'It's about SERVIR, a capacity-building programme co-funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID for short, ed.)', explains Jelle Ferwerda, research coordinator at the ITC faculty. And it was precisely from that USAID development aid program that the Trump administration wants to pull the plug, it was recently announced.
Consequences for three PhD candidates
The ITC faculty is working together with SERVIR on certain topics. 'That programme is now in jeopardy because of this decision, but much is still unclear at the moment,' says Ferwerda.
This may have direct consequences for three ITC PhD students who carry out projects within this programme, says Ferwerda. 'The decision may have consequences for the availability of research data, for example. It is also still unclear how the financing of their projects can be continued. We have no influence on that, as we do not finance these PhD programmes,' says Ferwerda.
Although the continuation of the SERVIR programme is uncertain, Ferwerda is adamant that the PhD programmes will continue as usual. The financial situation – both UT-wide and within the faculty (which announced a reorganisation last Wednesday) – should not play a role in this either, he says. 'We are doing everything we can to guarantee the continuity of the PhD programmes. We are in consultation with other partners of the SERVIR program worldwide about how we can give the program a new start,' says Ferwerda, who also indicates that the lines with American institutions have certainly not been cut. 'The collaboration with, for example, the University of Huntsville in Alabama, with whom we set up the PhD programme, will continue.'
'No survey received'
The consequences of American politics are increasingly penetrating Dutch science. Earlier this month, two Wageningen scientists received a questionnaire from the American Geological Survey, containing questions about gender ideologies, climate activism and anti-American views. It led to concerns about the free practice of science and a warning to other Dutch universities not to complete the questionnaire.
As far as is known, UT scientists have not received the controversial survey, according to an inventory by U-Today. Signals have not reached UT spokesperson Laurens van der Velde. The same applies to Anne Olde Loohuis, head of internationalisation at the Strategy & Policy department. She is only familiar with the advice not to complete the survey.
Cheryl de Boer, head of the Climate Centre at the UT, has also not received any signals about the survey. This also applies to Janke Rademaker, coordinator of internationalisation research at the BMS faculty. 'We have informed researchers from the faculty about the existence of the survey. I don't know whether this survey was actually received within BMS or elsewhere at the UT.'
Ferwerda shares a similar picture. 'I haven't seen the questionnaire, but we have asked all departments within ITC to forward the questionnaire when they receive it. I didn't receive anything from anyone.'
