These were Leiden University’s interdisciplinary milestones of 2024
Connecting scientific fields, enhancing research and teaching, and providing innovative solutions to complex social issues: that is the idea behind interdisciplinary research. What did the university achieve in 2024? A small sample.
Scientists who ‘mix’ their fields can come up with all kinds of great new projects to take solutions to societal problems a step further, to provide inspiring and deepening education or to enrich their own field. The mixing of those disciplines is referred to as ‘interdisciplinary’. When scientists set up research or education with parties outside science, we call it transdisciplinary.
Leiden University strongly believes in the power of inter- and transdisciplinary work, and as a broad university is also very capable of carrying out this type of work. This is reflected in all kinds of Leiden 2024 interdisciplinary activities. How about:
Research with societal impact
1) RARE-NL joins concortium to find treatments for rare diseases
2) Grant worth millions for research on the socio-economic impact of hydorgen transition
3) Headache e-diary aimed at more personalised help for patients and physicians
4) Interdisciplinary research and education concerning AI
How does AI impact our lives? The Leiden University interdisciplinairy research programme Society, Artificial Intelligence and Life Sciences (SAILS) looks at AI from a choice of angles.
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Watch the video on the original website orGroundbreaking interdisciplinary education
Interdisciplinary education brings together students and teachers from a wide range of fields. This has resulted in exciting new combinations, such as:
1) New interdisciplinary bachelor's programme Science for Sustainable Societies
2) LUMC first medical programme to include AI in curriculum
3) Minor Violence Studies: interesting encounters and flying wooden blocks
4) Six questions about the new minor ‘The (un)just society’
Valuable transdisciplinary cooperation
Besides interdisciplinary work, there is also what is known as transdisciplinary work, where science and other societal stakeholders and/or citizens join forces. In this area, too, 2024 was a rich year.
1) Planting polder rice barefoot in the mud: ‘Searching for the agriculture of the future’
2) Launch of The Hague Global Futures Hub
3) Students become ‘agents of change’ in Sustainability Challenge
4) Transdisciplinary health improvement in The Hague: ‘Neighbourhoods tell us what they need’
Supporting interdisciplinary cooperation
Strong interdisciplinary cooperation takes time because you need to get to know each other and figure out how to build on that cooperation. As in previous years, Leiden University put a lot of energy into strengthening connections in 2024.
1) New labs merge humanities and digital technologies
2) Leiden University awards Kiem grants to interdisciplinary initiatives
The examples above are just a very small sample of everything we did in 2024! Read all about our inter- and transdisciplinary activities.