Short news
Universities and universities of applied sciences are once again being given the freedom to recruit international students in a targeted manner. According (in Dutch) to Minister Letschert, there is ‘no conflict between internationalisation and Dutch interests’. Whereas the previous government had planned to make cuts, the new coalition has opted for a different course and is making €154 million available for a ‘talent strategy’.
Part of this budget is intended to attract international talent to sectors facing staff shortages. In doing so, the ‘balance’ must be maintained, so that benefits do not lead to problems with accessibility or capacity.
Good accessibility
Institutions will be given greater autonomy to determine, on a programme-by-programme and region-by-region basis, where international students add value and where limits are needed, for example through a numerus clausus. Growth in one sector may mean restrictions in another.
The PVV political party fears Dutch students will be displaced, but according to Letschert, there is no evidence to support this. Higher education is generally easily accessible; only 5% of students are unable to start their first-choice programme.
However, the government does want greater control over internationalisation through administrative agreements, including on intake, language proficiency, retention rates and accommodation. Universities had previously promised a maximum of 16,766 international undergraduate students. Without a national language test, financial control remains the main means of control: institutions receive funding up to a set number of students. (HOP, NB)
In future, universities and universities of applied sciences will be permitted to make regular contributions to student sport, culture and campus facilities such as canteens. Minister Letschert announced this in a letter (in Dutch) to Parliament on student wellbeing.
Until now, institutions were officially only permitted to spend public funds on education and research. Stricter enforcement threatened to make sports clubs and cultural initiatives considerably more expensive. Following protests, this policy had already been temporarily relaxed.
The government now wishes to allow this support on a permanent basis via an exception to the rules. The exact details are not yet known.
Social cohesion
Research shows that without support, student sport and culture would ‘deteriorate’ or even disappear. Although subsidising such activities may conflict with fair competition (for example, with commercial gyms), Letschert considers the social value to be decisive. According to her, sport and culture contribute to students’ well-being, social cohesion and personal development.
She also wishes to exempt student canteens and other facilities for students and staff. Without this amendment, institutions might have to repay funds, which the minister considers undesirable. (HOP)
On Tuesday 2 June, TU Delft students and staff can dispose of their unwanted household items during the Decluttering Day. Between 11:00 and 15:00, the lawn on the corner of Balthasar van der Polweg 3 and Leeghwaterstraat will serve as a collection point for unused items.
Those clearing out their homes can hand in furniture, kitchenware, clothing, books and sports equipment here. Bulky waste and mattresses, as well as scrap metal, white goods and brown goods (with plugs), will also be accepted. Construction and demolition waste, chemical waste and commercial waste will not be accepted.
‘Ontspulknul’
The campaign is an initiative of foundation de Ontspulknul, in collaboration with DUWO, the Schroeder charity shop and waste processor Avalex. Reusable items are given a new lease of life through the charity shop; other items are processed sustainably.
The foundation was established by TU alumnus Jan Bosma (Physics, Mathematics), who, whilst participating in the National Think Tank, conducted research into the impact of ‘overcrowded households’. Together with Iris Eggink, he subsequently launched the Ontspuldagen, with the aim of helping 100,000 people dispose of their unwanted items responsibly within five years.
Decluttering Day
- Tuesday 2 June, 11.00–15.00
- The lawn on the corner of Balthasar van der Polweg 3 and Leeghwaterstraat
- A team will be on hand to help carry and sort items
- Donations will be rewarded with a free ice cream
“The direction in which the university is heading is no longer determined by our own academics but by consultants,” writes Paula Fikkert, Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Radboud University Nijmegen, in an internal email to all faculty staff. The university is said to be primarily focused ‘on the effective deployment of staff and finances, and the efficient training of students’. She has announced her resignation as dean, reports the university magazine Vox.
Fikkert, who had been a professor for 25 years before becoming dean, is reported to have cited two reasons for her departure. She has secured an ERC research grant and can no longer combine her work as a researcher with her role as dean. However, she also states that she no longer agrees with the direction taken by the university board.
Her farewell email has sparked a great deal of reaction. A group of Radboud staff have drafted an open letter, reports Vox, in which they echo her criticism.
Institution
Criticism has also been voiced at other universities that universities of applied sciences and universities are being run too much like businesses. A professor at Leiden University says she recognises the problem within her own institution. “This report touches on a broader concern I have had for some time regarding the direction in which universities are heading,” she writes.
(HOP, NB)
Is your university trying to save water and energy? Is sustainability a focus in teaching and research? And what about the canteen? The idealistic Students for Tomorrow have assessed thirteen higher education institutions. This is the fifteenth time they have produced their SustainaBul ranking.
TU Delft is in the middle of the pack (PDF in Dutch) with a silver medal. Van Hall Larenstein has equalled Wageningen University’s record: for the sixth time, this university of applied sciences tops the rankings. In second and third place are VU University Amsterdam and Wageningen University. Avans University of Applied Sciences and Radboud University Nijmegen are also among the frontrunners, say the creators of the rankings.
Around forty rankers contributed to the rankings. They searched for publicly available information and sent a questionnaire to the institutions. Educational institutions were able to respond to a preliminary outcome and, if desired, provide additional information. The ranking no longer includes exact scores. Instead, you can see across eight different themes whether the institutions are in the leading group (gold), score averagely (silver) or remain in the lower ranks (bronze). The creators want to place less emphasis on mutual competition, according to the press release.
The students have included all universities and the largest universities of applied sciences in the ranking. Art colleges and pabo’s (teacher training colleges for primary education) are not included in the list. Inholland University of Applied Sciences is at the very bottom of the list. (HOP, BB)
There must urgently be guidelines for dealing with AI in science, says the Rathenau Institute. Incorrect use ‘undermines the reliability of scientific knowledge and trust in science’.
The call is a response to a report in the Dutch newspaper Volkskrant, which describes how AI is advancing science in various disciplines.
But there are many risks associated with AI, the Rathenau Institute warns. Generative AI, such as ChatGPT, puts ‘core scientific values under pressure’, such as integrity, independence and reliability. The Rathenau Institute also sees a strong rise in AI-generated fake articles. Clear rules must therefore be introduced quickly.
Tracing research
According to a survey by scientific publisher Elsevier at the end of last year, around 58 per cent of scientists now use (in Dutch) some form of artificial intelligence. It is mainly used to trace recent research and to gather literature.
The Rathenau Institute calls on universities and other knowledge institutions to establish clear guidelines. It also raises the fundamental question: ‘what kind of science do we actually want, with or without generative AI?’
Code of conduct
Meanwhile, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) is currently working on a new code of conduct for scientific integrity. A draft version was released last autumn. Artificial intelligence is also addressed in it.
“Use only technologies whose functionality is known and scientifically validated,” the draft code states. This is difficult with AI programmes such as ChatGPT and Perplexity, where it is often unclear which sources they are based on and how data are processed.
The new code of conduct will apply to both universities and universities of applied sciences and is due to come into force in the autumn, according to the KNAW.
HOP, Naomi Bergshoeff
A European commission of the World Health Organization (WHO), of which Ernst Kuipers – Chair of the TU Delft Supervisory Board – is a member, calls for far-reaching measures against the health effects of climate change. The recommendations have been published in The Lancet.
According to the report, warming is accelerating worldwide, with Europe being the fastest-warming region. This is leading to increasing health risks, such as heat-related mortality and the spread of infectious diseases. Climate change also threatens food security, and the authors warn of possible disruptions to major ocean currents.
The commission states that adaptation alone is not sufficient. To limit damage to health, countries must primarily reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Such measures can simultaneously deliver health benefits, for example through cleaner air, healthier diets and other forms of transport.
Ernst Kuipers is a member of the Pan-European Commission on Climate and Health, which was established in 2025 by WHO/Europe. Kuipers is also Vice-President for research and University Professor at Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Since September 2025, he has been Chair of the TU Delft Supervisory Board.
Pro‑Palestinian protests were held at various universities on Monday. In Delft, around one hundred people gathered outside the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering.
The demonstrations were coordinated to form a national protest marking the Nakba, which is commemorated each year on 15 May. It is the term used for the violent displacement of Palestinians in the 1940s that preceded the establishment of the state of Israel.
Delft: slogans and a short march
About one hundred people attended the demonstration outside Aerospace Engineering (AE) in Delft. They carried banners, marched briefly and chanted slogans against the cooperation of TU Delft and AE with Israeli partners and international arms companies such as Airbus. Dean Henri Werij observed part of the demonstration from the faculty hall. A spokesperson told Delta that he would not be commenting.
The demonstration in Delft began at 12.30 PM and ended an hour and a half later with the announcement that it would continue in Amsterdam for those who wished. There, at the Vrije Universiteit, their allies had just occupied a building. They are holding ‘a kind of spontaneous teach‑in session’, writes (in Dutch) university newspaper Ad Valvas. There are said to be several dozen people present.
Eindhoven: onto the roof
In Eindhoven, demonstrators climbed onto the roof of a laboratory, where they unfurled banners along the façade. On the ground they were supported by a small group of sympathisers. The protest has since ended. The action was not without risk, writes university magazine Cursor: participants were warned about dangerous substances that could come out of the chimneys.
HOP, Bas Belleman/Delta, Saskia Bonger
- Read more about protest on campus in our dossier.
The fire brigade extinguished a small fire on Wednesday afternoon 13 May at the Faculty of Applied Sciences on the South Campus. Given the date, the incident brings back memories of the devastating fire at the Faculty of Architecture on 13 May 2008.
The fire at the Chemical Engineering department within Applied Sciences started in a waste bin in a laboratory. Because the bin may have contained hazardous substances, firefighters hosed down all their protective gear and equipment in the street after extinguishing the fire. These were then taken to a specialised cleaning facility, according to news agency District8.
Architecture fire
Meanwhile, the fire brigade worked with emergency response officers to find ways to ventilate the modern building with its climate-controlled laboratories as effectively as possible. Students and staff had to remain outside throughout.
The fire brigade is called out to TU Delft regularly: frequently it turns out to be a false alarm or a relatively minor incident. How different it was on 13 May 2008, when a leak in a coffee machine at the Faculty of Architecture led to a fire that destroyed the entire building. The damage was so severe that it had to be demolished. The site is now home to The Green Village. The Faculty of Architecture has for many years been housed in the former TU Delft main building.
In 2023, Delta produced a podcast about the Architecture fire (in Dutch).
Enrolment figures are falling in higher professional education. The total number of students has fallen by eight per cent over the past three years. As a result, the number of teaching staff has fallen by 5 per cent since 2022, and support staff by 3 per cent. Those on temporary contracts have been particularly affected. Within this group, the number of teaching staff has halved over three years, whilst support staff has fallen by 41 per cent. Not all of them have been made redundant; some have been offered permanent contracts.
Differences
There are, however, differences between universities of applied sciences. Of the large universities of applied sciences (with more than ten thousand students), Leiden University of Applied Sciences has the highest proportion of temporary contracts: 16 per cent. It is also the only large university of applied sciences to see its student numbers actually increase.
The Arnhem and Nijmegen University of Applied Sciences is at the other end of the spectrum and has an ever-decreasing number of temporary contracts: just 5 per cent among lecturers and 4 per cent among support staff.
(HOP, BB)
