Dutch scientific institutes are compiling a list of academic data that may need to be protected if the US government cuts ties with American institutions or projects, broadcaster NOS reported on Monday.

Researchers are particularly concerned about losing access to information stored on US servers, which host large volumes of scientific literature, NOS said. Climate scientists especially fear the potential influence of former US president Donald Trump.

“We share the concerns within the scientific world about safeguarding research data,” a spokesman for Dutch research funding body NWO told NOS. “So we are joining forces to determine which specific data needs a new, secure location. There is no clear overview at present.”

Because it is not feasible to store all the data in the Netherlands, Dutch institutes are consulting with other European countries, a spokesman for the Dutch university umbrella organisation UNL said.

“It would be enormously inefficient – and impossible – if every country maintained its own back-up of American servers,” he said.

Last month, members of parliament called on the government to stop transferring confidential information such as tax returns, contracts and medical records to US-based cloud services, arguing that doing so poses a threat to Dutch cyber security.

MPs also urged the government to work on developing its own cloud infrastructure for storing digital records.

Under the US Cloud Act, cloud service providers can be legally compelled to hand over information to US authorities, even if the data is stored in Europe.

Earlier this year, digitalisation minister Zsolt Szabó told Dutch News that officials are continuing to revise the government’s cloud storage policy in response to an audit office report which warned about excessive reliance on US cloud companies.