Who we are and what we want to achieve
Radboud University is a committed university community on a compact, green campus where students and staff feel at home. New buildings and university heritage interact naturally, creating space for encounters and debate. Lively discussions have always taken place here – sometimes cutting-edge – and people have always reflected on the boundaries of social debate and engagement.
We want to encourage forms of dialogue on our campus that connect people, rooted in values such as knowledge, inclusivity, fairness, responsibility and freedom. This involves conversations that go beyond simply opposing opinions. Together with students, staff and social partners, we strive for justice and good citizenship. We do this across differences in culture, study load, work pressure, positions and roles, in order to strengthen the sense of cohesion and security.
In the coming years, we will be investing specifically in our community so that the university can grow into an open, inspiring and safe place where connection and personal growth are central. We will continue to build a vibrant, inclusive community where students, staff, partners and visitors can meet and inspire each other. Our campus will be the place where learning, working, living and life come together, where personal development is encouraged and where everyone can be themselves in a socially safe environment. We are striving to increase the number of student residences for Dutch and international students, and we are increasing the utilisation of campus facilities through the multifunctional use of spaces and smart collaborations.
Our goal: A campus that will become an international example of an inclusive university community where students and staff can grow personally and professionally, in a culture of open communication and social safety. Our community offers space for well-being, healthy study and work pressure, and sustainable vitality. In this way, we strengthen our appeal and contribute to a healthier society.
What is needed to achieve this
The campus as a meeting place
The campus is developing into a vibrant and multifunctional environment that encourages community building, open debate and external collaboration. We provide space for diversity of opinion and the free exchange of ideas, based on respectful interaction and academic integrity.
New student housing (through the repurposing of buildings and collaboration with housing associations) facilitates additional accommodation on and off campus. We reserve space for international students to increase our appeal to this group and encourage the presence of businesses on campus. We open up unused spaces to partners or for rental, which adds dynamism and generates income.
In addition, we are creating places that encourage meeting and collaboration, such as the campus living room and the community garden, where students and staff work together to maintain a communal vegetable garden. We provide a single coordinated campus programming calendar for the entire university and ensure a current range of activities through collaborations with cultural institutions, other campuses and companies. These include exhibitions, joint workshops, debates and co-creation hubs. In this way, the campus becomes a hub where government, businesses, knowledge institutions, start-ups, students, staff and visitors come together for innovation, dialogue and relaxation.
A place for development
The campus is an integrated environment that supports personal and professional development for both our students and our staff. Well-being and connectedness are not extras, but prerequisites for sustainable growth. Programmes, culture and facilities all contribute to this. Students and staff have access to mentoring, team-based learning and sports facilities to build resilience. Cultural and philosophical facilities stimulate imagination and deepening of understanding. We offer broad programmes that contribute to critical thinking, academic debate and mental, social and physical wellbeing. Through participation, students and staff actively take responsibility for these programmes, thereby embedding inclusivity more deeply. This leads to greater agility and appeal, better preparation of students for the labour market, and stronger staff retention and development.
Digital and sustainable environment
We are building a reliable digital environment to complement the physical campus, which enhances collaboration, community building and efficiency. Think of daily community updates, virtual tours for new students and partners, and AI-supported planning systems. Personalised education and physical meetings remain at the core, supported by digital solutions. At the same time, we strive for integrated sustainability that cares for people and the environment, with a focus on a healthy living and working environment, lower costs and maintaining our reputation. We do this by offering locally sourced and healthy food and drinks wherever possible, smart energy solutions and accessible facilities. In this way, the campus becomes a testing ground for sustainable innovation, where education, research and society come together.