Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands

Fossil Free Research VU

After an extensive internal assessment process, on 20 April 2023 Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam’s Executive Board announced that it will no longer enter new research partnerships with companies from the fossil fuel industry, unless those companies demonstrably commit to the Paris Agreement. This agreement aims to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5°C (with an absolute maximum of 2°C). As part of this commitment, VU Amsterdam has engaged in an open dialogue with industry stakeholders to foster transparency and accountability.

Establishing a national platform for collaboration and dialogue, VU Amsterdam invited participation from various stakeholders to accelerate the energy transition collectively. Despite the complexity of these endeavours, VU Amsterdam emphasizes the urgency of the situation and calls for collaborative efforts to drive meaningful change.

What the Judges Thought

A project with significant global impact if others follow suit. Great initiative involving communities and major stakeholders with a wide range and far reaching benefits. It can be replicated by other institutions. It is cost effective using a small team and limited resources. The stakeholder engagement was great as well as the dissemination strategies. Congratulations on engaging VU community and leveraging research partnerships to create change and impact beyond the university. Inspirational and leading work for the tertiary sector.

A well deserved win!

What it Means to Win

"This International Green Gown Award is a powerful acknowledgement that our community-centred approach based on the latest research is ground-breaking and necessary to accelerate our transition to a sustainable society. It encourages us to continue this path and take responsibility as a sustainability leader in research and education.

Dr Margrethe Jonkman, President of the Executive Board

Top 3 Learnings

1. We sticked to the science when discussing our collaboration with the fossil fuel industry.
2. We harnessed the power of our academic community via dialogue.
3. We dared to be bold and challenged the status quo.