SURF attaches great importance to international collaboration with organisations which, like SURF, promote innovation and the development of new applications in the field of ICT. The three SURF organisations SURFfoundation, SURFnet and SURFdiensten are each currently collaborating with international partners in their own field.
SURFfoundation
The working plan 'Internationaal strategisch werkplan 2006-2007' (international strategic working plan 2006-2007) details the areas in which SURFfoundation aims to exert an influence and collaborate at the international level and reinforce and retain its leading position. The most formalised and tangible activity is SURF's collaboration
with JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee), SURFfoundation's sister organisation in the United Kingdom. Other examples of international collaborative projects are Knowledge Exchange and e-Framework. Knowledge Exchange is focused on developing a coherent policy for improving the ICT facilities and infrastructure within higher education in Europe. E-Framework is aimed at making ICT facilities available and accessible for higher education and research at an international scale. E-Framework is closely tied to the developments in the field of SOA (Service Oriented Approach).
SURFnet
SURFnet actively participates in international projects and organisations in order to contribute to the development and standardisation of new technologies. These include the GÉANT and Phosphorus projects and the collaborative organisations TERENA, GLIF and GLORIAD. SURFnet also maintains close links with international organisations such as Internet2 and CANARIE. SURFnet arranges standardisation agreements in these international settings to enable the use of applications in cross-border collaborations.
SURFdiensten
SURFdiensten works closely together with EduServ, a not-for-profit organisation that negotiates ICT licences on behalf of (higher) education in the United Kingdom. Within this collaborative association SURFdiensten acts as EduServ's agent in order to provide (higher) education in the Netherlands with several of the ICT licences negotiated by EduServ.