Moral deliberation chamber on collaboration with the fossil fuel industry

members of the moral deliberation chamber investigated specific examples of collaboration between TU Delft and the fossil industry with the aim of gaining more insight into the conditions under which such collaboration would or would not be responsible.

The chamber consisted of twelve members who were carefully selected to represent the TU Delft community as broadly as possible. Between the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024, the chamber regularly met for moral deliberation. A report has been prepared with the insights that emerged from the deliberation. An executive summary of the report can be read here.

In moral deliberation, the focus is not on ‘big’ questions (‘Should TU Delft continue collaborating with the fossil fuel industry?'), but always on a specific example ('Should TU Delft collaborate with company A on project B?' or 'Are representatives from company X welcome at event Y on campus?'). Collecting the moral judgments that arise from a series of deliberations can provide insights into the core dilemmas the university faces and highlight the guiding moral principles involved. This insight can be used to further develop TU Delft's policy regarding collaboration with the fossil fuel industry.

Moral deliberation chamber for collaboration with the fossil fuel industry

The deliberation chamber consisted of 12 members who were selected through an application process and who represent the diversity of perspectives within TU Delft. The members are:

• Sebastian Geiger, Professor of Sustainable Geo-energy (CiTG)
• Sander Otte, Professor of Atomic Quantum Technology (TNW)
• Sandra Verhagen, Associate Professor of Geoscience and Remote Sensing and Director of Studies of Applied Earth Sciences (CiTG)
• Eveline Holla, Subject Didacticist Technology/Design (Science Teacher Training Programme, TNW)
• Anne van de Poel, Research Funding Advisor (Innovation & Impact Center)
• Anke Dählmann, Research Support Officer Geoscience & Engineering (CiTG)
• Walter Jansen, Project Developer/Sustainability Officer Campus South (Campus Real Estate & Facility Management)
• Helena Schmidt, PhD Candidate in Environmental Psychology (LR)
• Hugo-Pieter Iglesias van Montfort, PhD Candidate in Electrochemical Engineering (TNW)
• Thomas Arblaster, MSc student in Industrial Ecology (TBM)
• Meryem Altiner, MSc student in Life Science & Technology (TNW)
• Alexander de Vet, BSc student in Mechanical Engineering (ME)

The secretary of the deliberation chamber was Doortje Lenders, former Policy Advisor on Integrity (Integrity Office). The meetings were facilitated by Governance & Integrity, an organisational development agency specialised in applying moral deliberation. They also wrote the report.