Maastricht University researchers lead €6.6 million NWO project on knowledge security

About the project

Research benefits from international collaboration. Values such as academic freedom, scientific integrity, and Open Science are highly regarded, especially within Dutch research practices, which since the end of the Cold War have become deeply intertwined with international research agendas. Today, half of the academic staff at Dutch universities comes from abroad, and more than two-thirds of publications are written with international co-authors. In a globalizing world facing complex challenges such as climate change, digitalization, and pandemics, this kind of scientific cooperation is indispensable.

At the same time, international collaboration is under increasing pressure. Geopolitical rivalry between major powers such as China, Russia, and the United States is intensifying. Countries view knowledge and innovation as crucial to competitiveness and the pursuit of geopolitical dominance in the 21st century. This presents challenges for Dutch and European universities and research institutions. The issue is not only about protecting sensitive knowledge, but also about countering foreign interference in the knowledge chain and safeguarding public trust in research.

The research project KNOWSEC-NL will examine how major powers use knowledge and innovation as part of their security strategies, including during previous periods of geopolitical tensions, and how knowledge security fits within Europe’s ambitions for strategic autonomy. The project will also map current knowledge security practices within Dutch universities and research institutions and develop a normative framework to help the Dutch knowledge sector find a better balance between collaboration and geopolitical challenges. Researchers in the consortium will work closely with practitioners to strengthen Dutch and European policy, share best practices, and train research teams.

About the applicants

The KNOWSEC-NL project, titled “Fostering the Resilience of the Dutch Knowledge Sector: Knowledge Security and Research in a Geopolitical Context,” received funding from NWO as part of the Dutch Research Agenda (NWA). The project will run for five years and is coordinated by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Maastricht University.

Prof. Dr. Hylke Dijkstra is the main applicant and project coordinator of KNOWSEC-NL. He notes that this new research project is especially important: “It is clear that the world is changing before our eyes. We have entered a different era filled with geopolitical challenges. Europe is struggling with this. The same applies to the Dutch knowledge sector, where policymakers and research teams face complex dilemmas every day that they do not always know how to address. In this nationwide research project, we will tackle these issues head-on.”

Dr. Mariëlle Wijermars is co-applicant and leads the work package on research and societal impact. She adds: “Finding a new balance requires interdisciplinary research and facilitating continuous dialogue with all stakeholders in the knowledge chain. We will therefore work closely with the societal partners in our consortium, and beyond, to realize this ambition. KNOWSEC-NL will function as a knowledge platform to jointly strengthen the resilience of the Dutch knowledge sector.”

The consortium’s co-applicants include the University of Amsterdam, University of Twente, Delft University of Technology, University of Groningen, Utrecht University, HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, Netherlands Defence Academy, Rathenau Institute, and Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica.

Societal partners include the Dutch Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence, SURF, Neth-ER, Amsterdam UMC, the Netherlands Aerospace Centre, and TNO, as well as international partners such as KTH Royal Institute of Technology, CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security, University of Liège, University of Barcelona, and the Science History Institute.