Pilot ‘Olifantenpaadje’: faster route to Utrecht Science Park
During rush hour the cycle paths in the city centre heading towards Utrecht Science Park are very busy. From September, Utrecht municipality is testing a quieter route between Utrecht Central Station and Utrecht Science Park with the ‘Olifantenpaadje’ (desire line). The aim is to improve the distribution of cyclists and reduce crowds around popular routes.
The project is an initiative of two lecturers from the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten, Floor Bouwmeister and Friso van Booij, who won the bicycle spreading challenge of platform U-Forward with their idea ‘Utrechtse Olifantenpaadjes’. Together with Utrecht municipality, they designed signs equipped with a real-time pressure meter and advise on a quieter route, designated as ‘elephant path’. This alternative path bypasses busy points such as Tivoli and directs cyclists via the Ledig Erf, for example, a route that is just as fast and more comfortable despite the extra kilometre during rush hour. Congestion is indicated by colours: green (quiet), orange (normal) and red (busy).
With the pilot, which runs until the end of November 2024, the municipality wants to investigate whether cyclists find the signs useful and are willing to choose an alternative route. The alternative routes offer fewer intersections and traffic lights and pass through greener parts of the city. In this way, the municipality hopes to better regulate bicycle flows in Utrecht.
Registration for Utrecht Science Week 2026 is now open: the knowledge festival at Utrecht Science Park
From Friday 25 September to Sunday 4 October, the sixth edition of Utrecht Science Week will take place. Utrecht Science Park will open its doors to everyone interested in (applied) science and innovation in the fields of life sciences, health, and sustainability.
The first programme elements have now been announced and registration is open. Many more events and activities will be added to the programme in the coming weeks.
New artificial heart implanted for the first time in Europe
Earlier this month at UMC Utrecht, a patient with advanced heart failure became the first person in Europe to receive a BrioVAD ventricular assist device. The new system is being evaluated in a European study and may offer advantages over the existing ventricular assist device. For UMC Utrecht, the implantation marks a new milestone in a long history of innovation in the field of mechanical circulatory support.
Successful first edition of Utrecht Life Sciences TechConnect
On 4 June 2026, researchers, technology experts, facility staff and innovation partners from across the Utrecht Life Sciences community gathered at Utrecht Science Park for the first edition of Utrecht Life Sciences TechConnect. The new annual event was created to strengthen connections between researchers and technology facilities, showcase advanced research technologies, and stimulate collaboration across disciplines.
Opening Utrecht Science Week with keynote by Juliette Legler on the hidden influence of environmental chemicals
On Friday, September 25, the annual science festival ‘Utrecht Science Week’ kicks off once again at Utrecht Science Park. We are pleased to announce that this year, Prof. Dr. Ir. Juliette Legler will deliver the Utrecht Science Lecture. Juliette Legler is Professor of Toxicology at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Utrecht University and leads the ‘One Health Toxicology’ group at the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS).