New policy
University of Amsterdam ends exchange programmes with Israeli and Hungarian institutions
UvA. Photo: Wikimedia / Romaine
The University of Amsterdam has been under a magnifying glass ever since the war in Gaza broke out in 2023. First, protesters demanded the university break off ties with Israeli institutions. After demonstrations were marked by violence and destruction, politicians started to watch UvA's policies with suspicion.
The university asked a dedicated committee to look into "sensitive partnerships". On Thursday, this committee published three recommendations, one of which was to no longer participate in student exchange programmes with Hebrew University in Israel. UvA's Executive Board says it will follow this advice.
The advisory report states that Hebrew University has too strong a connection with the Israeli army. According to the UN, the university, which is located in Jerusalem, also fails to distance itself from the human rights violations Israel commits in Gaza. Israeli students who are already in Amsterdam can finish their studies, but no new exchange students will be accepted. No students from Amsterdam have been going to Israel since the beginning of the war.
China
UvA also asked the committee to look into collaborations with China. Many PhD candidates from China come to the Netherlands with a so-called CSC scholarship, but the committee notes that these students are sometimes required to share information with the Chinese government, which jeopardises knowledge security.
The University of Amsterdam is negotiating a new contract with China. According to the committee, a new agreement with CSC must provide better guarantees "for academic freedom, knowledge security, data privacy and the safety of PhD candidates."
Hungary
In Hungary, it is the European Commission's sanctions policy that is standing in the way of the country's cooperation with 26 universities. The UvA committee sees that Hungarian universities are too much under the control of the repressive Hungarian regime, which represents a threat to academic freedom.