Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences

The Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences (RIBES) aims to perform world leading research in order to understand the response of the natural environment to human impact. With this knowledge, the institute contributes to mitigating ecosystem degradation and finding solutions to restore the natural environment.

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Highlights

Hans de Kroon the Radboud Universiteit campus

Hans de Kroon, the ecologist who explained why you no longer need to clean bugs off your windshield (because there are hardly any left)

04 September 2026 Research news item

Three-quarters of all flying insects turned out to have vanished over the course of 27 years. That conclusion, published in 2017, became Hans de Kroon's most striking contribution to science. 'I want to show that things can be done differently.'

European subsidy for research on nature restoration

01 September 2026 Research news item

The European Commission awards a subsidy of €6 million grant to a research team led by Aafke Schipper and Jelle Hilbers (RIBES). The research project will last four years and studies the effectivity of restoration measures in Europe.

Bloemendijk uit het project Vijf bloemrijke dijken

More dandelions and buttercups lead to far more bees and bumblebees (but we need to do more for rare species)

12 August 2026 Research news item

If we allow more flowers to bloom on dykes – even if there are only a few – dozens of bees can soon follow. This was discovered by ecologist Constant Swinkels, who will be awarded his PhD on 19 August at Radboud University.