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Scientific Technical Council: independent advisory body to SURF

The Scientific Technical Council (WTR) is an independent advisory body. The council advises, solicited and unsolicited, on strategic, scientific and technical issues of the cooperative.

Appointment of WTR members

The WTR consists of recognised independent authorities, appointed in their personal capacity. WTR members are appointed based on their independent outlook, vision of the future and expertise in the cooperative's fields of activity. Appointment is always for a term of 3 years with a maximum of 3 terms. New WTR members are nominated by the Supervisory Board and appointed by the Members' Council. The composition of the WTR is evaluated every 2 years. If vacancies arise, their filling is discussed with the Executive and Supervisory Boards.

Role WTR

The WTR's role is broad:

  • Performs a substantive review of projects and activities initiated by SURF.
  • Supports the sectors in formulating their positions and priorities.
  • Advises SURF's Executive Board and Member Council on the level of innovation in the Multi-Year Plans and 2-Year Plans. 2 years after publication of the trend report, the WTR reassesses the trends and issues described.
  • Makes recommendations for tightening or changing the chosen course in the 2Year Plans. This is done on the basis of progress reports of the cooperative's entire portfolio: service delivery, service development and innovation.

The WTR as a whole issues the recommendations. A committee, composed in consultation with the client, prepares the opinions. In carrying out its work, the WTR may additionally be assisted by external experts.

WTR also advises institutions

The WTR advises SURF member institutions seeking an independent and expert response to questions regarding ICT policy. Institutions can contact the WTR for audits, support in planning and reviewing policy. The WTR's advice is always tailor-made. The diversity of expertise of the WTR's council members allows it to make quick diagnoses and formulate concrete advice.

View WTR opinions

Advice from the WTR to SURF is in principle public, unless other arrangements have been made. Advice from the WTR to institutions is only public if the client explicitly opts for this.

WTR 2019 work programme

The WTR considers topics of strategic importance to SURF. Its starting point is the innovation of current and future services to members, based on national and international developments.

Planned advice

Open Online Education

In 2019, the WTR will advise the Minister of OCW on the submitted proposals for the Open Online Education Incentive Scheme:

  • Pillar Online Education - the annual theme to be announced.
  • Pillar Open Learning Resources.

For both pillars, 700,000 euros of funding is available.

Preparation midterm review of SURF's multi-year agenda and two-year plan

In December 2017, SURF's member council agreed to a midterm review of SURF's multi-year agenda (and two-year plan). The client is the members' council. The WTR coordinates the implementation of the committees conducting the reviews. The WTR, together with the chairs of the committees, ensures the delivery of a single evaluation report.

Advice to SURF on collaboration in the Acceleration Plan for Education Innovation with ICT

The Association of Universities, the Association of Universities of Applied Sciences and SURF have jointly drawn up the four-year Acceleration Plan for Education Innovation with ICT. SURF is part of the steering committee of this plan. Coordination and direction in that collaboration require extra attention for optimal results. The advice on collaboration is intended to build on an earlier advice from the WTR to SURF on the structure of and working method in the acceleration plan.

Governance of SURF

SURF has started a restructuring towards 1 SURF and changes in governance. The WTR expects that the board will also ask the council for advice on this.

Innovation explorations

In 2019, the WTR will reflect with the board and peers on innovation developments in education and research. To this end, a number of meetings will be organised.

Unscheduled advice requests

Finally, the WTR will keep space available for unscheduled requests for advice from SURF and the institutions.

Councillors WTR

The WTR consists of recognised independent authorities, appointed in a personal capacity. The appointment is always for a term of 3 years with a maximum of 3 terms.

Prof A. Oskamp (chair)

  • Appointed for a 2nd term. Ends on 08 December 2024.

Prof. E.W. Berghout

  • Professor of Computer Science, Information Systems, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Groningen.
  • Specialism: Information management, IT Governance, New Business Models, Big Data Implementations, IT Auditing and Security.
  • Appointed for a 2nd term. Ends on 9 October 2025.

Dr Nynke Bos

  • Lecturer in Teaching, Learning and Technology at Inholland University of Applied Sciences and Academic Dean, Master Learning & Innovation.
  • Appointed for a 1st term, ending on 14 June 2026

Dr Paola Grosso

  • Associate professor in the Computer Science Institute of the University of Amsterdam, Leader of the Multiscale Networked System (MNS) research group, director of the Graduate School of Informatics.
  • Specialism: Future Internet, Programmable Networks.
  • Appointed for a 1st term. Ends 07 April 2024.

Prof Lynda Hardman

  • Manager of Research & Strategy at the Centre for Mathematics & Computer Science (CWI). Part-time professor in Multimedia Discourse Interaction at Utrecht University, chair of the management team of Amsterdam Data Science, European Director of LIAMA.
  • Specialism: human information interaction, information visualisation, semantic web, topic-based litarature exploration.
  • Appointed for a 1st term. Ends 09 June 2024.

Dr Andrea Klaeijsen

  • Practor Personalised Learning, VISTA College
  • Specialism: personalised learning and flexible education, knowledge infrastructure in mbo
  • Appointed for a 1st term. Ends 09 June 2024

Dr M. Kleppe

  • Head of Research at the Royal Library.
  • Specialism: Digital research infrastructure for the humanities, digital heritage, accessing digital archives using AI.
  • Appointed for a 2nd term. Ends 14 June 2026.

Prof. A.R. Lodder

  • Professor of Internet Governance and Regulation.
  • Specialism: law and internet, including privacy, security, liability, contracting, freedom of speech, cybercrime; and phenomena related to algorithms, social media, cyberwar, smart devices and apps.
  • Appointed for a 2nd term. Ending 14 June 2026.

Prof P.R. Luijten

  • Professor of Functional Medical Imaging at UMC Utrecht and director of the UMC Utrecht Center for Image Sciences, Chief Scientific Officer of the Center for Translational Molecular Medicine.
  • Appointed for a 2nd term. Ends on 13 June 2025.

Prof H.J. Sips

  • Professor (former chair, emeritus) in Distributed Systems, Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, Delft University of Technology.
  • Specialism: Parallel computing architectures, parallel programming, mobile computing and distributed systems.
  • Appointed for a 3rd term. Ends 31 December 2023.

Prof Marcus Specht

  • Professor of Digital Education at TU Delft and director of the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Center for Education and Learning. He is further leader of the 4TU Centre for Engineering Education and member of the Board of Governors.
  • Appointed for a 1st term, ending 14 June 2026.

Prof E.A. Valentijn

  • Extraordinary Professor of Astronomical Information Technology, University of Groningen, head of OmegaCEN, coordinator Target.
  • Specialism: (Big) data management, information technology and public-private partnerships for healthcare, digital heritage and search technology, among others.
  • Appointed for a 3rd term. Ends 08 December 2024.

Advices and publications of the WTR

The Scientific Technical Council (WTR) advises the SURF cooperative, solicited and unsolicited, on strategic, scientific and technical issues of the cooperative. Advice to SURF is in principle public, unless otherwise agreed. Advice to institutions is only public if the client explicitly chooses to do so.

2022
  • OCW - Opinion Open Online Education proposals tranche 8, 2022
2021
  • OCW - Advice Open Online Education, tranche 7, 2021
  • SURF Members' Council - advice SURF strategy 2022-2027
2020
2019
  • SURF - Advisory report on data archiving
  • SURF - Advice Acceleration Plan Educational Innovation with ICT
  • OCW - Advice Open Online Education proposals tranche 5, 2019
2018
  • SURF Members' Council - Advice on SURF's two-year plan 2019-2020
  • OCW - Advice Open Online Education proposals tranche 4, 2018
  • SURF Member Council - SURF multiannual agenda 2019-2022 advice
  • Analysis Open Online Education 2015-2018
  • SURF Steering Group Acceleration Plan Educational Innovation with ICT
2017
  • OCW - Opinion Open Online Education proposals tranche 3, 2017
  • Advice 'SURF Midterm Review 2015-2016'
  • Advice CTO SURF 'SURF Open Innovation Lab'
2016
  • Opinion 'SURF Open Innovation Lab'
  • Reflection on discussion topics SURF Multiannual Plan
  • Advice 'Working on the future - trends and consequences'
  • OCW - Advice Open Online Education proposals tranche 2, 2016
  • WTR/SURF, Services Based Benchmark, 2006. The Service Based Benchmark (SBB) model is a costing model that does not focus on the institution, but on the services and facilities offered by a Computing Centre or an ICT service.
  • Vision and connectedness. Three secretaries on the WTR (SURF Cahier No 50, March 2006)
2015
  • Leiden University - Digital testing fixed vs mobile
  • OCW - Opinion Open Online Education proposals tranche 1, 2015
  • Open University - Audit yOUlearn
  • SURF - Advice Towards a future-proof funding model for SURF
2014
  • Open University - OpenU, reorienting digital learning environment
  • SURF - Open and online education assessment procedure
  • SURF - More than the sum of its parts, structure and governance of SURF
  • SURF, Governing Board GigaPort3 - SURFworks annual plan 2014
  • SURFnet - SURFnet8 network advice
2013
  • Marnix Academy - Advice DLWE
  • SURF - SURFshare strategy advice
  • SURF - 'Focus and transparency', dominant themes Long-term plan 2015-2018
  • General Seminar 'Moving the goalposts'
  • Open University - OpenU
  • SURF - AWT Large-Scale Infrastructure
  • SURF - Advice DLWE white paper
2012
  • WTR Trend report, Moving the goalposts, 2012
  • Administrative Seminar 'Changing course'
  • SURF - Audit of Assessment and Assessment-Based Learning
  • SURF - Recommendation Agreement of Intent SARA-SURF merger