In Control: A Manifesto for a Responsible Digital Future in Higher Education

Higher education institutions are becoming increasingly dependent on large commercial tech companies for their IT needs. This growing reliance risks undermining their autonomy and academic freedom. The Young Academy therefore calls for a more responsible and deliberate approach to the use of technology in higher education.

The Young Academy is deeply concerned about the extent to which digital infrastructure and services in higher education are being outsourced to big tech firms. This trend means institutions are surrendering control over crucial systems and valuable data. In response, the Young Academy has issued recommendations for safeguarding the sector’s independence and integrity in its report In Control: A Manifesto for a Responsible Digital Future in Higher Education.

This manifesto was written by a dedicated working group coordinated by De Jonge Akademie, after consulting experts in different disciplines and at different institutes, including Utrecht University, SURF, the Rathenau Institute, the Young Academy Groningen, the Data Autonomy Team at the Jantina Tammes School in Groningen (Oskar Gstrein, Titus Stahl) and the Open Science group of the Radboud Young Academy.