Wonderful examples of the power of collaboration at the Utrecht Science Park New Year’s Café
Tuesday evening 21th of January was the Utrecht Science Park New Year’s Café. The programme was all about looking back on 2024 and forward to 2025.
Various themes from the past year were highlighted with an interactive quiz. Questioners from many partners looked back at some great developments in the Utrecht Science Park last year. Some examples that were reviewed were:
- Area developments at the Utrecht Science Park; both from Utrecht University, but also the arrival of new organisations such as the RIVM, which will move from Utrecht Science Park Bilthoven to Utrecht Science Park in mid-2025.
- Initiatives and activities around sports and exercise; the HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht initiated the WorkWalk in cooperation with the Utrecht Science Park Foundation. There were also several larger sports events with start and finish at the Utrecht Science Park, including the Utrecht Marathon and Giro d’Utrecht.
- Great progress was made in healthcare; we saw this for example during the successful TV series ‘Het Kinderziekenhuis’ on RTL4, where the WKZ was in the spotlight. And at the Princess Máxima Centre, the Infuuts was brought to life. This is a bicycle on which an infusion pump can be attached. This allows children in the hospital to cycle with an infusion pump on the back.
- The Utrecht Science Park has grown in employment and there is a lot of new business activity; this was shown in the BCI report published in autumn of 2024. Also with the arrival of the second satellite location Utrecht Science Park Zeist, the Utrecht Science Park continues to expand.
- Accessibility is a key topic. In 2024, a pilot was conducted to run trams on weekends. This pilot was so successful that in 2025 the tram will run on weekends when FC Utrecht has a home match and with the open days of Utrecht University and HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht.
- The Utrecht Science Week was a great success. In cooperation with various partners, various themes around groundbreaking science were put in the spotlight at the Utrecht Science Park. One of the great examples was Genmab’s symposium on Artificial Intelligence in R&D and healthcare, among others.
All these developments in the Utrecht Science Park are the result of many collaborations and connections established between the knowledge institutions, research institutes and companies. This only motivates even more to continue working together towards a healthy, sustainable society.
Utrecht Science Park Summer Café: Farewell to Managing Director Jan Henk van der Velden
On Monday, 6 July, the Utrecht Science Park Summer Café took place at Grand Café Living on Utrecht Science Park. This edition was dedicated to the farewell of Jan Henk van der Velden, Managing Director of the Utrecht Science Park Foundation, after nine years in which he played a key role in the development and positioning of the ecosystem.
UMC Utrecht is to get a new main entrance and a green campus park
The north side of UMC Utrecht is set to undergo a major redevelopment in the coming years. Utrecht City Council and the teaching hospital have presented plans for a new main entrance, a central car park and a green reception area designed to improve connections between the hospitals at Utrecht Science Park. The plans have now been submitted to the city council.
Petra Baarendse appointed new Managing Director of Stichting Utrecht Science Park as of 1 September
Utrecht, 2 July 2026 – As of 1 September 2026, Petra Baarendse will take office as the new Managing Director of Stichting Utrecht Science Park. She succeeds Jan Henk van der Velden, who has stepped down and will take on a new role as Managing Director of Stichting Nationaal Park Utrechtse Heuvelrug.
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).