation in ongoing projects can be completed under existing cooperation agreements.
Joint policy development in a broader ethical context
This policy on scientific collaboration with partners in conflict areas builds upon broader discussions within the university regarding moral and ethical issues in scientific collaboration. Since 2024, a temporary working group established by the Executive Board has been developing an assessment framework for addressing ethical and moral issues. This also includes consideration of establishing a permanent advisory committee in this area. The current working group comprises experts in the fields of human rights, ethics, safety, and student participation. This working group has prepared this policy, which focuses on the precautionary principle, in consultation with the Strategic Board of the University of Twente, comprising the Executive Board, the deans of the faculties, and the scientific directors of the institutes. The Executive Board would like to thank the University Council for its constructive input on this subject over the past period.
Intensive discussions have been held in recent months, during which earlier advice from the University Council was also carefully considered. This broad approach underscores the importance of addressing complex ethical and social issues in a transparent and supportive manner. As ethical considerations touch on the core of scientific integrity and social responsibility, these are issues that concern everyone within the academic community.
In the coming period, we will continue to discuss the meaning of this precautionary principle and its practical implications. We aim to facilitate this through a university-wide dialogue that allows for diverse perspectives. We are also continuing to work on establishing a permanent advisory committee for moral and ethical issues surrounding scientific collaborations.
