30 augustus 2023
Have you ever wondered about the sounds of Minnaertgebouw? Can you imagine making Educatorium dance? And what on earth is “junkspace”?
UPDATE: unfortunately, this workshop will not be able to take place
In today’s ever-changing technological world, it’s crucial to take a close look at how technology shapes our cities. That’s why we want to explore the concept of critical making, which emphasizes that technological creations carry values and can ignite interdisciplinary re-evaluation and revitalization of urban spaces.
“The concept of critical making has many predecessors, all of which start with the assumption that built technological artifacts embody cultural values, and that technological development can be combined with cultural reflectivity to build provocative objects that encourage a re-evaluation of the role of technology in culture.” – Matt Ratto and Garnet Hertz.
This Speculative Theatre Imaginary Platform (STIP) Critical Making workshop is organized by the Creative Urban Methods interdisciplinary group in collaboration with the Transforming Cities research hub.
This workshop delves into the captivating world of critical making and performative architecture. We’ll be using the process-oriented critical making method developed by Ratto and Hertz (2019). As a participant, you’ll have a unique opportunity to critically examine iconic landmarks in Utrecht Science Park, such as Rem Koolhaas’ Educatorium, the Minnaert building, and the enigmatic Hoge Bos.
After a brief introduction to CRUM by Olga Efremov (Utrecht University RMA MAPS), we’ll engage in hands-on explorations of performative architecture, using Utrecht Science Park as our research site.
Full description and registration on the website of Utrecht University.
Speculative Theatre Imaginary Platform (STIP) Critical Making workshop
Thursday 5 October 11 am – 5 pm
Learning Plaza, Minnaertgebouw, Leuvenlaan 4, 3584 CE Utrecht
In the main programme of Utrecht Science Week 2023 on Tuesday 3 October: de Dag van de Duurzaamheid (Day of Sustainability). This year, a co-production of HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht and Utrecht University. The central theme on this day is “sustainability in education and research”.
The urgency to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss and growing inequality is felt worldwide. Teachers and students are increasingly asking for more attention to be given to these themes in the curriculum and research at higher education institutions. On de Dag van de Duurzaamheid, we look together at how we can further shape our sustainable ambitions.
A great programme has been put together with a plenary opening and keynote Reint Jan Renes, several inspiring workshops on, among other things, Sustainable Development Goals in education, creating a sustainable masterclass and Sprong Sure research, a Green Market and a festive closing.
Dag van de Duurzaamheid
Tuesday 3 October from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Speakers
Including Reint Jan Renes, behavioural scientist, Lecturer in Psychology for a Sustainable City at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam
You will soon find the full programme on DvdD.hu.nl.
The Utrecht Science Week programmes the Sustainability Dialogue: The urban-rural divide on Thursday 5 October.
The urban-rural divide is of all times, but seems to be increasingly mentioned in diverse discussions in recent years. The plans to tackle the nitrogen problem led to considerable unrest in Dutch society. This resulted in a huge election victory for the BoerBurgerBeweging.
Many saw this as the result of a growing division between city and countryside or the `common people’ and the urban elite: farmers produce the food for city dwellers, who then decide what the countryside should look like.
Six months after the elections, we look at what is left of this supposed separation between city and countryside: what is it about when people talk about a divide? To what extent is there actually a divide or are urban and rural areas more intertwined than thought? We discuss these questions using themes such as food, nature and culture in the province of Utrecht.
Join us for an interdisciplinary discussion!
Everyone is welcome; registration is recommended (to ensure a place).
Keep an eye on the website, we will open the registration in July.
Sustainability Dialogue: The urban-rural divide
Thursday October 5th, 2023, from 15.00 -17.00 at UtrechtInc, H.R. Kruyt building Padualaan 8 3584 CH Utrecht
Language
English
Speakers
The topic will be introduced through short pitches by scholars and stakeholders.
More information about the sustainability dialogues
The sustainability dialogues are set up by the strategic theme Pathways to Sustainability of Utrecht University to give a boost to interdisciplinary work between scholars and stakeholders. We like to do that based on current themes and social issues. This dialogue is initiated by Transforming Cities and Future Food Utrecht.
Sign up here.
May 23, 2023
From Friday 29 September to Sunday 8 October next, the Utrecht Science Park will be colouring Utrecht Science Week. Behind the scenes, people are working hard on a wonderful programme. Time for a sneak peek!
Hackathon Green Labs
What if the many laboratories in the Utrecht Science Park joined forces and together searched for smart solutions to structurally reduce the environmental burden? This could involve attitude and behaviour, corporate culture, processes and procedures, but also materials, equipment and procurement strategy. After all, surely it cannot be the case that the lab, which is pre-eminently working on a healthy, sustainable society, itself contributes enormously to its threat?
This hackathon is a co-production of the Hubrecht Institute, Genmab, Prinses Máxima Centrum, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht University and Utrecht University of Applied Sciences; we are guests in the inspiring working environment of UtrechtInc.
In addition to this hackathon, the main programme includes a promising Sustainability Day, the impressive Hospital of the Future theme and, of course, the Second Utrecht Science Lecture. We will keep the drum roll for a while, announcement to follow!
Partner programme
In the framing programme of the partners, you will find multicoloured gems such as, for example, the Centre for Complex Systems Studies’ “Science of Success” workshop, a debate on animal-worthy husbandry (Veterinary Medicine), an exciting tour of the New Evolution Garden (Botanical Gardens) and a discussion initiated by the Centre for Unusual Collaborations on the question of how inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration in research relates to the regular system of recognition and appreciation: should it be different? How then?
And more!
Before the summer holidays, anyone can register for the various programme components. Keep an eye on the socials and this website for more information the upcoming periode.
The power of innovation and cooperation aimed at a healthy, sustainable society is at the focus of the third edition of Utrecht Science Week. From Friday 29 September to Sunday 8 October next, the Utrecht Science Park will open its doors wide for students, professionals and all other interested parties to meet and exchange knowledge. Everyone is welcome.
At the Utrecht Science Park, the largest science park in the Netherlands, over 55,000 students and 30,000 employees of renowned knowledge institutions, medical centres and companies work intensively together to develop and apply groundbreaking science and solutions in the fields of healthcare, life sciences and sustainability.
Utrecht Science Week is keen to highlight the relevance and results of this collaboration. For inspiration, to make even more of a difference together. To strengthen and expand existing cooperation and to discover new, promising coalitions and alliances.
In close cooperation with the partners – Hogeschool Utrecht, Utrecht University, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Prinses Máxima Centrum, Genmab, Hubrecht Institute and RIVM – a varied, relevant programme is being developed. From June, anyone can register for the various programme components.
Join in!
With Utrecht Science Week, we celebrate the harvest and opportunities of the rich breeding ground of the Utrecht Science Park. And we plant seeds. For new knowledge and new encounters. Take part and mark the dates in your diary. Follow Utrecht Science Week on the website and via the social media.
Are you looking for a stage for your own project, research or idea? Let us know, mail us at usw@utrechtsciencepark.nl.
February 27, 2023
In the autumn we will once again open our doors wide at Utrecht Science Park: from September 29 to October 8 we organize the third edition of the Utrecht Science Week.
Utrecht Science week is about a big, week-long open house for anyone and everyone who is interested in the state of the art in (applied) science when it comes to sustainability and health. With connections to the future of the city and the region, to the world of the arts, industry, nature, food production, pharmacy and data sciences. Everyone is welcome. The Betweter Festival and the Weekend of Science are also programmed during Utrecht Science Week.
Utrecht Science Week is an initiative of Utrecht Science Park Foundation and is realized in cooperation with a large number of partners at the Utrecht Science Park. The successful combination of education, research and talented entrepreneurs leads to extraordinary results at Utrecht Science Park on a daily basis. During Utrecht Science Week, institutions, research centres and businesses present these results to each other and to a broad public. Central theme: Together towards a healthy, sustainable society.
Over the last year, among others various faculties, the university of applied sciences, the research centres, the Botanic Gardens, UtrechtInc and the Princess Máxima Center received students, (young) professionals and other interested parties from across the Netherlands at 15 different locations. Researchers lent a listening ear at social discussions, spoke about the latest research results and analysed the returns of their research for society at large. Finally, students in secondary vocational education (MBO), higher professional education (HBO) and university education (WO) competed for the grand prize of the Sustainable City Challenge.
Follow the programme development on this site. Starting in June, interested parties will be able to register here for the various programme components.
October 11, 2022
From healthy food to organoids and from circular hospitals to laboratory animals: last week’s Utrecht Science Week was proof positive that a science week does not have to be boring or theoretical by any means. The eight-day event at Utrecht Science Park gave visitors the opportunity to get acquainted with all the wonderful things the science park has to offer and brought partners who contributed to the diverse programme closer together.
Science festival
There was almost no getting around them last week on the bus or tram to Utrecht Science Park: the ubiquitous flags with “Utrecht Science Week” in oversized font. Officially, this was the second edition of Utrecht Science Week, but it was the first time that the event lasted an entire week and that the programme did not take place online, but at Utrecht Science Park itself.
With a variety of stages and a full timetable, the multi-day event almost felt like a festival, only with lectures and scientists instead of concerts and artists. The festival atmosphere was only reinforced by the presence of the “pavilion”: a large circus tent at the Botanic Gardens where interesting speeches, lectures, workshops and debates took place all week long.
Dynamic surroundings
The layout of the pavilion was changed again and again, making for dynamic surroundings, with the location being adapted to each individual activity. On Monday, for example, Lidwien Smit and Franck Meijboom took to the stage to discuss “animals and people co-existing in a healthy and sustainable way”. This discussion was led by Debbie Jaarsma, Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Different statements related to animal welfare, the livestock industry and public health were put forward from the stage. Jaarsma had people from the audience come on stage, sit down on wooden chairs and give their opinion, after which Franck and Lidwien shared their views on the statement from the perspective of their respective fields.
At the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM)’s interactive session, in which the subject of choosing healthy and sustainable foods was discussed, all of the furniture was pushed way back to the sides. Using cards, the audience was divided into different sectors, including consumers, the food industry, farmers or environmental organisations, after which the pavilion floor was used for taking a position with regard to public support for and the effectiveness of certain measures aimed at encouraging healthy food choices.
In more intimate surroundings, Charisma Hehakaya led a discussion about her First Generation Fund. The audience and speakers, ambassadors and interested parties all sat together around a big table at the centre of the tent. First-generation students and scientists shared personal stories and the homely surroundings set the perfect tone for the discussions with the audience.
The versatility of the pavilion at the Botanic Gardens fit in well with the extremely diverse programme of Utrecht Science Week, as a varied programme was organised from 30 September to 7 October all over the science park, not just inside the pavilion. Visitors were also encouraged to take part in the programme, which included workshops, interactive sessions, games and other activities – all of which were in keeping with the slogan of the science week: “Creating a healthy, sustainable society together”.
That aspect may have been the most striking one during the week: being involved in, developing or solving something together. Scientists, speakers, visitors and guests: everyone was invited to provide their input, share their thoughts and ideas and participate. During Sustainability Day, for example, dozens of visitors discussed current subjects in groups after a joint opening on Padualaan. During the Hackathon at UtrechtInc, participants worked on smart solutions in the area of circular hospitals.
Innovation at Utrecht Science Park
The innovation, development and progress that take place on a daily basis at the science park were highlighted at the Healthy Living theme day on Thursday at the Princess Máxima Center. During a day-long programme, speakers from UMC Utrecht, Utrecht University, HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, the business community, interest organisations and the world of politics presented new developments on all kinds of relevant subjects, with an emphasis on health.
A wide variety of different topics were discussed: the treatment of cystic fibrosis with the aid of organoids, innovations to help reduce the required number of laboratory animals and the application of data science and AI in health care. The day ended with a college tour with Jaap van Dissel, the now-familiar public face of RIVM.
The importance of Utrecht Science Week once again came strongly to the fore on this day. The interdisciplinary collaborations at the park make all innovations that were discussed possible, but the visitors could also participate in the conversations and in that way contribute something of substance to complex issues.
Conclusion of Utrecht Science Week
The last day of Utrecht Science Week kicked off with the First Utrecht Science Lecture, in which a prominent Utrecht scientist talks each year about current scientific knowledge in the area of healthy and sustainable living. This year’s guest speaker was Hans Clevers, world famous for his pioneering research into stem cells and organoids. At the Hubrecht Institute, where he still works, he treated the audience to an intriguing presentation, covering everything from the history of research into stem cells and organoids, to new research and revolutionary techniques which in future will dramatically improve health care as we know it.
Like last year, the week ended with the presentation of the prize for the Sustainable City Challenge, held this time in a pavilion that was packed to the gills with an audience in the mood for celebrating. Teams of students, which had worked throughout the week on a smart solution to a current urban issue, presented the solution they had come up with at the event. The winning team had created a game in which a city’s inhabitants could give nature a say in development plans. The prize was awarded by deputy mayor Dennis de Vries, after which the victory, all of the wonderful ideas and the conclusion of this Utrecht Science Week were celebrated.
This marked the end of Utrecht Science Week, but the week was only the beginning of an even closer relationship between the partners at Utrecht Science Park. Whereas all kinds of fantastic collaborations came about last year after only two days, this edition once again witnessed the beginnings of all kinds of new developments and initiatives. We are curious and look forward to everything the coming year will bring!
Want to relive the 2022 edition of Utrecht Science Week? Click here to view all the photos!
The 2022 edition of Utrecht Science Week is now over. The varied programme included the Weekend van de Wetenschap, Dag van de Duurzaamheid, Betweter Festival, Research Day, Hackaton, Sustainable City Challenge en Themadag Gezond Leven. Events at which visitors could get to know science by means of interviews, talk shows, experiments, workshops and the like. Watch the aftermovies and enjoy the events once again.
There you have it! The 2022 Betweter Festival in TivoliVredenburg. With interviews, talk shows, live scientific research, music and plenty of art. Enjoy the recap – we are already planning next year’s event. Until then!
What makes play so enjoyable? Which bone belongs to which animal? What happens if the earth warms up too much? On Sunday 2 October 2022, 2,000 visitors discovered the answers to these and many more questions. They took part in exciting experiments, attended mini lectures and followed interesting workshops. Through the various programmes, visitors discovered more about science and research at Utrecht University.
Watch the Dag van de Duurzaamheid aftermovie here.
Watch back the HU Dag van de Duurzaamheid 2022 here, with Jane Goodall, Melati Wijsen, Kees Klomp and Aniek Moonen, among others. Click here for more impressions of this day.
On Friday 7 October 2022, the first Research Day took place at Utrecht Medical Center Utrecht to conclude Utrecht Science Week. The day was entirely devoted to research and our researchers. The researchers were welcomed with live music, coffee and a blue carpet. Employees and visitors enjoyed a day with scientific posters and poster pitches, a live talk show, symposia and a networking drinks gathering.
On Friday 7 October 2022, Research Day will take place at UMC Utrecht. This day will be fully dedicated to research. We intend to put the spotlight on our colleagues who are so wholeheartedly committed to research. We will thank them for their tireless efforts, and we will let other colleagues at UMC Utrecht experience what our research means to society and to us. Watch the online talkshow ‘Let’s talk about Research!
Healthcare ambassadors Rosan Aapkes, Jill Pape, Aletta de Beer and Renske Karens (or the Green Team of the Healthcare Embassy) see that a lot is already happening in the field of sustainability by local and national ‘green teams’. Also, the Green Deal Zorg 2.0 has now been signed by 260 healthcare organisations. However, to achieve the objectives from this deal, sustainability will have to accelerate. In doing so, there is a need for more knowledge sharing, connection and further concretisation of the objectives.
That is why they organised the multidisciplinary hackathon ‘Together towards a circular hospital’. With over 70 professionals, they came up with concrete recommendations to work more sustainably in the hospital.
These are about:
💊 Green Pharmacy
♻️ Less plastic
🌱 Greener policies
During the Sustainable City Challenge from 27 September to 7 October 2022, 15 teams with students from Hogeschool Utrecht, Utrecht University and ROC Midden Nederland worked on sustainable solutions for the districts Cartesius, Merwede and the Daalsebuurt in the Municipality of Utrecht and for the Hoefkwartier in the Municipality of Amersfoort.
Life Sciences research in Utrecht is highly diverse and interdisciplinary by nature. Our researchers combine fundamental, clinical, translational and applied research from molecule to human, from organism to population and from laboratory to hospital bedside. Together, they have the potential to play a much greater role in the development of and access to innovative therapies. The Healthy Living theme day addressed various aspects of therapy development in which Utrecht researchers are closely involved. They discussed challenges, solution directions and examples of innovations.
Bron Betweterfestival
Bron Weekend van de Wetenschap
Bron Dag van de Duurzaamheid Aftermovie
Bron Dag van de Duurzaamheid Livestream
Bron Resarch Day Aftermovie
Bron Research Day Talk Show
Bron Hackaton
Bron Sustainable City Challenge
Themadag Gezond Leven
Foto: Lize Kraan