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Tech trends
About SURF Tech Trends report
The SURF Tech Trends report is a biannual report for members within our education and research cooperative. It provides an overview of the most relevant technologies and helps our cooperative organisation navigate through the complexity of technological developments. A lot is happening and many reports are available. Therefore, it is important to collect and analyse what shapes - or can shape - the future of education and research. Consider technology chapters such as AI, IX and Quantum.
Exploring trends with public values as a starting point
We already see great initiatives and applications of new technologies in the education and research field. And with the launch of the SURF Tech Trends 2023 report, we started a long-term collaboration with members and technical experts on technological developments. Together, we identify trends, we explore and experiment, and we test the trends against public values such as inclusiveness, freedom of education, accessibility, safety, reliability, self-determination and the professional autonomy of lecturers, researchers and institutions.
Tech Trends report 2025 - 2026
Development
The creation of the trends report is about collaborating with other experts on a technology chapter, identifying relevant trends and assessing their impact. This process includes activities such as reading, writing and attending sessions for information gathering. An important part of the project is the kick-off op, where experts meet to jointly brainstorm a collective approach according to the report format, and make process agreements within each group. In collaboration with professionals from various Dutch research and educational institutions, a group of up to five experts is formed.
The Tech Trends report 2025-2026 was kicked off in early October 2024. Over 60 experts from SURF cooperative institutions will work in teams in the coming months on the various chapters of the biennial report. Read more about how how the report will be developed and which chapters will be worked on.