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Dutch institutions freeze scientific collaboration with Russia

Image: Bartosz Brzezinski [CC BY 2.0], via Flickr

Dutch knowledge institutes halt joint projects and exchanges with Russia over Ukraine invasion

Universities, colleges, medical centres and research institutes in the Netherlands have ceased cooperation with Russia and Belarus after an appeal from education minister Robbert Dijkgraaf.

On 4 March, organisations representing these institutions confirmed that all activities that fell under formal cooperation with Russia had been stopped for the time being, including financial transactions and the exchange of knowledge and data. Furthermore, researchers from Russian or Belarusian institutions will no longer be invited to participate in the evaluation of research proposals as referees or committee members.

The decision was made in response to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February and has resulted in the deaths of more than 500 civilians so far, according to the UN.

Dutch knowledge institutes said they were deeply shocked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “This is a direct assault on liberty and democracy, which are the fundamental values undergirding academic freedom and cooperation,” they stated in a joint message announcing the freeze on collaboration.

The institutes said they regretted having to take such measures, because “research flourishes through international cooperation and the open exchange of knowledge, insights and ideas”. They said they would therefore continue to support Russian and Belarusian researchers, teachers and students who spoke out against the invasion of Ukraine.

Dijkgraaf stressed the importance of maintaining informal contact with students and researchers in Russia and Belarus. “These contacts will form the basis for normalising relations again later,” he said.

The minister expressed hope that the situation would soon turn for the better so that cooperation with institutions in Russia and Belarus could be resumed in full.

According to a spokesperson for the KNAW academy of sciences, the academy’s research institutes were collaborating with Russia or Belarus on five projects. The European Commission’s compendium on scientific cooperation with Russia states that from 2014 to 2021, Dutch researchers participated in 18 projects that were financially supported by the Russian state.

National support

The UNL association of Dutch universities said that about 920 Ukrainian, 1,650 Russian and a handful of Belarusian students were currently studying in the Netherlands. In addition, several hundred employees with these nationalities are working at Dutch knowledge institutions.

The Dutch government confirmed that students, teachers and researchers from Russia and Belarus who were currently in the Netherlands could stay and receive support if needed, while refugee researchers and students from Ukraine would be given a safe place through a national coordination point that is yet to be established. An additional €1 million has been made available for such assistance by the Dutch research ministry.

Representatives of the Dutch research ministry, the NWO research council, the Young Academy and the KNAW met on 9 March to discuss the creation of the national coordination point. A KNAW spokesperson said they expected the initiative to take shape “soon”.