The mission of TU Delft is -impact for a better society-. In a world of geopolitical tensions and technological acceleration, this also requires a contribution to peace, freedom and security. When the government or international partners demand it, TU Delft stands ready to take responsibility, taking care of the ethical aspects.
The resilience of Dutch society and the strategic autonomy of Europe are no longer self-evident. Geopolitical relations are shifting. Flaring conflicts and the blurring of previously self-evident alliances, such as within NATO, underline the need for greater European self-reliance.
As a university, we feel a special responsibility to protect and strengthen our open society within that interplay of forces, precisely with the knowledge and innovative strength we possess.
Careful consideration
This includes contributing to defence-related research when it is socially relevant and responsible. This is done in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence and with other public and private partners, and always on the basis of careful consideration. The university also does this for other collaborations when appropriate.
Collaboration with parties is not self-evident. In the past, projects have been deliberately rejected because of risks such as misuse of technology. Existing projects are also reassessed, with a specific focus on preventing unwanted use of technology. We recognise this tension and only enter into collaborations on the basis of clear ethical principles, with an eye for dilemmas.
In addition to clear assessment frameworks, TU Delft also has a Knowledge Safety Advisory Team and the university will soon set up a Moral Deliberation Room to discuss moral questions about collaborations. We would also like to emphasise that employees and students are free to choose whether or not to collaborate on defence projects and that there is room for fundamental debate on this. After all, we are all part of a democratic constitutional state and at a university there is also academic freedom.
Responsible innovation
Promoting responsible innovation is the starting point, not only in defence-related research, but in all’our work on breakthrough technologies, such as AI, quantum technology, biotechnology and energy engineering. TU Delft strives to design technology based on public values.
When reviewing these, consider:
- Meaningful human control: people maintain control over decisions that technology makes or supports, especially where it has an impact on security.
- : protection of personal data is included in the design from the outset.
- Transparency in use: we strive for maximum explainability of technology, so that it remains controllable - even though full transparency is not always feasible with complex systems.
- Protection of human rights: TU Delft does its utmost to prevent research or research collaborations from directly or indirectly contributing to human rights violations.
In this way, TU Delft contributes to technological innovation, also for defence, based on the conviction that we should not only be able to innovate, but also have a moral duty to do so responsibly. Only in this way can we maintain a grip on technology, and protect what is ultimately at stake: a free, just and resilient society as part of an international rule of law.
Defence industry
In June last year, TU Delft published an explanation of cooperation with the defence industry.
