About us 2019

About us - 2019

Our vision

INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH UNIVERSITY For a safe, healthy, sustainable, prosperous and just world, good scientific research and teaching are crucial. As a prominent European research institution, Leiden University plays a leading role in scientific research and teaching. The University is actively engaged in developing, disseminating and applying scientific knowledge and is a valued partner 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 • RESPONSIBILITY 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 smallscale 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’ 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 students

47 BACHELOR’S PROGRAMMES 80 MASTER’S PROGRAMMES

OUR TEACHING

Our research

Leiden University operates within very diverse scientific fields, ranging from archeology to astronomy at an international level.

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 Leiden 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 has a great diversity of research in the following domains: • Fundamentals of Science • Health and Wellbeing • Life Sciences

• Law, Politics and Administration • Languages, Cultures, Arts and Societies Worldwide

OUR RESEARCH

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 grants and prizes. As an example, researchers at Leiden University have been awarded the most (22) 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 6,094 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS 29 NWO GRANTS (VENI, VIDI AND VICI) 7 EUROPEAN RESEARCH COUNCIL (ERC) GRANTS

OUR RESEARCHERS

Our students ACTIVE AND ENGAGED We are an international research university and 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. Many of our students also spend a period abroad studying or doing an internship.

Besides curricular activities, we have around 150 student associations, which offer students opportunities to relax, take part in sporting activities and enhance their knowledge outside the study programme.

29,530 STUDENTS OF WHOM: 18,940 BACHELOR’S 10,590 MASTER’S 5,070 INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS 129 NATIONALITIES

OUR STUDENTS

Our students are an integral part of the social scene in both Leiden and The Hague.

Left: in the Hortus Botanicus, Leiden. Right: the Binnenhof, the heart of Dutch democracy and seat of the government in The Hague.

Our history

The portrait of Rudolph Cleveringa in the stained glass windows of the Academy Building serves as a reminder of war and the importance of freedom.

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, during the Second World War, 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 in the present day.

FOUNDED IN 1575

King Willem-Alexander studied at Leiden University, as did his mother Princess Beatrix.

Academic ceremonies in Leiden involve many traditions, some of them centuries-old. For instance, a PhD defence ceremony is opened and closed with this gavel or with the bell.

The bell is also used when the Rector gives the welcoming address before an inaugural lecture.

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 institute is managed by an Institute Director.

2 LOCATIONS 3 MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD 7 FACULTIES 30 RESEARCH INSTITUTES 6,830 STAFF 623 MILLION EUROS TURNOVER

OUR ORGANISATION

Martijn Ridderbos, Hester Bijl en Carel Stolker

Our alumni ENGAGED AMBASSADORS Leiden University is proud of its alumni, who serve in many different positions in society, where they contribute to resolving the challenges of our times. The University is actively committed to supporting their personal and professional development, including after they have graduated, by organising events and networking meetings.

Alumni contribute in countless ways to the growth and success of the University, such as supporting our teaching and research with donations, including via the Leiden University Fund (LUF), giving guest lectures on their discipline and informing our students about opportunities and possibilities on the job market.

109,370 REGISTERED ALUMNI, OF WHOM 6,302 LIVE ABROAD GRADUATES PER YEAR 4,430 MASTER’S 3,810 BACHELOR’S

OUR ALUMNI

Our partnerships

Leiden University staff work closely with national and international partners, such as (other) knowledge institutions, hospitals, government agencies and companies.

JOINING FORCES Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), which engages in research, teaching and patient care, has a strong scientific orientation and is an important partner. 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 with 18,300 employees are located. Our collaboration with Delft University of Technology and Erasmus University Rotterdam takes the form of joint study programmes and multidisciplinary research centres. 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. We are also one of the partners in Medical Delta, the South Holland consortium of knowledge institutions, businesses and government in the field of life sciences and medical technology. Together with 23 other European research universities, we are also part of the League of European Research Universities (LERU). The University is involved in many other collaborations, both in the Netherlands and internationally.

• LEIDEN UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER • LEIDEN BIO SCIENCE PARK • LEIDEN GLOBAL • DELFT UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND ERASMUS UNIVERSITY ROTTERDAM • MEDICAL DELTA • LEAGUE OF EUROPEAN RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES (LERU) • LEIDEN UNIVERSITY FUND (LUF) • LEIDEN MUSEUMS • MUNICIPALITIES OF LEIDEN AND THE HAGUE

OUR PARTNERSHIPS

The LUMC is a modern university medical centre for research, teaching and patient care with a high quality profile and a strong scientific orientation.

Our impact

EFFECT ON SOCIETY Leiden University places an emphasis both on strengthening its fundamental research and on innovation, valorisation and academic entrepreneurship. The University also sees an important societal role in educating highly qualified academics, who engage in knowledge transfer to society. The University’s impact is multifaceted: not only scientific, but also societal, cultural and economic. Examples include: academic and professional publications, collaboration with industry, knowledge transfer to professionals, policy advice for government agencies, participation in advisory boards, lectures and appearances in public media. Other examples are: open (online) courses in a diversity of areas, the development of the Leiden Bio Science Park, spin-offs and participation in the government’s scientific initiatives.

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 Source: LERU

OUR IMPACT

The University contributes to society in many different ways.

For instance, primary school pupils of Schilderswijk University, a project in The Hague, are regular guests at Leiden University.

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. We are a leading player in innovative teaching and learning and online higher education, 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 the City of Peace, Security and International Justice.

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 2019

In 2019 Leiden University celebrates its 444th anniversary: www.universiteitleiden.nl/444