4/26/2010
SURF’s General Board has charted the organisation’s course until 2014. SURF, the Dutch higher education partnership for ICT-driven innovation, plans to utilise sustainable ICT-based innovations to enhance higher education in the Netherlands over the next few years. The definitive version of the Strategic Plan, which describes how SURF intends to achieve this aim, will be presented in mid-June.
Joining forces
The 2011–2014 Strategic Plan is the seventh such plan in succession. The Dutch higher education sector first joined forces in SURF in 1987. SURF’s first Strategic Plan established the basis for the internationally renowned SURFnet6 network, which connects higher education institutions in the Netherlands with one another. SURFnet6 is one of the fastest and most advanced networks in the world.
Priorities
Several priorities have been identified in the new 2011–2014 Strategic Plan, for example to maintain SURF’s lead in network infrastructures, to optimise security and privacy aspects in the digital world, to promote alternative forms of sourcing and sustainability, to offer an infrastructure for open and other digital content, to develop a national, transparent and competitive ICT research infrastructure, and to improve the quality of higher education and the number of graduates.
Internationally competitive
Willem te Beest, chairman of SURF’s General Board and Executive Board for the past four years and responsible for the plan, had this to say: 'Higher education in the Netherlands is facing a challenge in the next few years: how to remain internationally competitive despite economy measures. That will not be easy. The SURF partnership will help us join forces and make the most efficient and effective use of our resources for ICT-driven innovation. If the public authorities are also prepared to invest in improving the research infrastructure and to follow up on the Government’s intentions with respect to clustering the ICT infrastructure, we will be able to improve our international standing considerably.
In the past two decades, SURF has shown very clearly that it is the ideal organisation to represent the combined interests of higher education and research in this respect.'
About SURF
SURF unites the Dutch research universities, universities of applied sciences, and research institutions in creating pioneering ICT-driven innovations. As partners in SURF, they are creating a sound basis from which to optimise their use of ICT and to excel in teaching and research.
SURF consists of three organisations: SURFfoundation, SURFnet and SURFdiensten.