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In a laboratory in the Linnaeusborg, an American kestrel can be seen ‘hanging’ motionless in front of a wind tunnel from which air is being blown. He appears to be coping effortlessly with the actively generated turbulence he faces. He is nicely coloured, elegant, and relatively small for a bird of prey. Next to him in the flying area are biotechnician (and bird trainer) Josien Janssen and Professor in Biomimetics David Lentink. Lentink’s ambition is to use knowledge about birds’ flight behaviour to improve the flight performance of aeroplanes and drones.

Millions of products are still being destroyed every year: customer returns, unsold stock, and items that are cheaper to replace than to repair. Europe is eager to counter such wasteful practices but cannot do so without adequate laws and regulations. Charlotte Pavillon discusses the legal complexities surrounding the circular economy.

Luuk de Boer has been awarded an NWO Veni grant within the NWO Talent Programme. With this grant, he will conduct research into a striking and internationally growing phenomenon: sovereign citizens who reject existing legal systems and develop their own alternative rules and ‘laws’.

Professor Jakob de Haan has been appointed as Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion. He received the Royal Decoration from Mayor Marco L.J. Out of the municipality of Assen.

On Friday 24 April 2026, Jakob de Haan, Professor of Political Economy at the Faculty of Economics and Business, was awarded a royal decoration. He was appointed Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion, taking receipt of the accompanying insignia from the Mayor of the municipality of Assen.

For many people in the Netherlands, the flea market is synonymous with bargain hunting, haggling and unexpected finds. But anyone who truly wants to be sustainable should start with a different question, says consumer researcher Marijke Leliveld: do I actually need this?

Bayu Jayawardhana controls robots with mathematical formulas. He does this, for instance, in the new project FARMLAB, in which various types of agricultural robots work together to monitor crops in real time.

On Tuesday 9 June 2026, the annual Ben Feringa Impact Award will be presented. With this award, the University of Groningen honours the unique achievements of its researchers and students in the field of knowledge utilisation. Nobel laureate Ben Feringa will present the prize to the winning researchers and students during a festive ceremony at Forum Groningen.