Highlights of 2024
36 universities of applied sciences
15 research+
14 universities
since
1971
At SURF, we believe that collaboration is the key to innovation in education and research. That is why we work together with nearly all institutions in the Netherlands on digital progress. We do this not only in our role as a cooperative but also as a service provider and innovation hub for and by all 121 members.
We facilitate the collective procurement of digital services, support their implementation and application, drive innovation through research and experimentation, and provide a platform where institutions can share knowledge. Throughout this process, public values such as privacy, autonomy, and inclusivity always remain central.
In 2024, we once again made great strides together in digital transformation to strengthen the future of education and research. Take a look at what we have achieved together!
49 mbo institutions
7 UMCs
SURF Education Days
Technology and innovation in education
SURF Research Day
Connecting science and technology
SURF Security & Privacy Conference Information security and data protection
SURF National XR Day
XR/VR/AR in education and research
SURF Summit
Inspiration for board members and decision-makers
Visit Publinova
Publinova: innovating with impact
Together with universities of applied sciences, SMEs and partners, we brought practice-based research to life on Publinova in 2024! Publinova is the national platform that makes research projects, publications and expertise of universities of applied sciences widely accessible to strengthen cooperation and knowledge sharing.
As a technology partner, we play an important role in the further development of Publinova, with a strong focus on open science and digital accessibility. In 2024, we improved the platform with new functionalities and a growing number of contributing researchers and institutions. This is how, together, we strengthen the impact of practice-based research on our society.
From idea to impact
This schematic representation shows how SURF works together to develop ideas and turn them into innovative solutions for education and research.
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More about ShareControl
11 new business plans developed for services in the field of network connectivity,
identity & access management, and storage & data management
1 new service launched: ShareControl, for data and plagiarism management
1 service phased out
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The biggest challenge within cybersecurity is not in the technology with which we secure our institutions, but rather in organising processes and responsibilities within and outside our institutions.
As many as 98% of security problems are related to:
- unpatched software
- lack of adequate backups
- absence of two-factor authentication
- excessive and unnecessary user rights
- weak passwords
Read more on LUMI
Read more on Snellius
processed computing time requests for 25 research projects in 2024
Data processing via Grid/Spider and HPC Cloud via SURF Research Cloud were also used for the calculations.
In 2024, Dutch researchers also gained access to computing capacity on LUMI, Europe's most powerful supercomputer. An important step for researchers who need large-scale computing and data facilities for instruments such as telescopes, satellites and sensor networks.
Together with NWO, we facilitate access to LUMI and have so far supervised 25 computing time requests.
From large-scale simulations and training AI models, to complex data analysis and medical innovations; supercomputer Snellius plays a crucial role in groundbreaking research. In 2024, Snellius received an upgrade. As a result, researchers can now process large amounts of data even faster. As host and facilitator of this powerful national computing centre, we continue to accelerate and strengthen scientific research in the Netherlands.
Thanks to our scale and expertise, the SURF cooperative concludes good agreements with IT and content suppliers, not only for SURF members but for the entire Dutch education sector.
Contract portfolio with 80 current agreements. Millions of licences processed and savings of more than 200 million euros on license costs achieved.
Assessed GDPR compliance of Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 CoPilot; Zoom implemented GDPR changes for better personal data protection.
25 procurement processes completed (including agreements with Adobe, Oracle and Elsevier) and an Edtech innovation marketplace launched together with Npuls.
Supported SURF members in the responsible use of AI through webinars, living labs and pilots.
A balanced portfolio of products and services established, based on public values and the SURF Cloud Sourcing Strategy.
Social media, big tech and AI collect so much data that tech giants sometimes seem to know us better than we know ourselves. This makes us feel uneasy - and rightly so. There are plenty of examples of how this can go wrong. At the same time, technology also brings us a lot of progress, especially in scientific research.
Yet, a moral compass is often lacking in the development of new technologies. Also in the education and research sector. How is it that a sector that values autonomy so highly still struggles with the consequences and risks of technology? Why do we still have too few regulations? How can we influence the direction of technology within our sector? Who is steering whom?
At SURF, we are working hard to mobilise education and research institutions to do things differently, to take the wheel into their own hands. Together with our members, we are setting the course for a better balance between power and morality.
In 2024, we created the podcast series ‘Between power and morality’ on the importance of autonomy in a technology-driven world.
Discover all podcasts
Listen to the series (in Dutch)
Read the article: Public values under pressure
5 questions on GPT-NL, the open Dutch language model
Governance on architecture and standards: we do it together!
Jet de Ranitz leaves as CEO and director at SURF
SURF quits X/Twitter
Advice: do not use Microsoft 365 Copilot for now due to privacy risks
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