Over the past few weeks, roundtable discussions have taken place at all faculties. On Monday, 24 June, there will be an online town hall meeting in which all students and staff can participate. What is the purpose of this online meeting? And what further steps will the working group take? Yvonne answers some questions for us.

Why was the working group established?

Yvonne: ‘The protests have urged us to face facts. We need to seriously reconsider our existing framework for collaboration with third parties. As an international academic community, we are embedded in the world and collaborate with institutes and individuals worldwide. Therefore, in addition to academic freedom and opportunities, we must also consider responsibilities and possible limits to collaboration.’

What is your task as a working group?

‘We have been asked as an ad hoc working group to advise the Executive Board and the deans on whether additions need to be made to the existing framework. The working group consists of people from different faculties with experience in various university bodies and expertise in subjects such as international law, international relations, and human rights.’

What could be adjusted in the current framework?

‘In light of the current discussion, we are considering possible additions to the current framework, which was established in 2022 following the debate on knowledge security. The current framework only addresses research collaboration, raising the question of whether educational collaborations should also be included. For instance, what do we do about student exchanges?

Furthermore, the current framework only pertains to projects and not to the institutional level. It also only addresses new collaborations. We are considering whether to include existing collaborations in the framework. Another important question is which situations we are talking about. Are we looking at institutions in countries or regions in conflict, or also at institutions in places where gross and systematic human rights violations occur? These are the kinds of questions the working group needs to address.’

What has the working group done so far?

‘We have met several times over the past three weeks and have shared many dilemmas, examples, and information. Based on our discussions, we have drafted an agenda to gather input from the faculties through roundtable discussions. We see that collaboration with third parties and the potential dilemmas it brings are being carefully considered across all faculties, and there is a wealth of experience and substantive expertise that we can draw upon.’

What are the next steps?

‘In addition to the roundtable discussions of recent weeks, we are organizing an online town hall meeting for the entire UvA community this coming Monday. We want to give as many students and staff as possible the opportunity to provide their input. Everyone can register, and I hope many will do so.

The agenda for the town hall meeting is essentially the same as for the roundtables. We ask participants to reflect on the existing framework for collaboration with third parties: should educational collaboration be included in the framework? At what level should collaboration be assessed? Which situations should this framework apply to?’

What will happen next?

‘Before the summer, there will be a consultation via DenkMee, where everyone can provide input. Ultimately, based on all the information and input, we will give advice to the Executive Board and the deans. The timing and format will be determined by the working group in the coming period. I don’t want to set a deadline because this needs to be done carefully.

We will not present a final version of a new framework. Our advice will focus on whether and to what extent additions to the existing framework are desirable or necessary. This is certainly not the end of the discussion, as there is not enough time to thoroughly explore all aspects of this subject.’