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About us Policy and strategy

2026-2031 Institutional plan - Creating impact together

Our ambition

We intend to use our broad knowledge and expertise – including in technology – to make a greater contribution to solving academic and social challenges. In doing this, we are helping to create a liveable future for everyone. To respond effectively to the rapidly changing world around us, we must be open, agile, and independent.

In addition, we will deploy digitization and artificial intelligence smartly: in our teaching and research, and within our organization. We will do this in line with our values, without having to rely on Big Tech companies.

Our working method

To increase our impact further, we aim to collaborate earlier, more intensively, and with a wider range of partners. These may include other academic disciplines, knowledge institutions, societal organisations, and industry. Through these collaborations, we can define problems more clearly, gain new scientific insights, and better align education with practice.

We also encourage innovative entrepreneurship and are working on concrete solutions to societal challenges. This is our way of helping to create a more sustainable world, both globally and here in the Northern Netherlands.

Institutional plan

The 2026 - 2031 Institutional Plan sets out the strategic priorities and ambitions in the following directions:

  • Openness: by being open towards society
  • Agility: by working towards a flexible network organization
  • Independence: by enhancing the value of science.
Read the Institutional Plan (PDF ENG)

A few highlights

Working together as a network university

Jouke de Vries

Jouke de Vries, President of the Board of the University

'We are evolving into a fifth-generation university. A university that connects its strength and opportunities with partners, thereby forming a network with industry, knowledge institutions, and government bodies.

This Institutional Plan is a fine result of intensive collaboration and reflects the strength and ambition of our University. I am proud of the vision we set out here: a vision that looks not only at what we are achieving today, but above all at how we can make an impact tomorrow. I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to this plan. Together, we are making the UG stronger and future-proof.’

Listen to the podcast with Jouke de Vries

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Our contribution to the region

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Jacquelien Scherpen, Rector Magnificus

‘Our University guarantees top-quality teaching and research, with broad representation across academic disciplines. We also have the advantage of being deeply rooted in an entrepreneurial region that is open to knowledge sharing and innovation. Together with many diverse regional partners, we are well positioned to work towards a better world and to find sustainable solutions to the major societal challenges of our time. Co-creation is key in this process, with each party contributing their own expertise and many wonderful things emerging from that process.

The UG has partly structured its organization to ensure that collaboration with societal partners runs smoothly and efficiently. First, we achieve this through participation in the University of the North, the knowledge and innovation network of educational and knowledge institutions. Second, this takes place within our four Schools for Science and Society: networking platforms that bring together researchers, students, residents, professionals, and policymakers. Third, the UG also has organisations such as HTRIC and BCN, which facilitate collaboration between faculties and with the wider community. In this way, a system is developing that drives innovation and can make a substantial contribution to the prosperity of the Northern Netherlands and beyond.’

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© Photo: Stella Dekker

A digital transformation

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© Photo: Kees van de Veen

Nolda Tipping-Griffioen, director Center for Information Technology

‘We have gold in our hands at the University. We conduct strong AI research, and we can apply it widely across the UG. For example to improve processes or to enhance the quality and accessibility of our teaching. To structure this process, we are setting up an AI network to bring together knowledge and energy, distribute tasks and roles, and gain control over the quality of our AI applications. In doing so, we make use of our high-quality AI research infrastructure and seek collaboration with external partners. The AI Factory, with its centre of expertise and supercomputer, is a promising first step.

The AI Factory also contributes to our digital autonomy, another key theme in the Institutional Plan. Geopolitical developments mean we are paying increasing attention to the limited control we have over our data. To strengthen the independence and value of our research, we are taking steps to gain greater control over our data and the digital landscape. We must develop alternatives to Big Tech in collaboration with other universities and commercial parties at European level. This is part of an organization-wide digital transformation that takes into account legislation and regulations and an infrastructure that enables data-informed decision-making. In this way, we can operate as a university that is agile, independent, and future-proof.’

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