About us - 2018
Our vision
You’ve not really graduated in Leiden until your name is on the wall of the Sweat Room.
INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH UNIVERSITY As a prominent European research institution, Leiden University plays a leading international role in scientific research and teaching. Good scientific research and teaching are crucial for a safe, healthy, sustainable, prosperous and just world. To this end, the University is actively engaged in developing, disseminating and applying scientific knowledge and is a reliable voice in societal and political debates, both nationally and internationally.
OUR VISION
WHAT WE STAND FOR: • FREEDOM OF SPIRIT, THOUGHT AND EXPRESSION • THE FREE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE • RESPONBILITY TOWARDS SOCIETY • INTEGRITY IN OUR WORK AND CONDUCT • DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIVENESS. EVERYONE IS WELCOME
Every year on 8 February our professors, preceded by the beadle, walk in procession in full academic dress through the centre of Leiden to celebrate the University’s Dies Natalis.
Our teaching CHALLENGING AND INDIVIDUAL Leiden University, located in Leiden and The Hague, offers programmes in the arts, humanities, sciences and medicine. Our small-scale approach, contact with diverse cultures and innovative teaching methods are what characterise the teaching we provide to students from the Netherlands and abroad. In the first year of the programme we contribute to students’ study success by offering personal supervision and binding study advice. Research-driven learning – where students learn by making a contribution to current research – is the essence of our teaching. Talented students are given every opportunity to develop to their full potential; our Honours Academy, for example, offers talented, motivated and ambitious school pupils and students an extra-curricular programme: • Pre-University College for high school pupils • Honours College for bachelor’s students • Leiden Leadership Programme for master’s studentsmasterstudenten
46 BACHELOR’S PROGRAMMES 83 MASTER’S PROGRAMMES 23 FREE ONLINE COURSES (MOOCS)
OUR TEACHING
Our research
GROUNDBREAKING RESEARCH Making the unknown known and extending the boundaries of existing fields of science – these are the aims of our researchers. Our innovative research is based on a very broad range of scientific disciplines and is concentrated in 30 research institutes in both Leiden and The Hague. Our researchers conduct both disciplinary and interdisciplinary research, inspired by scientific and societal challenges, and focusing on cooperation as the key to achieving their goals. In addition to cooperation, quality and integrity are core values for all those who work at our University. We are also proud of our research infrastructure, facilities and collections, which are widely regarded as among the best in the world.
Leiden University operates within very diverse scientific fields, varying from neuroscientific
OUR RESEARCH
research in young children to archaeological fieldwork at an international level.
Our researchers OPPORTUNITY TO EXCEL Our scientists are given the opportunity and resources to excel, which is an important contributing factor in the high scores achieved by Leiden University in international rankings. Our researchers are successful in acquiring personal scientific subsidies and prizes. As an example, researchers at Leiden University have been awarded the most (21) Spinoza Prizes. Collaboration with other researchers, both in the Netherlands and internationally, is essential for the development of scientific knowledge. Our scholars are respected and reliable authorities in societal and political debates, where their expertise and opinions can regularly be heard. 423 PHDS 5,656 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS 33 NWO GRANTS (VENI, VIDI AND VICI) 9 EUROPEAN RESEARCH COUNCIL GRANTS (ERC)
OUR RESEARCHERS
Our students ACTIVE AND ENGAGED Our students originate from over a hundred different countries. An increasing number of bachelor’s programmes and almost all our master’s programmes are taught in English, which is an important factor in the growth of our international student body. Many of our students also spend a period abroad studying or doing an internship. Besides curricular activities, we have around 150 student associations that offer students opportunities to relax, take part in sporting activities and enhance their knowledge outside the study programme.
28,130 STUDENTS OF WHOM: 17,770 BACHELOR’S 10,360 MASTER’S 4,320 INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS 120 NATIONALITIES
OUR STUDENTS Our students are an integral part of the social scene in both Leiden and The Hague. Left: the Leiden canals. Right: the Binnenhof, the seat of Dutch government in The Hague.
Our history
Sophia Antoniadis was the first female professor to be appointed at Leiden University, in 1929. The new women’s network Sophia was set up to promote equal opportunities and a better working climate for female academics.
BASTION OF FREEDOM Leiden University was the first university in the Netherlands. William of Orange gave Leiden the Academia Lugduno Batava in 1575 in gratitude, as the story goes, for the inhabitants’ courageous resistance during the Spanish Siege. Not surprisingly, given the circumstances of our foundation, our motto is Praesidium Libertatis – Bastion of Freedom. In 1940 Leiden professors, including Rudolph Cleveringa, made an important stand in the cause of freedom when they delivered protest speeches against the dismissal of their Jewish colleagues. The University commemorates this courageous act of resistance every year in the Cleveringa lecture and in alumni meetings organised in the Netherlands and abroad on or around 26 November. Freedom of spirit, thought and expression are values that continue to unite us, even to the present day.
FOUNDED IN 1575
King Willem-Alexander studied at Leiden University, as did his mother Princess Beatrix.
The beadle’s silver staff with the image of Minerva and the coats of arms of Holland, Prince William of Orange and the city of Leiden.
OUR HISTORY
MOTTO Praesidium libertatis bastion of freedom
Our organisation COLLABORATIVE GOVERNANCE The University as a whole is managed by the Executive Board. Members are appointed by the Board of Governors. • Professor Carel Stolker, Rector Magnificus and President • Professor Hester Bijl, Vice-Rector Magnificus • Martijn Ridderbos, MSc, Vice-President The Executive Board works in close collaboration with the deans of the seven faculties: • Archaeology • Governance and Global Affairs • Humanities • Law • Medicine/LUMC • Science • Social and Behavioural Sciences Our research is grouped in 30 research institutes, each of which is managed by an Institute Director.
2 LOCATIONS 3 MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD 7 FACULTIES 30 RESEARCH INSTITUTES 6,700 STAFF 600 MILLION EUROS TURNOVER
OUR ORGANISATION
Martijn Ridderbos, Hester Bijl and Carel Stolker
Our alumni ENGAGED AMBASSADORS Alumni contribute in many different ways to the growth and success of the University. Leiden University is proud of its alumni and is actively committed to supporting their personal and professional development, including after they have graduated, by organising events and networking meetings, and sharing information. Alumni in turn inform our students about opportunities and possibilities on the job market; one way they do this is via the recently set up mentor network.
109,370 REGISTERED ALUMNI, OF WHOM 6,302 LIVE ABROAD GRADUATES PER YEAR 4,250 MASTER’S 3,740 BACHELOR’S
OUR ALUMNI
Our partnerships
Researchers at the University work closely with colleagues from companies on the Leiden Bio Science Park, the largest life science knowledge cluster in the Netherlands.
JOINING FORCES Sharing of knowledge and cooperation are keywords at Leiden University. Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) has a strong scientific orientation and is an important partner for research, teaching and patient care. The University also works closely with the Leiden Bio Science Park, the biggest life science knowledge cluster in the Netherlands where more than 200 specialist businesses are located, and has joint multidisciplinary research centres and teaching programmes with Delft University of Technology and Erasmus University Rotterdam. Along with Leiden’s museums and other institutions, we have a wealth of knowledge in the field of languages and cultures, which is brought together within LeidenGlobal. The University has a vast array of external collaborations. We are, for example, a partner is Medical Delta, the South Holland consortium of knowledge institutions, businesses and government in the field of life sciences and medical technology. Together with 22 other European research universities, we are also part of the League of European Research Universities (LERU).
• LEIDEN UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER • LEIDEN BIO SCIENCE PARK • LEIDEN GLOBAL • TU DELFT AND ERASMUS UNIVERSITY ROTTERDAM • MEDICAL DELTA • LEAGUE OF EUROPEAN RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES (LERU) • LEIDEN MUSEUMS • MUNICIPALITIES OF LEIDEN AND THE HAGUE
The LUMC is a modern university medical centre for research, education and patient care with a high quality profile and a strong scientific orientation.
OUR PARTNERSHIPS
• LEIDEN UNIVERSITY FUND (LUF)
Our impact
EFFECT ON SOCIETY Sooner or later all our research has an effect on society. An analysis of the economic impact of research at Leiden University and the LUMC has shown that every euro we invest gives a fourfold return. The Leiden region is recognised as having the most favourable business climate of all the economic regions in the Netherlands. This is where the Bio Science Park is located, with 200 companies and 20,000 employees. Researchers at Leiden University disseminate knowledge, take part in debates, collaborate with the public and business sectorsand actively promote innovation. Our researchers make regular appearances in the media as experts in their field, giving their evidence-based views on current developments within society.
LUMC has 17 single rooms for babies born prematurely. Such rooms significantly improve the survival rates and the quality of life of these infants. LUMC is the first academic hospital in the Netherlands to have such rooms.
OUR IMPACT Direct and indirect contribution by Leiden University and LUMC to the economy:
58,590 JOBS IN EUROPE 4,1 BILLION EUROS GROSS ADDED VALUE IN EUROPE
As part of a live broadcast by BNR Dutch radio news at Wijnhaven in The Hague, our professors addressed the situation in North Korea in 2017.
Our strategy FREEDOM TO EXCEL Leiden University is an internationally oriented research university, where research is driven by curiosity and meets the highest international standards. We encourage our students from diverse cultures to develop their talents to the full and to complete their studies successfully and in the nominal time. We are a leading player in innovative teaching and online learning, and are proactive in stimulating knowledge sharing and academic entrepreneurship. Our students and academics benefit from studying and working in an international environment. Our teaching and research in The Hague play a role in resolving urban problems and issues that occupy The Hague as City of Peace, Security and International Law.
STRATEGY 2015-2020 • FOSTER AN ENVIRONMENT FOR EXCELLENT RESEARCH • ACTIVATE TALENT • PROMOTE INNOVATION IN TEACHING AND LEARNING • INCREASE IMPACT AND INNOVATION • PROVIDE RESEARCH AND TEACHING IN AN INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT • EXPAND OUR CAMPUS IN THE HAGUE
OUR STRATEGY
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February 2018