Dutch universities linked to EU-funded Israeli military projects, investigation finds
-
Dutch universities are involved in at least 28 new technology and product development projects funded by European subsidies that could benefit the Israeli military, according to an investigation by Follow the Money.
Since 2007, Israel has allegedly received approximately 3 billion euros from Horizon Europe, the EU’s science and innovation funding program aimed at boosting the EU's global competitiveness. Since 2020, EU rules require all projects to serve exclusively civilian purposes, including those involving dual-use materials and technologies that could also be applied militarily.
The TU Delft is currently engaged in seven dual-use projects with Israeli partners, and TU Eindhoven in eight. A TU Eindhoven spokesperson acknowledged the difficulty in distinguishing civilian from military applications, stating, “The distinction between civilian and military applications is sometimes almost impossible to make.”
Half of Israel’s Horizon funding—about 1.5 billion euros over 20 years—went to Israeli universities, the other half to companies. One such company, Xtend Defence, received 50,000 euros for drone development. These drones were reportedly used in October 2024 to kill Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
The European Commission does not monitor whether research results are eventually used militarily.
