Latest UG news
Below you can find an overview of the latest RUG news messages.
In recent years, mayors in the Netherlands have closed an average of between one and five premises per year in connection with drug trafficking. This is according to research carried out by the Faculty of Law at the University of Groningen.
Sophia Salziger about her doctoral research on the possibility of claiming non-material damages when your personal data is leaked, as happened recently after the Odido hack.
Vaccination, bicycle helmets, tobacco, alcohol, healthy eating, abortion, preconception care and an open-door policy in care homes: all hot issues in the Netherlands where the balance between health and freedom comes into play. Professor of Health Law Brigit Toebes has written a book on the subject: 'Dat bepaal ik zelf wel - reflecties op gezondheid, vrijheid en recht', that will be published by Boom on 1 April.
It is a topic that is more topical and sensitive than ever: the future of the freedom to demonstrate. Presenter Jan Brouwer discusses this topic with Associate Professor Berend Roorda, a specialist in the right to demonstrate, and PhD candidate Noor Swart in the latest episode of the Recht podcast
The ban on begging in the Netherlands was removed from the Criminal Code in 2000, but begging is still not permitted in many places. In fact, measures in General Local Regulations have made the rules even stricter than before. This is evident from research conducted by lawyers Els Schipaanboord, Stefan van Tongeren and Michel Vols from the Faculty of Law.
On 12 March, at the age of 66, NOS journalist Dik Verkuil will obtain his PhD from the Faculty of Law with a thesis on the biography of the unapproachable VVD politician Frits Bolkestein (1933-2025). It was about time. 'I have always felt like a failed academic.'
The Netherlands faces the challenge of building 100,000 homes annually, while the availability of drinking water is under pressure. The Faculty of Law at the University of Groningen is participating in a large-scale innovation project that is expected to accelerate new construction projects by approximately 6 to 18 months.
On January 26, 2026, nine European countries—from the Netherlands to Norway—signed a declaration to strengthen collaboration on offshore wind energy. Their goal? 300 gigawatts of capacity, a project that could reshape energy prices for millions of European citizens.
On Friday 17 October, the University of Groningen presented NEDHISFIRM, a unique scientific database on the Amsterdam stock exchange, the oldest stock exchange in the world. The database contains financial data on domestic and foreign companies that have been listed in Amsterdam since 1796.
The final week of voting for New Scientist Science Talent 2025 has begun. The editors of New Scientist selected fifteen nominees from a mountain of submissions from Dutch and Flemish colleges, universities, and knowledge institutes.
What are the consequences of the digitization of medieval manuscripts? This was the research topic of PhD student Suzette van Haaren. She will gain her PhD degree from the University of Groningen on 9 May.