News A selection of news from Leiden University. News From Japan Studies to junior school: ‘I was back to square one in the classroom’ Alumnus interview 18 December 2025 It was while wearing clogs at a Dutch theme park in Japan that Cindy Heijdra really got to know the country she was studying. Over 20 years later, she... Leiden University awarded Institutional Audit certificate 16 December 2025 For the third time in a row, Leiden University has received a positive assessment in the Institutional Audit for the way it provides good teaching and... University of Birmingham awards honorary degree to Hester Bijl Honorary degree 16 December 2025 Rector Magnificus Hester Bijl received an honorary degree from the University of Birmingham on Friday 12 December for her contribution to educational ... Leiden University supports Zuid-Holland Acceleration Programme Knowledge transfer 16 December 2025 Leiden University supports the new Zuid-Holland Acceleration Programme, which builds on the Growth Agenda for Zuid-Holland and focuses on accelerating... What a year: our most-read articles of 2025 Year in review 15 December 2025 The Russian threat to Europe, pro-Palestine protests, the passing of psychologist Andrea Evers and speculations on extraterrestrial life. These were a... Report: key role for Leiden in Dutch earning capacity Leiden Bio Science Park 12 December 2025 Leiden University and the Leiden Bio Science Park can make a significant contribution to the earning capacity of the Netherlands. This is the finding ... Eleven Open Competition Domain Science ENW XS grants for Leiden researchers Grant 09 December 2025 Eleven researchers from Leiden University have been awarded an Open Competition Domain Science ENW XS grant by the Dutch Research Council for their re... Leiden historian and Arabist awarded ERC Consolidator Grants European Research Council 09 December 2025 Historian Paul van Trigt and Arabist Peter Webb have been awarded Consolidator Grants by the European Research Council (ERC). This grant of up to two ... Over a third of Leiden’s professors are women, just above national level Monitor 08 December 2025 The proportion of female professors at Dutch universities is increasing, but at a modest rate. At 34.2%, Leiden University is in the top three. These ... Untangling the knot of legal protection in education Inaugural lecture 08 December 2025 Legal protection in education is something of a neglected child: oddly split between administrative law and civil courts. Brechtje Paijmans is calling... All news items