Groningen, Eindhoven universities collaborate with Israeli officer active in military
The University of Groningen (RUG) and Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) are collaborating with an Israeli professor who is also an active officer in the Israeli military, Dutch newspaper Trouw reported.
The professor, Shahar Kvatinsky, a lieutenant colonel, reportedly leads the Israeli research team within the React project, which involves eleven universities and officially starts on November 1. The project aims to develop “a platform that is self-aware in terms of energy efficiency, safety, and reliability.” The European Union has invested over 4.5 million euros, and the project is coordinated from Groningen.
Kvatinsky publicly posts about his military activities on social media. In June, he wrote on X that he traveled to Israel for a scientific discussion panel, which was canceled due to an Israeli attack on Iran. “So I did what seemed most right: I put on my uniform and went to Gaza in reserve service,” Kvatinsky wrote.
He has also shared photos in 2023 and 2024 on Facebook showing himself in military uniform in front of destroyed apartment buildings and meeting Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Trouw reported that Kvatinsky’s name appeared on a January 2024 letter in which Israeli officers urged the military leadership, among other things, not to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza City. Kvatinsky told the newspaper he was called as a reservist after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and said the Dutch research project is strictly for civilian purposes, keeping his academic work separate from his military duties. He denied signing the letter.
Earlier this year, TU/e froze “institutional” collaborations with the Technion University due to its ties to the Israeli military and established a committee to review “sensitive collaborations.” TU/e told NOS that news about Kvatinsky does not affect the project and reiterated previous explanations for maintaining collaboration with Technion for React, which had been questioned by the university council.
The university clarified that the project involves departmental collaborations only and no direct contact with Technion, stating, “Each participating university supervises one or more PhD candidates. TU/e will supervise one candidate in Eindhoven.” TU/e also asserted there is no risk of “gross human rights violations” from the project, but said the new committee will review collaborations with Israeli institutions, including React.
RUG has not cut ties with Israeli universities and said it was unaware of Kvatinsky’s military involvement. The university stated that if a “dual-use” concern arises in future collaborations, potential risks will be examined case by case by its Advisory Team on Knowledge Security and Sensitive Partnerships. Dual-use refers to goods or knowledge that can be used for both civilian and military purposes, including chips or technologies.
Pro-Palestinian student groups in multiple Dutch cities have protested the collaboration in recent years, demanding suspension of all partnerships with Israeli universities. Initially, universities opposed pausing collaborations, but several have since suspended or terminated ties. The University of Amsterdam (UvA) announced it will temporarily halt new collaborations with Israeli institutions and explore legal options to withdraw from ongoing projects with Israeli researchers.
