by Dorien Slot, Josje Spinhoven and Tim van Eijl, SURF, the Netherlands.
What are the biggest future digital trends for education and research? Together with education and research institutions in the Netherlands, SURF has produced a trend report that focuses on the most important digital trends for the Dutch education and research sector. In this trend report, you will discover 50 technology trends that are expected to have a future impact on the sector. The report aims to help institutions make the right innovative choices in a complex world.
The digital world is changing rapidly, and so are the people who try to make sense of these changes. Reports on topics such as AI, quantum, and data management are published daily. As a structured overview is lacking for the education and research sector, SURF initiated the creation of a biennial Tech Trend Report. The first report was launched in 2023, and this October SURF presented the second edition of the Tech Trend Report.
The Tech Trends Report helps CIOs, policymakers, lecturers, researchers, and IT architects navigate the growing flow of information. The report presents an overview of relevant signals and technological trends, supported by information on how these innovations are developing and what impact they could have on education and research.
Experts from universities, universities of applied sciences, vocational colleges, and university medical centres contributed to the report in different ways. Some experts were closely involved in the research, information gathering and writing process of the chapters and other experts were interviewed to give their perspective. In addition, several major tech companies were also interviewed. This broad information-gathering process, both qualitative and quantitative, helps to paint the broadest possible picture.
Inspiration for the future
The trend report steps outside the daily grind and analyses which solutions will be needed in five years and beyond. What future scenarios are likely to emerge? Should we, as an organisation, tender, or is collaborative construction an option or necessity? And should we make it open source? This allows you to make informed decisions about innovation that might have an impact nationally as well as internationally. The report helps you to better understand technological developments, puts these trends into perspective, and offers inspiration for the future. The results of the trend report focus on the Dutch sector, but may also be relevant for institutions outside the Netherlands, so find out what they are and what you can do with them.
Topics covered
The main topics covered in the report are:
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Cloud Computing
- Compute
- Cybersecurity
- Data Management
- Digital Connectivity –
- Immersive Technology –
- Quantum –
- Web3 –
- Wild card technologies (less predictable trends such as humanoid robots, smart implant technologies, brain-controlled interfaces and more)
More information and the report
The tech trend report is a biannual report written by and for members within the SURF educational and research cooperative.
Dorien Slot, SURF
Josje Spinhoven, SURF
Tim van Eijl, SURF
