Results of initiatives on fossil industry cooperation

TU Delft is committed to supporting the energy transition and seeks to collaborate with partners who endorse this mission. The question how cooperation with the fossil fuel industry contributes to the energy transition is a topic of significant interest both within and outside the university. Last autumn, TU Delft introduced three initiatives which give students and staff the opportunity to actively contribute to this discussion. These initiatives included an online consultation, open dialogue sessions, and a moral deliberation chamber. The TU Delft community responded in large numbers to this invitation. It resulted in four recommendations that the university will be acting upon. These recommendations are summarised below.
 

1. Be transparent about collaboration

All three initiatives revealed a strong desire within TU Delft for transparency about collaborations with the fossil fuel industry. This includes transparency about collaborations and the motivations behind them. In the online consultation, 80% of the nearly 3,000 participants chose to endorse full transparency. It was the most popular measure.

2. Foster and strengthen an open discussion culture

The dialogues and meetings of the moral deliberation chamber took place in an open atmosphere and demonstrated that it is possible to have a constructive, substantive conversation in such a setting. There was a desire among participants for more dialogue on this topic. Recent findings from the Inspectorate of Education on social safety also confirm that TU Delft would do well to continue building an open discussion culture. The three initiatives, or variations thereof, can be useful tools in this regard.

3. Set conditions for collaboration with the fossil fuel industry

The three initiatives revealed differing opinions on whether collaboration with the fossil fuel industry can help accelerate the energy transition. A majority of participants in the consultation chose to set conditions for collaboration (76%) – either for the partner (54%) or for the collaboration itself (58%). There was no widespread signal given to not enter into new collaborations or stop current ones.

4. Determine TU Delft's role in the energy transition

94% of the participants in the online consultation believe that TU Delft has an important role to play in the energy transition. However, what exactly this role entails and how we want to fulfil it is not yet sufficiently clear. Therefore, the conversation on this topic will continue. What is the ambition of TU Delft, and what responsibilities lie with scientists, other staff members, students, and administrators? How do we translate new insights into action? Can we find new ways to combine our strengths with other universities?

The Executive Board of TU Delft adopted these recommendations. The Executive Board has given the green light to develop, among other things, a framework for new collaborations with the fossil fuel industry. A core team specifically established for this purpose will take on this task.