SURFsounds
The Collaboration Utopia episode 1: The Netherlands; Frontrunner and Laggard
In this series, we explore the balance between national autonomy and international effectiveness. What are the conditions for collaboration? What risks are involved? How do you make conscious choices, and how do you ensure reciprocity? In this first episode, we take a close look at the Netherlands’ current position in international collaboration.
This podcast is in Dutch.
Collaboration across borders can bring tremendous added value. Yet it’s not always self-evident. Or desirable. For example, due to geopolitical shifts, differences in values, or conflicting interests. Sometimes you have to set aside certain interests in order to serve others. What does international collaboration currently look like in the education and research sector? Has much changed recently? And what helps or hinders collaboration?
In this episode, Herman van der Plas (Ministry of Education, Culture and Science) and Karin Wessel (SURF) are our guests. Herman van der Plas gives us a glimpse into the policy side of the Netherlands’ cooperation with Europe and beyond. With Karin Wessel from SURF, we talk about the practical realities of collaboration in a global context.