Photograph of the Radboud University campus from the sky
Photograph of the Radboud University campus from the sky

Radboud Excellence Initiative

The Radboud Excellence Initiative was created with the dual purpose of bringing the most exceptional talents from every academic field to Radboud University while strengthening international bonds between universities worldwide.

Who can join? 

Candidates for a Radboud Excellence fellowship or professorship must be nominated for a position by one of the designated nominators working at Radboud. Self-nominations are not accepted. Are you interested in coming to Nijmegen as a Radboud Excellence fellow or professor but are you unsure who could nominate you? You can email us at excellence-nominations [at] ru.nl stating your preferred research institute, so we can put you into contact with the right people.

Nomination rounds

Those who are entitled to nominate candidates for a Radboud Excellence professorship or fellowship can send in their nominations before the deadline. Nominators will be informed personally through a Call for Nominations.

Given the present financial situation at Dutch universities, we have been receiving questions about the present nomination round. Please be reassured that the present round will not be affected, so the November 2024 nomination round is being conducted in the same way as previous years. The deadline for the next nomination round, however, has not yet been decided.

Johan Mentink in SSI Lab

Part of a tight-knit, exclusive community

Radboud Excellence Initiative provides attractive conditions. The laureates receive support from the Hospitality Team from the moment the fellowships or professorships are awarded in all aspects of moving to and setting in the Netherlands. An interesting and fun social programme ensures that they can make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. By the end of their stay in the Netherlands, fellows and professors will find themselves part of a tight-knit exclusive community which fosters interdisciplinary academic curiosity.

Via the Radboud Excellence Initiative, I could advance my research through the excellent facilities at Radboud University.
A portrait photo of Melinda Duer
Melinda Duer Professor of Biological and Biomedical Chemistry at the University of Cambridge Read Melinda Duer's story
The fellowship gave me the time and the intellectual freedom to obtain the most competitive and ambitious grant available at this stage of my career.
A portrait photo of Graziana Ciola
Graziana Ciola Associate professor - History of Philosophy Read Graziana Ciola's story

Cutting edge research

Radboud University is a broad, internationally-oriented research university. We value quality, combining excellent education with leading-edge research. Our academic expertise is closely related to important societal issues, both in the public and private domain. We play an important role in transferring knowledge to society.

Leading academic research areas at Radboud University

Radboud Excellence Initiative Tracks

The Radboud Excellence Initiative provides two routes by which a researcher may come to Radboud University:

Fellowships

Radboud Excellence fellowships are open to non-Dutch researchers based outside the Netherlands, who have no previous study or work experience in the Netherlands and who obtained their doctorate no longer than eight years before the application date. Fellows will receive a two-year an employment contract with Radboud University or Radboud UMC and will truly become part of the academic community. They conduct their research projects in cutting-edge research teams in collaboration with or under the supervision of their nominator.

Professorships

Radboud Excellence professorships are offered to those who have made a significant impact in their discipline (ERC Advanced level or similar) and who can be expected to remain active as researchers for several years to come. The professorships are intended for non-Dutch professors based outside the Netherlands. Professors stay at Radboud for a total period of one to six months. They may split their stay into smaller blocks of at least one month, and spread their time at Radboud University over a longer period so they can maximize the effectiveness of their collaboration.

Contact us

For general questions about the Radboud Excellence Initiative, please contact excellence [at] ru.nl or +31-6-5246 6584.
For questions about the nomination procedure and eligibility, please contact excellence-nominations [at] ru.nl or +31-6-5017 2195.

+31 6 5246 6584