Newsletter July 2024

Utrecht Science Park expands with satellite location Utrecht Science Park Zeist

Utrecht Science Park Zeist will become the second formal satellite location of the Utrecht Science Park, alongside Utrecht Science Park Bilthoven. Four parties - municipality of Zeist, province of Utrecht, Newcastle Investment BV and the Utrecht Science Park Foundation - are joining forces to create a work location that is all about innovation. The location is intended for R&D companies in the field of life sciences and health. Meanwhile, several innovative companies have already rented a space.

The preparations for Utrecht Science Week are in full swing. From Friday 27 September to Sunday 6 October, the Utrecht Science Park will be a big open house. By now, almost all programme elements are announced and the programme with timetable is live. More programme elements will follow in the coming weeks. Take a look, register for the events you want to attend and don't miss a thing!

Thursday 4 July, the Utrecht Science Park Summer Cafe was organised in the 'green pearl' of the science park: the Botanical Gardens. This time the theme of the cafe was unique scientific research on plants and fungi, which can offer solutions to societal challenges such as climate change and improving the food chain, with interesting presentations by Roeland Berendsen from NPEC, Jan Dijksterhuis from the Westerdijk Institute.

HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht' Optometry programme and UMC Utrecht's Department of Ophthalmology are entering into a unique collaboration. In a new 'LEER department', HU optometry students will provide patient care in the hospital, under the guidance of HU lecturers, the staff doctor and junior doctors. The 'LEER department' has officially opened in the UMC Utrecht. There, it will first be piloted with lecturers. Patient care by students is planned for early September, at the start of the new academic year.

On Friday 27 September, the Utrecht Science Week will be opened with the Utrecht Science Lecture by Peter Luijten, vice dean of the Strategic Theme Life Sciences at Utrecht University and Professor of Functional Medical Imaging. Before his farewell at Utrecht University in October, he will give this lecture, with the theme "From science to impact: Utrecht Life Sciences", with contributions from talented colleagues from various Life Sciences thematic communities.

To what extent are Dutch children exposed to electromagnetic fields? And how often? Utrecht researchers are mapping it. They are calling on parents of young children to fill in a short online survey. It is a stepping stone to research focusing on the possible health risks of electromagnetic fields in children.

Research from UMC Utrecht shows that AI can help pathologists perform sentinel node assessment more efficiently. This assessment is performed to detect breast cancer metastases. Implementing AI assistance for the detection of these metastases is safe, it significantly reduces costs, it saves pathologists time and it makes their work more enjoyable.

Thursday 3 October is Genmab's ‘Healthcare and Laboratories of the Future’, during the Utrecht Science Week.

Meet industry leaders in a dynamic panel discussion and discover how digital transformation and Artificial Intelligence (AI), among others, are revolutionising laboratories and healthcare. See and experience innovations and discuss the future of life sciences at the Health of the Future Fair. Will you be there?

Technical physician Matthijs Fitski has developed a method in his PhD research to create 3D models of kidney tumors in children. These models help surgeons at the Princess Máxima Center to operate more precisely, often allowing them to perform kidney-sparing surgery, where they preserve the healthy part of the kidney.