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SEVEN SEVEN

Fostering the Resilience of the Dutch Knowledge Sector: Knowledge Security and Research in a Geopolitical Context (KNOWSEC-NL) (2026-2030)

Theme: Future of Energy

How can the security and resilience of the Dutch knowledge sector be fostered in an open national, European and international system (based on the principles of open science, academic freedom and research integrity) within an increasingly geopolitical context?
Copyright: Shutterstock

The Dutch and European knowledge sectors, which have consistently emphasised international collaboration and open science, are increasingly confronted with the realities of escalating geopolitical competition. The concern for knowledge security features prominently. The Dutch and European knowledge sectors need to adjust to this new reality and find a new equilibrium in terms of balancing competing collaborative and geopolitical interests. Despite the adoption of the above-mentioned knowledge security policies and the associated establishment of new knowledge security agencies, expertise and committees, it is much less clear how they need to do so. We still face, in this respect, a clear knowledge gap. Geopolitical rivalries are ongoing, yet their trajectories and implications for research remain uncertain. Furthermore, we lack a comprehensive framework to guide knowledge institutions in navigating competing interests, leaving the institutions with significant uncertainty about how to implement appropriate and proportionate measures.

KNOWSEC-NL answers the overall research question through five sub-questions:

- Conceptual: How can knowledge security and sensitive knowledge be best understood from an interdisciplinary perspective?
-Geopolitical: How does geopolitical competition affect knowledge production (and vice versa) and what does this imply for EU Open Strategic Autonomy?
- Institutions and practices: What knowledge security vulnerabilities emerge from contemporary trends in international politics and international research collaboration, and how are these dilemmas dealt with in the Dutch knowledge sector?
- Institutions and practices: How are openness and closedness realised within knowledge practices, whether as a result of securitisation, efforts to align with broader knowledge dynamics, or as an unintended consequence of the practice’s internal structure?
- Normative balancing: What normative framework is needed to guide Dutch international research collaborations in balancing scientific progress and knowledge security in high-risk technological domains?

  • Envisaged Impact

    KNOWSEC-NL has as the overall Impact Objective to increase the resilience and agency of the Dutch knowledge sector in an increasingly geopolitical context. It follows the NWO Impact Plan approach with a clear pathway to impact with linked outcomes and outputs.

  • Researchers & partners

    Researchers:

    Hylke Dijkstra (Maastricht University), Machiko Kanetake, André Nollkaemper, Bob van der Zwaan (SEVEN - University of Amsterdam), Barend van der Meulen (University of Twente), Mariëlle Wijermars (Maastricht University), Lynda Hardman (Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica), Clare Shelley-Egan (Delft University of Technology), Cyrus Mody (Maastricht University), Darian Meacham (Maastricht University), Danielle Shanley (Maastricht University), Tom De Schryver (Nederlandse Defensie Academie), Jasper Deuten (Rathenau Institute), Chris Eveleens (Rathenau Institute), Joost Reek (University of Amsterdam), Gulnaz Sibgatullina (University of Amsterdam), Cees Snoek (University of Amsterdam), Martine Groen (Utrecht University of Applied Sciences), Christian-Alexander Bunge (Utrecht University of Applied Sciences), Malcolm Campbell-Verduyn (University of Groningen), Miles MacLeod (University of Twente), Michael Nagenborg (University of Twente), Adam Henschke (University of Twente), Daniela Craciun (University of Twente), Guus Dix (University of Twente), Pooyan Tamimi Arab (University of Utrecht).

    Partners:

    Marije Balt (Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Martine Schophuizen (Dutch Ministry of Defence), Thomas van Himbergen (SURF: Dutch ICT Cooperation for Education and Research), Laurents Sesink (SURF: Dutch ICT Cooperation for Education and Research), Jurgen Rienks (Neth-ER: Netherlands House for Education and Research, Belgium), Brigitte Van Tiggelen (Science History Institute, USA), Carrie Ris-Stalpers (Amsterdam UMC), Mark Theunissen (Delft University of Technology), Andrada Matauanu (Maastricht University), Laudy van den Heuvel (Maastricht University), Anh Nguyen (University of Amsterdam), Aya Polderman (University of Amsterdam), Hanna Fricke (University of Amsterdam), Irna van der Molen (University of Twente), Bart van den Berg (Utrecht University), Leon Kessels (Utrecht University), Michel Brouwer (Netherlands Aerospace Centre), Hanneke Duijnhoven (TNO: Defence, Safety and Security), Tommy Shih (KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden), Ana Sánchez Cobaleda (University of Barcelona, Spain), Veronica Vella (University of Liège, Belgium), Mario Daniels (CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security, Germany).

  • Funding

    The project is funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO).

  • Opportunities for collaboration

    Do you see an opportunity for yourself or your organisation to collaborate on this theme? Please contact Denise Li.