Frequently Asked Questions

In an emergency, immediately call 112, or the emergency number of your institution if you are on campus. In other cases you can call the SafeScience incident room on 0320-331343. They can assess your situation and provide immediate support if necessary. If you are in doubt, we recommend that you always call the SafeScience incident room.

If you are facing intimidation, threats or hate speech as a result of your work at a Dutch university or scientific institution associated with NWO or the KNAW.

SafeScience can help you by referring you to your employer as quickly as possible so that they can provide you with the best possible support. After you fill in the report form, your employer will contact you within one working day. If you report an emergency situation by telephone, immediate advice or assistance can be provided by specialists, but you will also receive support from your employer as quickly as possible.

You can make a report via the report form, or in case of urgency, by calling 0320-331343. In emergencies, call 112 immediately, or your institution's emergency number if you are on campus. In other cases, you can call the ScienceSafe emergency room at 0320-331343. They can assess your situation and, if necessary, help you immediately. When in doubt, we advise you to always call the emergency room of ScienceSafe.

SafeScience will immediately forward the report to your employer so that the best support can be provided. Your employer will contact you within one working day to discuss what help or support is available. Reports received by telephone are also referred to the employer, but in the event of an emergency, immediate advice or help may be offered by specialists. If the situation is urgent, they will help you to contact the police. You can find more information about reporting a threat to the police here.

The universities have issued a joint statement that threats, intimidation and hate speech are never acceptable and always worth reporting. If you have any doubts, your institution can help you to decide which next steps are appropriate following a report.

The aim of SafeScience is to bring scientists into contact with the support available from their employer as quickly as possible. If you are already in contact with your employer, it is not necessary to submit a report to SafeScience.

SafeScience has various privacy and data protection measures in place. After your report has been forwarded to the relevant institution, it will immediately be removed from the SafeScience server. SafeScience does not save the reports that it receives, which means they cannot be retrieved.

Reports received by telephone are forwarded to the institution via a secure system. Depending on the type of report, privacy-sensitive and/or confidential data may also be passed on. However, our aim is to keep this to a minimum.

You can report incidents such as intimidation, threats or hate speech with respect to your work to SafeScience. If you are facing a socially unsafe situation at work or if your colleagues or supervisors are involved, please contact the confidential counsellor at your institution.

Reports made via the online web form are automatically and securely forwarded to the employer selected by the reporter. The control room is staffed by security consultants from a specialised company.

If there is an immediate threat, you should call 112. If you are in doubt about whether to call 112, we advise you to do so. SafeScience is primarily meant for scientists and other staff members affiliated with one of the 14 Dutch universities that are members of UNL (link), or the institutes affiliated with the KNAW (link) or NWO (link).

Do you work at an institution not listed here? If so, please send a message to info@wetenschapveilig.nl. We will contact you to see what is possible. We kindly ask you not to include sensitive and/or detailed information about incidents in e-mails.

Is there an (acute) threat? Call 112 (or the local emergency number). Unsure whether you should call 112? Even then we advise you to call the local emergency number. Is there no emergency? Then contact the employer where you are currently staying. If you are unsure who to contact, call the emergency room on 0031 320 331343.

Yes, if you are affiliated to a Dutch university or research institute of KNAW or NWO, you can report threats or harassment via WetenschapVeilig.nl or call 0320-331343.

Yes, if you are affiliated to a Dutch university or research institute of KNAW or NWO, you can report threats or harassment via WetenschapVeilig.nl or call 0320-331343.

SafeScience is intended for employees - including PhD students - and other officials connected to one of the 14 Dutch universities affiliated to UNL (link), or the institutes affiliated to KNAW (link) or NWO (link).

Are you an undergraduate or graduate student involved in scientific research and experiencing an incident? Then make a report or call the emergency number in case of acute threat.

If you want to report an incident within your institution, you have various options for doing this depending on the situation, such as contacting the confidential counsellor or the ombudsperson at your institution. If you are in doubt, it is best to contact the confidential counsellor.

You can read our Privacy Statement here. The basic principle is to ensure people are in contact with the support channels as quickly as possible. This is why we need to ask for privacy-sensitive data and to share this with the relevant employer. SafeScience collects as little data as possible, and any data retained for monitoring is anonymised and cannot be traced back to individuals.

No, SafeScience can only be contacted online and by phone.

SafeScience does not save the reports that it receives, which means they cannot be retrieved. If you have not been contacted by your employer within one working day, it is best to contact your employer directly.

You can always contact your institution or your manager directly. SafeScience can help you to find the right person within your institution, if necessary.

If you are dissatisfied with the support provided by your employer, there are various options open to you, depending on the situation. These include contacting your confidential counsellor or the ombudsperson at your institution.

Choose the employer you work for the most. If necessary, your employers can liaise to decide which support is most suitable to your situation.