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SURF is the Dutch higher education and research partnership for network services and information and communication technology (ICT). The Dutch higher education and research institutions have been collaborating within SURF for the past 25 years on ICT innovation projects that go beyond what is possible at individual institutions. SURF also promotes knowledge exchange so that education and research can benefit more from the possibilities offered by ICT. Thanks to SURF, students, instructors, and researchers have access to the best possible Internet and ICT facilities.

SURF organisations
SURF consists of three organisations, each responsible for its own field:

1. SURFnet
2. SURFmarket
3. SURFshare

The innovation activities of the parent organisation SURF are structured within three platforms:

1. Platform Board ICT & Education (focus area Innovation in Education)
2. Platform Board ICT & Research (focus areas Scholarly Communication and Digital Rights)
3. Platform Board ICT & Business Management (focus areas Organising with ICT, Security and privacy, Cloud computing and Green ICT)

Collaboration
In 2010, SURF and the country’s principal science funding body NWO joined together to found a new institute, the Netherlands eScience Center. SURF collaborates with a large number of foreign partners in order to share knowledge and benefit from scale advantages.

Strategic themes at SURF
Based on the relevant developments in ICT, education and research, SURF groups its activities according to a number of strategic themes:

1. Innovation in Education
2. Scholarly Communication
3. Digital Rights
4. Organising with ICT 
5. Cloud Computing
6. Green ICT and Sustainability
7. Network Infrastructure
8. Collaboration Infrastructure
9. Security and Privacy

With these themes, SURF is keying into current trends in the field of ICT, education, and research.