Vasiliki Kosta speaks at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Germany
Vasiliki Kosta acted as a speaker during the Dutch-German Science Days held on 26 and 27 November 2025, on the overarching theme ‘Academia in times of global crises: How to deal with the effects on our systems? What can we learn from each other and what can we do together?’.
The event was organised by and took place at the premisses of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Germany. The aim of the initiative is to bring high level representatives of universities, universities of applied sciences, research institutions and representatives from the responsible Dutch and German ministries together to strengthen relations and invest in a long term, institutionalised cooperation on a biennial basis.
The event was opened by Hester Somsen, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Germany, followed by keynote speeches by Matthias Oel, Director General for International Affairs and Europe, Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, Germany; Mathalie Jaarsma, Director for International Affairs, DG for Science, Higher Education, Vocational Training, Ministry of Science, Culture and Education, The Netherlands; and Marcel Levi, President of the Dutch Research Council NWO.
Kosta participated in an in-depth panel discussion on ‘academic freedom’, alongside panelists: Prof. Dr. Johannes Wessels – Vice president of the Leibniz-Gemeinschaft; Dr. Friederike Schröder – Deputy managing director and head of the international division at German U15 and Dr. Tina Rudersdorf – Head of Section for Evaluation, Funding and PR at the Max Weber Stiftung
The panel addressed the topics of academic freedom as a core value under pressure and discussed the different legal frameworks applicable in Germany and the Netherlands. It also addressed that Germany and the Netherlands should be a safe haven and hub for guarding academic freedom, and how academic freedom interplays with research security, secure research data and communication channels as well as how researcher and student safety could be prioritised.