{"id":172942,"date":"2024-10-31T12:01:54","date_gmt":"2024-10-31T11:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=172942"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:34","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:34","slug":"use-defence-budget-for-research-and-innovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2024\/10\/31\/use-defence-budget-for-research-and-innovation\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Use defence budget for research and innovation\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

To offset some of the major budget cuts they face, higher education institutions should focus more on defence research. This is according to Jos Benschop, of the AWTI advisory council.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Can the Department of Defence be a safety net for science? A paratrooper from the Marine Corps takes the leap during a commemoration in Normandy.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMediacentrum Defensie<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The Advisory Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (AWTI) has published a new report<\/a>, titled \u2018Knowledge offensive for Defence\u2019. Until recently, the council was chaired by current Education Minister Eppo Bruins.<\/p>\n

The premise of the report is simple: peace shouldn\u2019t be taken for granted, and the Dutch defence budget has suffered from years of budget cuts. On top of that, we are facing new global threats, and the military is in desperate need of knowledge and innovation, the AWTI believes.<\/p>\n

Responding to the report last week, NSC asked Minister Bruins what might be possible. GroenLinks-PvdA, on the other hand, questioned the rationale behind compensating for the government\u2019s drastic budget cuts by focusing on defence research.<\/p>\n

Opportunity<\/h2>

The government has announced substantial cuts to education and research, while investing billions in defence. Although the AWTI report does not discuss amounts, this new focus on defence presents a clear opportunity for higher education and research, according to AWTI council member Jos Benschop<\/a>, who also serves as executive vice president of technology at chip machine manufacturer ASML.<\/p>\n

Why are you issuing a recommendation on defence?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cFor years, peace seemed self-evident, but the annexation of Crimea and the full-blown invasion of Ukraine have put security, conflict and war back on the agenda. The nature of conflicts has also been changing at a steady pace. When you thought of \u2018war\u2019 in the past, you mainly thought of tanks and planes, but now we\u2019re also dealing with misinformation campaigns, subversion and sabotage. Meanwhile, increasingly sophisticated weapons are being developed. The threat we\u2019re facing is more complex than before.\u201d<\/p>\n

And more money is being allocated to defence.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole playing field is changing. Defence spending is on the rise across Europe, but not so long ago we thought we could sell all our tanks because we wouldn\u2019t be needing them anyway. We were spending less and less on our security.\u201d<\/p>\n

Long-term budget cuts have led to a loss of knowledge and innovation capacity in the military, according to your report. How long will it take to repair this damage?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s going to be a matter of many years. You can tear something down in a fraction of the time it took to build it. But it\u2019s definitely possible. In our report, we cite an example from the US, where they\u2019ve established an Office of Naval Research, which has built an academic network and looks for promising innovations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Your plea comes just as the government has announced major cuts to education and research. How do you feel about that?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe AWTI has said time and again that you have to invest in the broad foundation of science in the Netherlands, because everything builds on that. But the Dutch people elect parliament, and parliament has given us this government \u2013 and its cuts to education and research.\u201d<\/p>\n

The person making those cuts happens to be the former chair of your council. Don\u2019t you think that\u2019s odd?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNot really. You might say: how on earth can he propose these cuts? But mostly, I\u2019m just happy that the person doing that job is trying to make the best of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was no grumbling at the last council get-together?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, absolutely not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Universities probably aren\u2019t very motivated to think about defence now that it\u2019s all hands on deck due to the budget cuts.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s an opportunity. Looking at all the innovation grants being made available for defence across Europe, the Netherlands will undoubtedly follow suit. It\u2019s not like we\u2019re saying, \u2018Here\u2019s yet another task for you to worry about, just when you have to make cuts.\u2019 No, we\u2019re saying: pay attention \u2013 important things are happening in the world, and huge sums of money are being channelled towards defence. And some of that money will go to research and innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The scientific community wants to be open and international, which is at odds with the secrecy required for defence research.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe rules for research in this area are quite strict, so at first glance there might be a bit of a conflict with the ideal of open science. Defence research isn\u2019t something you share with colleagues from around the world, but it is important. We\u2019re calling for dialogue on these kinds of issues. In a way, our advice is very Dutch: we have to find a compromise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Open mind<\/h2>

The report states that knowledge institutions should be prepared \u201cto keep an open mind about what regular scientific research might also be of military interest\u201d. As examples, the AWTI cites areas such as AI and robotics, but also \u2013 given the subversion, misinformation and similar threats we currently face \u2013 media and communication studies, as well as language and cultural studies. \u201cFor many, this way of looking at things will require a mental and cultural shift.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier, you wrote about the hot topic of knowledge security \u2013 a term that is barely used in this report.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cKnowledge security is about the other side of the coin. Some research may have unintended military applications, and then you have to be careful about who has access to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

It seems to say: if others are coming here to steal knowledge for military applications, we could also use that knowledge ourselves.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t say anything about that in the report.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Read more<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t