Radboud University is known worldwide for its excellence in fundamental research on brain, cognition and behaviour. To generate societal impact based on the scientific excellence in this domain, Radboud University has launched the Healthy Brain initiative. Multiple societal issues and problems could benefit from the input of our science. We will not do this in isolation. Collaboration between different disciplines and co-creation of societal impact with relevant stakeholders and problem owners are key. Healthy Brain organises events and meetings with policymakers, politicians, journalists, grant providers, and other relevant stakeholders such as patient organisations, companies and NGOs, to identify relevant contributions our researchers can make, under the Radboud-wide slogan 'You have a part to play'.
The challenges of today are more complex and dynamic than ever, and they explicitly call for collaboration between different disciplines to achieve sustainable, innovative, and effective solutions. Healthy Brain is an umbrella Public Affairs strategy of the Radboud University that showcases the large-scale scientific excellence in the broad interdisciplinary field of brain, cognition, and behaviour. It highlights the fact that there are more than one thousand professionals on the Nijmegen campus that work together to address complex problems with the goal of promoting health and mental well-being.
On campus, you can find many initiatives, activities, and stakeholders that are engaged in relevant work related to the brain, cognition, behavior, and the improvement of health and mental well-being, including for example the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour. It also coordinates the European University of Brain and Technology.
Answers are seldom expected to come from one or a few fields alone. The societal questions of today demand a strong connection within this landscape. Healthy Brain is a campus-wide strategy that showcases the many interdisciplinary networks within which professionals of the Radboud University, Radboudumc, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics and HAN collaborate and strive to make societal impact. Within these existing networks, initiatives and activities from various fields are connected through an inter- and transdisciplinary approach, increasing opportunities for campus to make a difference in the world. Healthy Brain thus demonstrates the power of the campus as a whole to contribute to societal challenges and issues.
