Science Weekend concludes Utrecht Science Week

The results of the challenge were presented on Friday, prior to the final in the “Accelerator” business complex on Uppsalalaan. Most of those present were students from vocational and higher vocational education, but a few UU students were also in attendance.

One of the student teams states that it would like to place a 'House of Tomorrow' at Utrecht Science Park. It would be a movable space where students can shelter from heat and rain and, at the same time, a meeting place where visitors can obtain information about climate adaptation.

Perhaps that mobile sustainable box will one day become a reality. After all, the initiative to recruit community builders among the residents of the Utrecht Science Park also stems from an idea proposed two years ago, during the same challenge. At the time, a student team came up with the idea students living on campus should work to increase social cohesion.

Biotech
The challenge is part of Utrecht Science Week, which had its fifth edition this year. Several institutions and companies opened their doors to showcase the high-quality research they conduct or the innovative discoveries they have made.

The week kicked off last Friday with a lecture by Jan van de Winkel, a professor of Immunotherapy. He also chairs the board of the Danish biotech company Genmab, which has a large research centre at Utrecht Science Park.

This week, Genmab acquired the pharmaceutical company Merus for approximately 6.8 billion euros. Merus was founded by another UU professor, Ton Logtenberg, and is also located at USP. Merus has developed a promising treatment for head and neck cancer.

The Utrecht Science Park Foundation website welcomes the move. Ton Logtenberg is quoted as saying that if Merus had been acquired by another foreign pharmaceutical company, there would have been a good chance that it would have relocated all its activities to another country.

Families with children
Last Friday evening, the Betweter Festival took place at TivoliVredenburg. ‘Apart from a few minor flaws, the Betweter Festival is a successful celebration of Utrecht's capabilities and a successful collaboration between the universities of Utrecht and several universities of applied sciences. If only science could always feel as enjoyable as the Betweter Festival!’ writes Emma Ravenhorst, a blogger for DUB's Dutch page.

This week featured a budy programme, including tours of the high-tech plant lab NPEC and the hospital of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Visitors also enjoyed lectures, films, networking events and a pub quiz for students.

Thursday saw the official opening of Plus Ultra Utrecht. This new building on Universiteitsweg is intended to provide accommodation for young entrepreneurs in the life sciences. On Friday, the programme included the launch of LABEX, an online marketplace for laboratory materials and chemicals at the Utrecht Science Park, with the aim of preventing waste.

The event was closed with Science Weekend. Every year, many families with young children come to take a look behind the scenes of scientific research. This Sunday, they were welcome at the Koningsberger Building, the Minnaert Building and the Botanical Gardens for experiments and presentations.