Collaborations with Israeli partners – update 22 October 2025: Ghent University urges European decision on withdrawal from OSTEONET

The European Commission must now assess Ghent University's withdrawal. This is part of the ongoing procedures to terminate collaborations between Ghent University and Israeli partners, which have been negatively advised by the Commission on Human Rights Policy and Dual Use Research (CMDUO). 

What is the status of ongoing collaborations with Israeli partners? 

On 31 May 2024, Ghent University decided to discontinue ongoing collaborations with Israeli partners that had been negatively assessed by the CMDUO. This is a complex undertaking that requires identifying various legal and financial risks for Ghent University and the staff working on these projects. Every step in this procedure is important. 

Ghent University currently has 10 ongoing research collaborations with Israeli partners that have been negatively assessed by the Committee on Human Rights Policy and Dual Use Research (CMDUO). These are all collaborations within the framework of Horizon Europe. The number of partners in these consortia ranges from 13 to 47. 

There is still one ongoing educational collaboration with 8 other partners, but the participation of the Israeli partner has been suspended. 

What is the significance of Ghent University's withdrawal from OSTEONET? 

Ghent University cannot contractually withdraw unilaterally from its ongoing European collaborations with Israeli partners; a previous update discussed the mandatory procedure in detail. Since 31 May 2024, Ghent University has initiated the withdrawal procedure for each project. Regarding the OSTEONET project, a breakthrough was achieved in September 2025: after much tug-of-war on Ghent University's side, a majority agreement was reached within the consortium on 20 September 2025, to terminate Ghent University's participation in the project due to its human rights policy. The termination can no longer be vetoed by any other partner. 

The next step is for the European Commission to rule on the "improper" or "proper" nature of the termination of Ghent University's participation in OSTEONET. The European Commission's assessment of this consortium will allow Ghent University to assess whether terminating its participation in the other consortia with an Israeli partner negatively advised by the CMDUO is feasible within the applicable contractual and regulatory frameworks. Ghent University expects the European Commission's assessment of OSTEONET in the coming weeks. 

Rector Petra De Sutter and Vice-Rector Herwig Reynaert: “We urge the European Commission to make a swift decision on terminating our participation in OSTEONET. This will significantly impact the further process of terminating other collaborations with negatively assessed Israeli partners. People often ask us: why is everything moving so slowly, and why are we so cautious? We continue to emphasize that Ghent University is the institution in Flanders (and even much more broadly) that has gone furthest in this regard. And our goal remains unchanged: we will terminate all ongoing collaborations with negatively assessed Israeli partners. At the same time, as Rector and Vice-Rector, we bear the responsibility to protect Ghent University from significant financial and personnel risks. Therefore, we are taking every step with due legal and administrative care.” 

What next steps will Ghent University take regarding collaborations with Israeli partners? 

Ghent University will continue its procedures regarding the termination of collaborations with negatively assessed Israeli partners in the coming period. Ghent University is hopeful that the European Commission will soon finally clarify whether participation in European research collaborations can be terminated if an Israeli partner negatively advised by the CMDUO is a member of the consortium. 

Moreover, on 3 October 2025, Ghent University’s board of governors decided to tighten its policy regarding any new European and international partnerships.