Isabel Arends appointed Director-General of the RIVM
Isabel Arends has been appointed Director-General of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) at the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. Her appointment will take effect on 1 April 2026.
Since 2018, Arends has been affiliated with Utrecht University, where she serves as Dean of the Faculty of Science and Professor of Sustainable Organic Chemistry. Utrecht University has played an important role in her development as both an administrator and a scientist.
The Executive Board of Utrecht University is very grateful to Arends for her commitment over the past years. “Isabel has been of great value to Utrecht University in connecting people within and beyond the university,” says Rector Magnificus Wilco Hazeleger. “She has consistently focused on strengthening an open culture and a sense of community within the faculty. She has actively supported leadership development and further stimulated interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative education at Utrecht University.”
Utrecht University is a very special place for me. I have worked here for almost two terms with great conviction and pleasure, surrounded by staff and students who show every day what science can mean. The warmth, collaboration and trust I have experienced here are things I will take with me. Wherever I go, Utrecht University goes with me.
With her move to the RIVM, Arends takes on a national role in which science, policy and societal responsibility come together. In this role, she will help steer the further development of the RIVM into an organisation that, in line with the RIVM Strategy 2030, addresses the major societal challenges in the fields of public health and the environment.
In the coming period, a careful transition process will be put in place. More information about succession and the farewell to Isabel Arends will follow in due course.
UMC Utrecht takes third surgical robot into use
UMC Utrecht has commissioned a third surgical robot. With the arrival of the latest generation, the Da Vinci 5, even more patients can be operated on with minimal stress. This leads to fewer complications and faster recovery. “Apart from the benefits for patients, the Da Vinci 5 also allows us to train even better,” says Jelle Ruurda, gastrointestinal surgeon and professor of robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery. “At the touch of a button, colleagues can watch remotely, and even learn from previous operations. This way we share knowledge faster and more widely.” The hospital is thus building on a tradition of 25 years at the forefront of robotic surgery.
The HU ORM program is moving to the Utrecht Science Park.
The Entrepreneurship & Retail Management (ORM) program will relocate from Amersfoort to the Utrecht Science Park as of September 1, 2026. According to program manager Lisette Luijk (Institute for Marketing & Commerce), it is mainly about one thing: more connection.
Danny Sahtoe receives NVBMB prize
Danny Sahtoe has been awarded the prestigious NVBMB prize, a prize that gives recognition to the work of a highly talented young independent researcher in the field of biochemistry or molecular biology. The prize includes funding to organize a one-day symposium on a topic of choice. Danny Sahtoe is group leader at the Hubrecht Institute and Investigator at Oncode Institute.
Inspiring and connecting visit by the President of Estonia to Utrecht Science Park
On Wednesday, April 8, 2026, the President of Estonia, Mr. Alar Karis, together with his wife Sirje Karis, ambassador Mr. Paul Teesalu and a delegation from the Estonian Health Ecosystem, visited the Utrecht Science Park. During the visit, much knowledge was exchanged and valuable connections were made.