Using the ZKI Top Trends Report to establish a benchmark for IT trends in education and research

Investing in infrastructure

Malte: “All countries are working on digital sovereignty in their own way and are all making progress. It’s interesting to see. In the Netherlands, the focus is on standardisation; France is opting overwhelmingly for open source and investing in local infrastructure; and in Germany, institutions are developing their own services which they share amongst themselves within their own federal state.”

One striking outcome is that French and German institutions are investing heavily in local infrastructure, whilst, according to the report, Dutch institutions appear to be doing so only to a very limited extent. “Unlike in France and Germany, where funding is allocated per federal state or department, the Netherlands has a centralised policy,” explains Bert. “We have a nationwide fibre-optic network and we have the SURF cooperative. In France, the cables run only as far as the edge of the department. You have to make arrangements if you want to collaborate with one another. In Germany, too, you see that there is a great deal of collaboration within each federal state, but that it becomes more difficult once you cross the state border. In Switzerland, money is usually not a problem. There, even the IT helpdesk is open on Saturdays and Sundays.”

“Infrastructure is becoming increasingly important. It forms the foundation of our IT services to researchers, lecturers and students, and is essential for us to remain at the forefront,” adds Charo. “We need ever-increasing computing capacity and storage. For that, you need data centres. And for data centres, you need electricity. To be and remain competitive in our sector, we must invest in our infrastructure together with other universities, amongst others. SURF is actively working on this.”

Dependence on suppliers

Open source and freedom of choice are other key prerequisites for digital sovereignty. “Dependence on US big tech is a concern, but so is reliance on just a few suppliers for a particular solution,” says Malte. “You see vendor lock-ins everywhere; for example, there are dependencies on providers for campus management systems and Enterprise Resource Planning. That was surprising.”

Bert recognises these risks. “At ArtEZ, we’ve carried out an analysis of our suppliers and have already replaced a number of software products with European and Dutch alternatives. If you know a contract is due to expire in 2027 or 2028, you can start researching now what you want after that date. We’re an art academy, so we use a lot of Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign. Adobe has changed its licensing model. No longer are there licences per computer or classroom, but personal licences. That’s unaffordable on the budgets we have. The same applies to VMware. That was another of our key software suppliers. It was taken over, and subsequently the prices have risen to unprecedented levels.”

In-house solutions

ArtEZ does not develop its own IT applications, but the institution does adapt existing solutions to meet its internal needs. For example, it is taking part in SURF’s Nextcloud pilot. In Germany, institutions are notably keen on developing their own solutions. “Every university excels in something and develops a service. This is then offered to other institutions within its own federal state,” explains Malte. This results in a portfolio of services comprising many different providers.

Overview of applications in the Netherlands

Are we in the Netherlands doing enough to develop alternatives ourselves? According to the survey results, no. But Charo believes this paints a distorted picture.

With only eight submissions, the results are, of course, not representative of the Netherlands as a whole. The CIO of Radboud University also highlights the difference between universities of applied sciences and research universities. “The focus is different. A distinction between these sectors in the benchmark helps us to understand each other’s interests even better.”

“In recent years, many applications have been developed within our sector that are useful in the context of digital sovereignty. We are in a phase of letting a thousand flowers bloom and are gaining an increasingly clear overview of this.” She cites some excellent examples, such as the open-source digital identity app Yivi, AI Chat from the University of Amsterdam, the PEP encryption mechanism developed at Radboud University, and Nextcloud, which was created in Germany and with which SURF has launched a pilot scheme.

Beneficial for education and research

“What also struck me about the results is that, across the entire population, only 25 per cent have seen their budget reduced, whilst half of those in the Netherlands report having a reduced budget. I can certainly relate to that,” says Charo. “We, too, are under budgetary pressure. Striking a balance between our responsibilities regarding cyber security, sovereignty and rising costs, combined with all sorts of other IT challenges – such as using technology as a lever for innovation and our ambitions regarding AI – requires tough choices that are bound to cause friction somewhere.”

Charo explains: “I often get questions from our Executive Board or directors about how other universities are faring. I then make the rounds within our network, but that only provides a limited picture.” She continues: “A study like this helps to gain a more realistic picture and to view things objectively. This enables us to provide better-substantiated strategic advice and make informed choices. To achieve significant results, however, we do need a sufficient number of higher education and research institutions to take part.”

Bert adds: “I think it’s important to contribute to initiatives like this. Whether you’re a small university of applied sciences or a large technical university, we all receive funding from the Ministry. Operational management and educational logistics are virtually the same everywhere. If we collaborate effectively in this area, it will benefit both education and research.”