ScienceGuide in danger

ScienceGuide is a 26-year-old platform providing news and op-eds about higher education and research. In an article published on January 24, the platform claims to have an “insufficient financial perspective”, even though the site has more readers than ever.

Seven universities of applied sciences are "partners" with the publication, namely Zuyd, Saxion, Rotterdam, HKU, Fontys, Aeres and HAN. The platform also receives contributions from the Taskforce for Applied Research SIA, the ICT foundation SURF, and the Platform Talent voor Techniek.

Research universities
Only one research university supports the website: the small Protestant Theological University. In the past, the website was also supported by universities such as Rotterdam, Maastricht, Groningen, Utrecht and VU Amsterdam, but all of them have withdrawn their financial backing.

What’s more, Maastricht University recently tried to reclaim 50,000 euros that had been invoiced and paid, even though their agreement had already expired two years prior. At the time, ScienceGuide said that this was a form of harassment and silencing the free press. A settlement was reached, but it’s clear that the site is not yet free of financial problems.

Paywall
Even if subscribers save the website, its content will be hidden behind a paywall. “The website would be exclusively accessible to partner institutions and subscribers”, writes the editorial team.