The key developments regarding assessment procedures and collaborations are:

• March 2025: Decision on three separate collaboration cases.
• June 2025: Temporary halt on new Horizon Europe collaborations with Israeli partners.
• July 2025: New guideline for the assessment of research introduced.
• October 2025: Why we will not collaborate with Israel at this time.

The new guidelines, the revised assessment framework and the recommendations on the 3 cases were drafted by the existing Advisory Committee on Collaboration with Third Parties. Specifically for this process, the Committee was recently expanded to include 4 colleagues with specialised expertise.

Find the composition of the committee (in Dutch) on the staff website.

• Read all about the assessment guidelines to external collaboration.
• Find more information about the Advisory Committee on Collaboration with Third Parties (in Dutch, staff access only).
• Read an interview with the chair of the Advisory Committee on Collaboration with Third Parties about the development of the framework expansion and new guidelines.
• Find the advices issued in March '25 on collaboration with Hebrew University, China Scholarship Council and collaboration with Hungarian institutions on the EU sanctions list here.

From July 2025 employees and their supervisors can use the extensive assessment and associated assessment tools to gauge whether collaborations align with the UvA’s values. Employees can also assess the risk of collaborations contributing to human rights violations, serious damage to the environment or the misuse of knowledge for military purposes. Deans and the Executive Board can ask the Advisory Committee on Collaboration with Third Parties to investigate and advise on collaborations. 

More information about the ethical assessment of collaborations