Collaboration

Collaboration is right at the heart of our work within the theme Health and well-being in a healthy society.

Health and well-being are complex societal themes that require a broad, integrated approach. That is why we take an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach: collaborating across scientific disciplines and with societal partners such as citizens, policymakers, healthcare professionals, companies, and institutions—at the local, national, and international level.  

How we collaborate  

Our collaboration takes shape in research projects, educational programmes, knowledge centres, and social initiatives. These are embedded in local and international contexts. Examples include:  

• Health Campus The Hague, where science, practice, and policy come together in the city to reduce health inequality 
• The Leiden Healthy Society Center, which brings together researchers and societal partners in the Leiden region around themes such as mental health, lifestyle, and equal opportunities 
• The LDE Medical Delta Healthy Society Program, in which Leiden University collaborates with the universities of Delft and Rotterdam on interdisciplinary solutions for societal inequality and health issues in the region 
• Specialised knowledge centres such as the Leiden University Treatment and Expertise Centre (LUBEC), the Knowledge Center Anxiety and Stress in Youth (KAS), the Knowledge Centre Psychology and Economic Behaviour (KCPEG), and the Leiden University Medical Anthropology Network (LUMAN). 

Why we collaborate  

We believe that health cannot be improved from a single perspective. That is why we combine insights from the social sciences, biomedical sciences, technology, policy, and practice. Together, we contribute to: 

• promoting health and well-being; 
• preventing, identifying, and treating health problems; 
• finding solutions for structural health inequalities between population groups; 
• developing future-proof care and self-care that fits people's lives.  

Our approach is focused on co-creation: research questions arise in dialogue with stakeholders; knowledge is shared; and solutions are developed and applied jointly.