Review Utrecht Science Week 2025

During this event, Utrecht students presented their fresh, sustainable ideas for the city. Sustainable innovation, collaboration, and social impact came together!

From reuse to climate adaptation and energy: 80 students worked in a “pressure cooker” for a week on concrete solutions to current urban sustainability issues and pitched their ideas to the audience.

Winners were chosen per district, with team “Merwede” being chosen as the overall public winner, with a solution for smarter energy consumption in the district: a digital energy assistant.

Photographer: Seth Carnill

During the inspiring event “The Veterinary Hospital of the Future,” we learned more about how science contributes to a healthy future for animals.

Maurice Zandvliet spoke about cancer in animals and the parallels with human oncology. Franck L.B. Meijboom addressed the ethical questions surrounding the relationship between humans and animals. Hille Fieten discussed healthy breeding and how hereditary diseases can be prevented. Harold Brommer and Ineke Smit demonstrated modern movement analysis for equine lameness. Sarah van Rijn showed how 3D-printed implants offer new treatment options. And the team of Daniela Salvatori and Beerend Hierck presented AvatarZOO, holographic 3D models that are innovating education and replacing laboratory animals.

Together, we are building the veterinary medicine of the future at Utrecht Science Park!

Photographers: Seth Carnill and Jelle Boontje

What a fantastic evening it was on Thursday 2 October during Utrecht Science Week! No fewer than 16 teams competed against each other during the Utrecht Science Park Pub Quiz. Their knowledge was tested in rounds about Utrecht, sport, music and, of course, Utrecht Science Park itself.

With free pizzas at the start, the atmosphere was immediately lively. During the quiz, everyone played enthusiastically, but there was also a lot of laughter and fun. Afterwards, there was a festive award ceremony and drinks.

We would like to thank all participants for their enthusiasm and sportsmanship. It was an evening full of fun, competition and connection.

Photographer Seth Carnill

Utrecht Brain is an initiative of the UMC Utrecht Brain Centre and the Faculty of Social Sciences at Utrecht University. The aim of Utrecht Brain is to unite neuroscientific research in Utrecht, increase the visibility of our expertise, and promote multidisciplinary and institutional collaboration.

Utrecht Brain was officially launched during this event. The initiative was explained, along with what it hopes to achieve. Participants were then given the opportunity to provide input: what is needed and what is important to you in joining this initiative? These “networking and discussion tables” were concluded with a lecture, the official launch of the Utrecht Brain website, and, of course, drinks and snacks.

Photographer Seth Carnill

Practical research for innovative solutions with an impact on people and the environment.

The Applied Science Domain (DAS) organised the first edition of the Applied Science R&D Congress in collaboration with Utrecht University of Applied Sciences – a national congress for practical research in the applied natural sciences.

This congress focused on the content of practice-oriented research and the power of collaboration in innovation. The focus was on Key Enabling Technologies and their role in current issues such as climate change, energy transition, future-proof healthcare, food security, circularity and safety.

Photographer Seth Carnill

Why, despite all our knowledge and the urgency of the situation, do we not opt for the most logical solutions to improve our water quality?

That was the central question during the water dialogue “Water in the (near) Future” on Wednesday 1 October 2025 at Utrecht Science Park. The meeting brought together scientists, administrators, entrepreneurs and policymakers for an open and critical discussion about the future of our water.

Photographer Seth Carnill

Fungi are everywhere: on your food, in the soil, and in the air. Yet most people know very little about what fungi actually are and the unique role they play in nature and in our daily lives. Microbiologist Jan Dijksterhuis took us on a journey into the fascinating world of fungi. He does so based on his research at the Westerdijk Institute in Utrecht.

The Westerdijk Institute is named after Johanna Westerdijk, the first female professor in the Netherlands. The institute is an internationally renowned center for fungus research. It manages the largest collection of living fungi in the world, with more than 130,000 species, and plays an important role in understanding the biology, diversity, and applications of these remarkable organisms.

Photographer Seth Carnill

Innovation in healthcare is essential to maintaining high-quality care. Unfortunately, many good ideas are shelved prematurely and never reach patients or the workplace. This has to change! That is why we organised the Ureka Mega Challenge at UMC Utrecht as part of Utrecht Science Week.

This is a unique, competitive innovation programme that stimulates, facilitates and partially finances the further development and realisation of good ideas. In recent years, the Ureka Mega Challenge has proven to make a valuable contribution to the realisation of innovations in healthcare.

Photographer Seth Carnill

Het belang van klimaatcommunicatie.

Klimaatverandering roept vragen op, maar waar vind je betrouwbare antwoorden? De KlimaatHelpdesk koppelt vragen van Nederlandse burgers over het klimaat aan relevante experts. Wat is ecocide? Hoe kan de muziekindustrie duurzamer worden? Wat is de klimaatimpact van ruimtevaart?

De afgelopen jaren hebben we met meer dan 400 experts uit verschillende disciplines – van natuurkunde tot biologie, psychologie, aardrijkskunde en rechten – en vele enthousiaste redacteuren al meer dan 200 vragen beantwoord. We willen wetenschappelijke informatie over klimaatgerelateerde onderwerpen op een begrijpelijke manier delen met het grote publiek.

Fotograaf Seth Carnill

 The importance of Climate Communication

Climate change raises questions – but where can you find reliable answers? The KlimaatHelpdesk links questions from Dutch citizens about climate to relevant experts. What is ecocide? How can the music industry become more sustainable? What is the climate impact of space travel?

In recent years, with more than 400 experts from various disciplines- from physics, to biology, psychology, geography and law, and many enthusiastic editors, we have already answered over 200 questions. We aim to share scientific information on climate related topics with the general public in an understandable way.

Photographer Seth Carnill

The theme of this edition was: “Connection with Nature”.

Together, they explored the issue in depth and answered the overarching question: how can we look at the world around us in a different way, and what does this mean for our actions?

There is a global sense of urgency to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss and growing inequality. Teachers and students are increasingly calling for more attention to be paid to these themes in the curriculum and research at higher education institutions. Together, we looked at how we can further shape our sustainability ambitions. It was a great programme with a plenary session, workshops, a Green Market and the Climate Casino.

Photographer Seth Carnill

Special evening at the Utrecht Science Park with the theme ‘infectious diseases’
During a special “Walking Dinner” at the Utrecht Science Park, the theme of “infectious diseases” took centre stage. Administrators, scientists, entrepreneurs and representatives from the city, region and country were given presentations and tours about innovative research, such as in the field of vaccines, antibiotic resistance, animal-free methods and microscopy.

Five years after COVID-19, it became clear how much progress has been made in better preventing and treating infectious diseases. The evening emphasised the importance of collaboration and knowledge concentration here at Utrecht Science Park, as well as continued investment in innovation and science.

Photographer: Seth Carnill

NPEC Utrecht (Netherlands Plant Eco-phenotyping Centre) opened during Utrecht Science Week 2023. In this lab with state-of-the-art robots, laser scanners, climate chambers and other installations, researchers fully automatically follow the growth and development of thousands of plants. At the same time, they map the influence of pathogens, beneficial micro-organisms and other factors, such as rising temperatures or prolonged drought, with extreme accuracy.

This research can, for example, provide building blocks for the development of stronger crops. These crops are more resistant to climate change and can do with less pesticides thanks to an interplay with beneficial microbes.

Photographer: Seth Carnill

The film ‘Picture a scientist’ follows three female scientists along their ambitions and experiences in a field once dominated by men. Their stories are interwoven with the insights on the subject from various academic luminaries, such as sociologists and psychologists. The result: an extraordinary search for the best way to make science as diverse, equal and welcoming to all as possible.

Photographer: Seth Carnill

Utrecht Science Week has started!
Last Friday, the fifth edition of the Utrecht Science Week officially kicked off with a keynote speech by Jan van de Winkel, CEO and founder of Genmab. In his inspiring lecture, he emphasised the importance of combining research, education and entrepreneurship in order to continue innovating in areas such as the treatment of cancer and other serious diseases. Many thanks also to Utrecht Science Park directors Wilco Hazeleger, Eva Reuling, Carina Hilders, Jan Henk van der Velden and moderator Mieke de Bruin for introducing and guiding the session. We look forward to a wonderful week, in which all the groundbreaking, world-class research at the Utrecht Science Park will be in the spotlight!

Photographer: Seth Carnill