Newsletter November 2024

New video Utrecht Science Park: where education, research and entrepreneurship come together

The Utrecht Science Park is the biggest science park in the Netherlands, with 30,000 employees and 50,000 students every day. This is where education, research and entrepreneurship come together, and where people work towards a healthy, sustainable society. The groundbreaking research, collaborations and unique sides of the Utrecht Science Park have been brought together in the new video.

On 18 May 2025, Utrecht will be hosting the Utrecht Marathon, with start and finish traditionally at the Utrecht Science Park. After last year's great success, the organisation is preparing for another large-scale edition with a significant innovation. As of 2025, the marathon distance will consist of one lap with a challenging and attractive route. Registration is now open, with a choice of various distances. Will you join in 2025?

International research shows that kidney patients experience a better quality of life with the dialysis treatment haemodiafiltration. Kidney patients have a lower risk of death with this dialysis method than with standard haemodialysis. This is evident from two studies led by UMC Utrecht. The results of the studies are expected to lead to wider global application of haemodiafiltration.

Peter Luijten, former vice dean of the Strategic Theme Life Sciences at Utrecht University and professor of Functional Medical Imaging, said goodbye to Utrecht University in October. In his career, he contributed a lot to the development of various medical technologies and innovative research at the Utrecht Science Park. We spoke to Peter about his interesting career, collaborations within Utrecht life sciences research and the future.

On 28 and 29 June 2025, Ronald McDonald House Utrecht will organise the fourteenth edition of HomeSport Events. This year, the event has an extra focus on its 35th anniversary. Participants will be challenged to cycle, run or walk for 24 hours throughout the Netherlands to raise money for House Utrecht. The proceeds will allow parents to stay close to their sick child at the Wilhelmina Children's Hospital and the Princess Máxima Center.

Join the 6th edition of the U-Forward Life Sciences BreakFast on Tuesday 10 December from 7:30 am to 9:00 am. This is the perfect meeting place for life sciences entrepreneurs from the Utrecht region. Get in touch with other entrepreneurs, exchange insights and work together to promote innovations in life sciences. Start your day with inspiration, delicious coffee and the chance to build valuable connections! Sign up, email annemarie.dijkman@utrechtsciencepark.nl.

Last autumn, more than 3,500 animal owners participated in the fireworks survey conducted by Utrecht University's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. The results of this survey were published in the scientific journal Veterinary and Animal Science. One of the outcomes of the survey is that two-thirds of participating cat and dog owners indicated that they were already struggling with fireworks in their environment from September onwards, and thus with fireworks problems for their animal.

On 20 July 2024, a fire broke out in the kitchen of the Falafel & Halloumi food truck at the Utrecht Science Park. No one was injured, but nothing was left of the food truck. After a crowdfunding campaign, a lot of insurance work and own money, owner Eid Alhadad managed to restart. ‘I have also had a lot of support from the area here, many people have called me,’ says Eid.

On 21 October, Bilthoven Biologicals and VACSERA, Egypt's leading producer of sera and vaccines, signed a technology transfer agreement for the production of polio vaccines. This important event took place during the second edition of the Egyptian Global Congress on Population, Health, and Human Development 2024.

During rush hour, the cycle paths in the city centre towards Utrecht Science Park are very busy. From September, the Municipality of Utrecht is testing a quieter route between Utrecht Central Station and Utrecht Science Park with the ‘Olifantenpaadje’. The aim is to spread cyclists better and reduce congestion around popular routes. 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.

On 14 November, staff and students of universities and higher education institutions will protest in Utrecht against the drastic cuts in higher education. Utrecht University supports this action, as can be read in the article on the website. The planned cuts are putting pressure on the future of the Netherlands. Investing in science and innovation is vital to enable social change.

Scompany is the student consultancy of 4th-year communication students from the Communication programme, HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht. In teams, they work on communication issues with a fresh look and up-to-date knowledge. From the office at the HU, under the guidance of senior advisers, the junior advisers research the issue and come up with concrete, tailor-made advice in nine weeks, at a reduced rate. Scompany is also happy to help organisations at the Utrecht Science Park with their challenges. Are you interested? Mail to scompany@hu.nl.