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SURF Members' Council October 2024 highlights
Profile
With the departure of our CEO, Jet de Ranitz, a position on SURF's board of directors has become vacant. To fill this position, a profile for the entire board and the three board members individually was adopted during the Members' Council. Recruitment and selection for the new board member will start soon.
Fit for Purpose
Within SURF, we look ahead every day, but an important question is whether our own organisational set-up is also ready for the future. In order to make the organisation more agile and effective, the Fit for Purpose programme has been set up, in which we are restructuring SURF. The Members' Council was updated on the status of the restructuring. Over the next eighteen months, this will be given shape, with an envisaged start date of 1 January 2026 to launch the renewed organisational structure.
AI facility
Earlier, the Members' Council was updated on the exploration to develop a large AI facility in the Netherlands. This Members' Council presented a current state of play and discussed several possible scenarios for achieving capacity on an AI facility for education and research. Among other things, the role of SURF and the risks for the cooperative were discussed. More clarity on the government's decision-making on the AI facility is expected in November.
WTR
An independent advisory body has been set up within the SURF cooperative, the Scientific Technical Council (WTR). The WTR advises SURF cooperative, solicited and unsolicited, on strategic, scientific and technical issues of the cooperative. The WTR's charter defines who sits on the WTR and how they provide advice. A new version was adopted at the Members' Council.
Farewell Jet de Ranitz
Following the Members' Council meeting, outgoing CEO Jet de Ranitz joined to bid farewell to the Members' Council. Jan Lintsen, chairman, thanked De Ranitz on behalf of the Members' Council, not only for her time as CEO of SURF, but also for her work from previous roles within the cooperative.