“I think this is bad news”, says Satyajit Wattamwar with regard to the screening, “And it will stop many good  Iranian students from coming to the Netherlands.” The Indian PhD employee at Control Systems, Electrical Engineering, finds that the TU/e does need to screen students but only those who are going to deal with potentially ‘dangerous’ technology. Wattamwar, however, also sees a downside to the measure: “I think the current reason for avoiding Iranian students might be used by many other departments which have nothing to do with nuclear science.”

An international PhD employee who prefers to stay anonymous questions if the measure is really necessary: “I think that in general additional screening of students coming from other countries is an overreaction. I am in no position to judge, especially since I have very limited info”, says the employee. “However, I believe that in general the task of a university is to promote academic excellence, while security issues are the task of the national authorities, with the help of experts, of course. If the person is screened by the TU/e but not for example by the TU Delft, what’s the purpose?”

The TU/e has not yet introduced the measure, but when it is, the extra screening will only affect a small group: the university draws just a few Iranians. In 2006, six students with the Iranian nationality were registered./.