Our university recently joined the European university alliance Una Europa. Staff from the 11 affiliated universities met in Leiden last week to discuss our collaboration. It was a most inspiring event and I met lots of people from other universities.
This month, I and a group of enthusiastic researchers went on a knowledge mission to Indonesia, visiting different universities and other knowledge institutions. We renewed old contacts, made new friendships and exchanged important knowledge.
Bring over a hundred driven researchers together in one room and the good ideas will start to flow: that was the thinking behind the internal networking meeting on interdisciplinary collaboration on Wednesday 17 May. Representatives from the nine interdisciplinary programmes were waiting at their stalls to answer questions and make new matches.
Be it in climate change, public health or artificial intelligence, when different disciplines join forces, science often flourishes. The new small-scale Kiem grants will enable Leiden researchers to explore or start collaborative projects with colleagues from other faculties. ‘So seek each other out and surprise us with your proposal’, says project leader Caroline de Ruijter.
In the coming months, the university will make funds available to young Leiden researchers who want to start small-scale interdisciplinary initiatives. These so-called KIEM funds are earmarked for up to 22 projects of €10,000 each. During an interdisciplinary event on Wednesday 17 May, you can get the latest information about the call at a special ‘KIEM stand’.
The annual conference of the Global Transformations and Governance Challenges (GTGC) interdisciplinary research programme will take place in The Hague on 7-9 June. As a researcher at Leiden University, why should you be there? ‘Nearly every research study has a governance dimension, but academics often know very little about it’, says programme chair Jan Aart Scholte.
