UtrechtInc startups win big at the Philips Innovation Awards
It was a remarkable evening of innovation and entrepreneurship, with UtrechtInc startups taking the spotlight during the 20th edition of the Philips Innovation Award Grand Final.
At Theater Rotterdam, eight promising student-led startups competed live for the most prestigious student entrepreneurship award in the Netherlands: the Philips Innovation Award. In front of a packed audience and a jury of leading industry figures, including Philips CEO Roy Jakobs, two groundbreaking innovations from the UtrechtInc community took home top honors:
Innovator Award – Lumox, for their light-activated cancer therapy that targets tumors with high precision, reducing the need for invasive surgeries.
Rough Diamond Award – I See U Baby Care, with an AI-powered monitoring system that improves the sleep of premature babies, offering support to both families and hospital staff.
In addition to the pitches, the audience was inspired by talks from speakers such as Ali Niknam (bunq), Eline van Beest (Hybridize Therapeutics), and Joost Smit (Google).
It was especially inspiring to see female founders like Chanel Sam and Irati Beltrán Hernández leading the way and making a strong impact with their innovative solutions.
These achievements highlight the strength of young, innovative entrepreneurs at the Utrecht Science Park, where science and entrepreneurship come together to tackle major societal challenges. Together we strive towards a healthy, sustainable society.
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.
Biology students record more than 500 different species in a single day at Utrecht Science Park
This year, 1081 species have already been recorded at Utrecht Science Park during the Biodiversity Challenge, a nationwide initiative in which fifty educational institutions are studying biodiversity on and around their campuses. Biology students in Utrecht alone managed to document at least 573 species in a single day.
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).