Explanation: how the UvA deals with collaborations and the call for a boycott

11 September 2025

The terrible violence in Gaza continues. It is understandable that there are again questions about collaboration between the UvA and Israeli partners, as well as calls to ‘disclose, divest and boycott’. Below, you'll find an overview of previously shared positions and guidelines, as well as what employees can do to assess collaborations for ethical issues.

Rector Peter-Paul Verbeek, on behalf of the Executive Board: ‘The heartbreaking images of death, ruins and famine have left an indelible mark on me as well. I want to express my support and sympathy to everyone at the UvA who has family members or other loved ones in areas that are under attack. The suffering is unimaginable. Earlier, we, as UvA board members, explicitly called on the government to take action, and I repeat this call with the greatest urgency. Just like the KNAW’s urgent appeal, we too believe it is of great importance that political and diplomatic channels be significantly deployed in order to bring an end to this violence.’

Protest has great value

Dutch newspapers Trouw, the Volkskrant and Folia recently covered the protests and the way we interact with each other on campus. ‘Protest is a part of the university. It is of great value that young people are standing up for issues. They are putting important themes on the agenda, from climate change to human rights violations.’

Temporary freeze on new collaborations still in effect

In June 2025, the UvA decided to temporarily suspend any new HorizonEurope collaborations with Israeli organisations. This represents an additional step for the UvA due to the ongoing violence in Gaza and sends an important message to politics. Earlier, the UvA sent an urgent letter to the then Minister of Education, Culture and Science, Eppo Bruins. In this letter, all UvA deans call on the cabinet to commit to upholding international law in Gaza and Israel .

Ethical review: check it first

Since July 2025, UvA staff have been better able to assess their collaborations for possible issues, such as unintentionally contributing to human rights violations or serious environmental damage. The new guidelines help researchers assess whether a collaboration aligns with the university's values. Staff are asked to conduct an assessment as early as possible for new projects. Check the ethical review on our staff website.

Gaza Researchers in Safe Haven Fellowship

The UvA and Maastricht University are collaborating with NIAS in the Safe Haven Fellowship program. Through the Fellowship, we help Gaza researchers find a position in Amsterdam. Read more about the Fellowship and their work here.

Disclose, divest, boycott

Protesters regularly call on the UvA for transparency, divestment and a boycott of Israel. Below you can read the UvA's position on this:

Disclose: You can find collaborations listed on the EU's CORDIS database. There is one ongoing student exchange with Tel Aviv University, which is currently being assessed. Due to the negative travel advisory, no students are travelling to Israel. Previously, the exchange with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem was not extended on the advice of the ethics committee.
Divest: there are no direct cash flows to or investments in Israel.
Boycott: The UvA is not opting for a complete boycott, but is assessing each collaboration individually. If you have any doubts about a (new) collaboration, please check the ethical review page on the staff website.