Opening by rector magnificus Hester Bijl

Keynote by Jolanda Lindenberg:

A forest full of ideas: what do you understand by multi-, inter- and transdisciplinary?

When collaborating outside your own field of expertise, it is essential to develop a good “dictionary” together. What do we mean by certain terms? To create a clear framework for the rest of The Knowledge Orchard, we will start the day by searching for definitions of “multi-”, “inter-” and “transdisciplinary”. We will be assisted in this by Dr Jolanda Lindenberg.

Jolanda Lindenberg is a social-cultural anthropologist who holds a PhD from the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Halle, Germany. Together with David van Bodegom, she is head of research at the Leyden Academy on Vitality and Ageing. Together with various researchers from the LUMC, she was involved in the dynamic knowledge synthesis of the Local Networks for Coherent Elderly Care programme. The project developed the “Working Together as a Forest” toolkit, which she will explain during her keynote speech and use to establish the definitions.

Leiden University houses various teams who can help you with moving your inter- and transdisciplinary work forward. They stand at the ready at this market to showcase their work and answer your questions! Please meet:

1) Project team Una Europa
Una Europa means opportunities for our students, academics and staff. Together we are learning, collaborating and shaping the future of education and research.

2) Leiden Research Support Network
The Leiden Research Support Network is the essential network for research support professionals within Leiden University, where colleagues from the various faculty (virtual) Research Support Offices and central service units work together and share their knowledge to provide optimal support for researchers and their work.

3) Leiden Leadership Centre (LLC) and Young Academy Leiden (YAL)
The Leiden Leadership Centre (LLC) at Leiden University is a platform for research and education in the field of public leadership, based in The Hague. We aim to advance knowledge and contribute to the development of public leadership - both in science and in practice.

The Young Academy Leiden (YAL) is a select group of young academics at Leiden University. Founded in early 2019, it serves as a platform to bring young, enthusiastic, and driven early career (post-PhD) academics together. YAL's mission is to contribute to, among other topics, interdisciplinarity, science and education policy, and the outreach of scientific research.

4) Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Universities: research, education and contribution to society 
Discover how Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Universities and partners tackle societal challenges. Explore our centers and programs, join our activities and spark new collaborations.

5) Connecting education and societal partners – that's what we do!
Several programs are there for you to connect educators with societal partners – and vice versa. Whether you're a teacher looking for real-world challenges, or an organization seeking fresh perspectives, we help build the bridge. In neighborhoods in Leiden and The Hague, or on topics such as health, sustainability or social inclusion. With students from Leiden and optionally from Delft and Rotterdam universities, and optionally together with students from practice oriented schools. Visit our stand to discover how we can support your goals!

6) LURIS
Luris connects academics of Leiden University and Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) with the market and society at large, in order to make the most of their scientific knowledge.

7) LUC The Hague
Leiden University College The Hague (LUC) is the international English-language Honours College of Leiden University, located in The Hague. We offer an innovative and cutting edge Liberal Arts & Sciences programme to highly talented and motivated students from all over the world. Staff of LUC are passionate about education but also highly research-active.

8) Project team KIEM grant
Kiem is a funding tool through which Leiden University provides annual seed grants to develop new interdisciplinary (interfaculty) teaching, research, and/or organisation collaborations and encounters. In Spring 2026, the last round of Kiem grants will be awarded. Learn more about the grant and its possibilities at this stand!

Of special interest to: researchers, PhD supervisors, PhD candidates, managers

In theory, an interdisciplinary PhD programme can yield considerable benefits: new insights that go beyond conventional academic fields and that inform solutions to complex societal problems, and greater depth for PhD candidates and their supervisors. In practice, however, such trajectories can come with considerable challenges. What issues should supervisors take into account when tackling an interdisciplinary programme? And should such PhD programmes actually be interdisciplinary? Historian Pieter Slaman and environmental scientist Alexander van den Oudenhoven share their experiences as supervisors of several PhD tracks and are keen to engage in discussion with participants. Topics to be discussed include trust, mutual understanding and getting the research published.

Length: 45 mins.

Of special interest to: teachers, support staff, managers

Interdisciplinary Education teaches students a variety of knowledge and skills. However, some educators feel unsure about their didactic and pedagogical skills in interdisciplinary education, especially if they have a monodisciplinary background. How can you prepare students for and guide them during interdisciplinary education? During this workshop we will discuss current knowledge and participants’ experiences regarding Interdisciplinary Teaching.

Length: 45 mins

Of special interest to: teachers, managers, researchers

In this workshop, Dario Fazzi (Professor in Transatlantic Environmental History, FGW) Theodore Poumpalov (Educational Grants Advisor, SOZ) and the Una Europa @ Leiden University Project Team will present the newly funded Erasmus+ project coordinated by Dario, Teaching Resilience and Environmental Democracy (TREnD), which will commence in January 2026. The session will cover the process of international collaboration that led to the plans, partnerships and objectives of this ambitious project, all under the umbrella of Una Europa – a European University Alliance of eleven research intensive universities. This session aims to inform and inspire participants, and invites them to ask themselves: What can Una Europa do for me?

Length: 45 mins. This session will be held twice. 

Of special interest to: researchers, teachers, managers, support staff

During this interactive session, we will talk about the main funding opportunities in national and European research funding schemes, how UL-researchers build consortia and establish inter-/transdisciplinary collaborations, and which support is available to support these projects.

Length: 45 mins. This session will be held twice. 

Of special interest to: young researchers, managers and directors

How do you conduct interdisciplinary research in a scientific system in which hyperspecialisation is the norm and broadening of expertise is often neither rewarded nor facilitated? For young researchers, this tension is palpable every day: they are building their careers in an environment that often demands interdisciplinarity, but does not always support it. Marieke Adriaanse, interdisciplinary professor with a combined appointment at LUMC and the Faculty of Social Sciences, and ambassador for Recognition & Appreciation within Leiden's Academia in Motion programme, shares her own quest: how do you work interdisciplinary in a system that is not yet set up for it? What solutions did she develop herself, and what space was needed to do so?

This session is aimed at young researchers who want to work interdisciplinary with perspective, and at managers and directors who want to understand what is needed to achieve this - without illusions, with courage.

Length: 45 mins. This session will be held twice.

Of special interest to: researchers, managers

Setting up fruitful co-creation processes is quite a challenge and publishing your findings in relevant academic journals can be a frustrating process. In an interactive workshop, professor Laurens Hessels discusses strategies for making inter- and transdisciplinary collaborations more inclusive and more effective. Hessels is a professor by special appointment of the societal value of science. This chair was established on the initiative of the Rathenau Instituut, where Hessels works as a science policy researcher. His research focuses on the best way for researchers to work with practitioners so that their research is of maximum benefit to society.

Length: 45 mins.

Of special interest to: researchers, teachers, managers, and support staff

A clear and equal partnership is a must for any interdisciplinary project. But what does it mean to collaborate well? How do you develop a common language to take you to new heights? How do you bridge interdisciplinary gaps and navigate different ways of working? This is where leadership comes in! The Leiden Leadership Centre, Young Academy Leiden (YAL) and Leadership and Development team share their insights and practical tools in this interactive workshop for researchers, teachers, managers, and support staff.

Length: 45 mins. This session will be held twice

Of special interest to: teachers

The brand new Leiden bachelor’s programme Science for Sustainable Societies just took off for the first time in the academic year 2025 – 2026. The programme has a very strong interdisciplinary signature. Which difficulties did the designers encounter in the past few years? Which tips do they have for colleagues who’d like to set up small or larger interdisciplinary educational projects? Thijs Bosker and Kiki Boomgaard will tell you all about it. This session is primarily aimed at Leiden teachers.

Length: 45 mins

Of special interest to: researchers, teachers, managers and support staff

From 2020 to 2024, Leiden University ran nine interdisciplinary programmes ("Stimuleringsprogramma's" in Dutch) to stimulate interdisciplinary research and education within the university. What did they learn in those four years concerning winning large consortium grants, building networks and prerequisites for achieving their goals? What can both individuals and the university as a whole do to strengthen interdisciplinary work? Learn from the experiences of two of those programmes: Society, Artificial Intelligence and Life Sciences (SAILS) and Social Citizenship and Migration. This session is aimed at Leiden researchers, teachers, managers and support staff.

Length: 45 mins

Of special interest to: researchers, teachers, managers and support staff

When we have a 450-year-old university that wants to do things differently, it does not start tablua rasa. Existing structures, organizational culture and traditions come into play. But what if it was different? When the Leuphana University in Germany was facing a forced fusion and possible closure 20 years ago it reinvented itself as an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary university with a focus on sustainability. Today it is flourishing. Using Leuphana as an example and the Theory of Change Methodology, we will explore how inter- and transdisciplinary change in our university could look like in the future.

Length: 45 mins. This session will be held twice.

Of special interest to: (future) PhD students, supervisors, support staff, managers

Are you an interdisciplinary PhD student or thinking of becoming one? Are you (in the future) supervising interdisciplinary PhDs? Or maybe you are support staff or a manager dealing with interdisciplinary PhD tracks? Then this session is for you. During an interactive discussion moderated by the Young Academy Leiden, we look at some of the difficulties of an interdisciplinary PhD and at possible solutions.

Length: 45 mins

Of special interest to: teachers, managers, support staff

Established in 2010 as the Honours College of the University, LUC has spent more than a decade consolidating an international liberal arts and sciences programme in The Hague. While the thematic focus of our teaching centres on global challenges, the research that informs the design of this programme draws on a wide range of interdisciplinary approaches — both within disciplinary fields in the natural and social sciences and the humanities, and across them. We have organized this session as a dialogue between a senior and a junior member of LUC’s teaching staff to share how we have managed to consolidate such a programme, what has worked, what remains challenging, and why it is important that we continue to imagine alternatives for interdisciplinary teaching, training, and research — especially given the current challenges faced by higher education in the Netherlands and beyond.

Lenght: 45 mins

Of special interest to: researchers, teachers, support staff

In this interactive session, participants will explore and prototype what tomorrow’s learning environments might look like. Working in small groups with LEGO and other craft materials, you will design a physical model of a “future classroom” where students, academics, and societal partners collaborate across disciplines. Each group will then present their model, highlighting how it supports transdisciplinary learning and prepares us for the challenges ahead.

This hands-on workshop is open to researchers, lecturers, and support staff who are curious about innovative, futures-oriented education.

Length: 45 mins.

Of special interest to: teachers, teacher support staff

Creating didactically sound AI-powered solutions for supporting (interdisciplinary) education can seem daunting. However, if you start with the right guiding principles and then use the right tools it’s not that hard at all! Today we will show how to get started and discuss some didactically interesting use cases, using LUCA, Leiden University Cognitive Agent. We may even build our own bot! Target group: teachers and teacher support staff, as in the future, they will be the ones creating and maintaining bots.

Length: 45 mins

Welcome by Rector Magnificus Hester Bijl

Keynote speaker Wiebe Wakker
The unknown journey of collaboration

In 2016, when charging stations were still a rarity, world traveller Wiebe Wakker had a dream: to drive from Amsterdam to Sydney in an electric car without spending any money. That journey was made possible by the help of hundreds of strangers. His story is a great, inspiring example of collaboration between people who did not know each other, had no formal contract, but felt a shared goal or intention. At The Knowledge Orchard, Wiebe shares his experiences and conditions for successful collaboration.

Leiden University has various teams and activities that may help you take collaboration between the university and external parties to the next level. Meet:

1) CityDeal / Leren met de Stad

Leren met de Stad is an educational innovation in Leiden and a collaboration between the university of applied sciences, the university, vocational colleges, the municipality and social organisations. In consultation with residents and professionals, students tackle urgent issues in the city.

2) Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Universities: research, education and contribution to society 

Discover how Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Universities and partners tackle societal challenges. Explore our centers and programs, join our activities and spark new collaborations.

3) Verbindende Onderwijsprogramma’s 

Connecting education and societal partners – that's what we do!

Several programs are there for you to connect educators with societal partners – and vice versa. Whether you're a teacher looking for real-world challenges, or an organization seeking fresh perspectives, we help build the bridge. In neighborhoods in Leiden and The Hague, or on topics such as health, sustainability or social inclusion. With students from Leiden and optionally from Delft and Rotterdam universities, and optionally together with students from practice oriented schools. Visit our stand to discover how we can support your goals!

4) LURIS

Luris connects academics of Leiden University and Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) with the market and society at large, in order to make the most of their scientific knowledge.

5) LUC The Hague

Leiden University College The Hague (LUC) is the international English-language Honours College of Leiden University, located in The Hague. We offer an innovative and cutting edge Liberal Arts & Sciences programme to highly talented and motivated students from all over the world. Staff of LUC are passionate about education but also highly research-active.

6) Citizen Science Lab

In this session, Leiden University will present research and educational activities related to the theme “How is AI changing the role of government in relation to citizens?”. After the presentation, you will have the opportunity to talk to individual researchers and explore opportunities for collaboration. This session is primarily aimed at government bodies and social partners.

Panel members:
- Bram Klievink, Scientific Director/Professor Public administration, Digitalisation and Public Policy

- Thomas Dohmen,  Director of AI Collaboration Center

Duration: 60 minutes

In this session, Leiden University will present research and educational activities related to the theme “Health and physical environment”. After the presentation, you will have the opportunity to talk to individual researchers and explore opportunities for collaboration. This session is primarily aimed at government bodies and social partners.

Panel members:
- Jessica Kiefte-de Jong, Hoogleraar Population Health
- Winnie Scherpenzeel, policy advisor at Leiden Healthy Society Center

Duration: 60 minutes

In this session, Leiden University will present research and educational activities related to the theme “Resilient society – how can governments prepare (better) for crises?”. After the presentation, you will have the opportunity to talk to individual researchers and explore opportunities for collaboration. This session is primarily aimed at government bodies and social partners.

Panel members:
- Arjen Boin,Professor of Public Institutions and Governance

- Jeroen Wolbers, Associate Professor of Public Safety

Duration: 60 minutes

In this session, representatives from municipalities and provinces will discuss misunderstandings and opportunities in collaborating with universities. Presenters: Marieke van der Enden (strategic advisor ath the municipality of Westland) and Marijn Kuitert, (programme manager Knowledge at Provincie Zuid-Holland).

Duration: 45 minutes

Together with its partner universities TU Delft and Erasmus Rotterdam, Leiden University collaborates with municipalities, provinces and social organisations through various programmes. These programmes help to link current issues to the right partners in education, enabling students to contribute to practical solutions through projects, challenges or graduation research. During this workshop, we will start with an overview of the programmes that make this connection possible. Then, two inspiring examples of collaboration with municipalities and provinces will present their experiences. Finally, in small groups, you will explore your own task or challenge and how students could play a role in it. Afterwards, you will have concrete tools and contacts to take your ideas further.

Duration: 45 minutes

Since 2018, Leiden University's Citizen Science Lab has been bringing together scientists, citizens and social partners to gain new insights for science and society through citizen science. What kind of innovative projects and results does this yield? What are the conditions for successful transdisciplinary collaboration? Be inspired! This session is intended for government bodies, social partners and Leiden researchers.

Duration: 45 minutes

Societal Engagement in Practice at LUC

In this workshop we discover Leiden University College The Hague’s societal engagement approach. Workshop participants not only listen to how our students, faculty, and societal partners collaborate in The Hague and beyond, we also actively involve you! We first showcase how our Global Citizenship programme and Societal Engagement Approach, shaped by our Global Challenges perspective translates into local actions. Zooming into the Hague as our local community we share several inspiring effective examples of societal engagement and highlight some of our methods. We then ask you to join us in an interactive game on fair partnerships. What do you think equitable and sustainable collaboration between the university and the city means? Come to listen and play!

This workshop is meant for policy makers, organisations, educators and students.

Duration: 45 minutes