Failing forward (2021)
Failure is a universal experience: it manifests in many forms, appears in countless contexts, and touches every stage of our lives. Yet, in today’s hyper-competitive world, where image and success are valued above all, failure is often seen as something negative: a source of shame, something to hide or ignore. The underexposed side of failure is that it can lead to unexpected discoveries and spark conversations that inspire positive change, both personally and professionally.
In 2021, as the entering cohort of the Young Academy Groningen, we launched Failing Forward, a project exploring the role of failure in the academic world. In a culture that often prioritizes success above all else, it is insufficiently recognized that failure is not just a setback but can be a stepping stone. Through this project, we aim to spark meaningful conversations and build momentum for change within our universities.
The Academic Road
Like many roads, the academic path is rarely straight. Achievements and successes showcased at our institutions and in CVs, often overshadow the challenges and setbacks that are essential for developing innovative ideas and groundbreaking research, and that ultimately lead to the professional recognition we, as researchers and institutions, aspire to.
To capture what this journey entails for our cohort, we collaborated with artist Ellen van Heijst to create a visual representation. This poster, "The Academic Road to Success," serves as a stimulus for broader discussions about the role and necessity of failure in shaping academic careers. You can download it by clicking on the caption of the thumbnail.
We also developed a YAG CV of Failures, intended to compile the setbacks faced by our members, along with resources on failure, to foster dialogue among students and colleagues. You can download the CV here. You will notice that the CV is not only incomplete, it also failed to attract the right community engagement. And so, here we are, encountering a major setback on our own path to achieving our aspirations.
Only 10 colleagues responded to our calls, and of those, just four agreed to have their personal CVs of Failures published with their names revealed. Due to the meager responses, we decided to create a collective CV instead.
Interestingly, many colleagues praised the initiative but admitted how difficult it was for them to even consider opening the "Pandora’s box" of their academic failures. To us, this is a telling sign: while the conversation about failure is slowly gaining traction in academic circles, there is still a long way to go before universities can move beyond their fixation on success.
Failing Forward – a discussion kick-starter
In order to spark a broader conversation about failure and invite fresh perspectives on the topic, we sought collaboration with the artists Jobbe Holtes and Femke de Heer. After an inspiring and thought-provoking workshop, open to academics at all career levels, the two artists gathered our reflections and created a zine to encourage self-reflection and dialogue on the theme of failure.
The zine was presented on February 3, 2026, at a meeting open to all UG staff. The rector delivered a heartfelt speech (and even went off-script!) on the subject. We distributed handmade prints of the zine to attendees and organized a short quiz to stimulate discussion. The zine is also available as a downloadable PDF, so you can print and fold your own copy!
Stay tuned, assembly instructions will be added soon!