Institutional resources

In the Netherlands, researchers can access LLM infrastructure at multiple levels. The two most important levels are:

  • University level: institution-provided tools, local policy support, and campus IT pathways.
  • National level: SURF services and national HPC resources such as Snellius.

Why this matters

Choosing an institutional route is not only a technical decision. It also affects:

  • Governance and accountability
  • GDPR compliance and data handling rules
  • Procurement and support pathways
  • Access speed and long-term sustainability

Governance and GDPR

Institutional services often provide clearer frameworks for:

  • Data processing agreements
  • Security controls and auditing
  • User access management and acceptable-use policies
  • Escalation when incidents occur

For projects with personal or sensitive data, governance maturity can be as important as model quality.

Access pathways

Access usually follows institutional channels:

  1. Confirm policy requirements with your faculty or research support office.
  2. Select an approved service (chat, API, VM/VRE, or HPC).
  3. Request access through institutional identity and project processes.
  4. Align quotas, budgets, and support expectations before scaling.

How to choose

Use the questions below as a decision checklist:

  1. Data sensitivity: Does your project include personal or restricted data?
  2. Control needs: Do you need custom runtime and infrastructure control?
  3. Scale needs: Is your workload interactive, automated, or large-batch?
  4. Support needs: Do you need institutional help with governance and operations?
  5. Timeline: Is rapid start or long-term reliability more important?

Rule of thumb

  • Start at university level for quick onboarding and local support.
  • Move to SURF or national infrastructure when workload scale, governance, or compute needs exceed local options.