Leiden welcomes LERU back for 20th anniversary

09.05.2022

The LERU Rectors’ Assembly marks its 20^th anniversary by returning this month to the city where it all began in 2002. Professor Hester Bijl, Rector Magnificus of Leiden University, looks forward to welcoming her colleagues in person, at last.

What does this occasion mean to Leiden University?

LERU was founded in Leiden, so it’s a great location to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of what we think is a thriving network of leading European research universities. I’m really impressed with the programme and the speakers, and that testifies to LERU’s close relationships with leaders and decision-makers, nationally, at the European level, and from global government agencies. So, I’m very honoured to welcome them to Leiden, and I’m looking forward to the inspiring discussions.

This will be first in-person meeting of LERU rectors for two years...

It will also be my first in-person Rectors’ Assembly, since I was only appointed rector of Leiden a little over a year ago. I know my fellow rectors from the screen, of course, but it will be great to see them in person at last.

How important is that personal contact?

Throughout the pandemic, we saw how much our students and staff at Leiden craved social contact, so for the community and a sense of belonging it is crucial to be able to meet physically. And for a real exchange of ideas and effective interaction, being physically in the same room is very beneficial. So we are very happy that we can see our colleagues, the keynote speakers and our highly esteemed guests in person.

The main theme is the role of academic institutions in a sustainable and resilient society. What can universities contribute?

Universities can play a very important role, in several ways. To begin with, there is our knowledge and our constant search for insight. The challenges we face as a society are often multidisciplinary and multifaceted, so you need to unite the different sciences, which is what broad, comprehensive universities such as those in LERU achieve. Secondly, we educate talented people, who will dedicate themselves to these global challenges throughout their lives. Then we have a role in the ecosystem, interacting with our partners, not just other universities but governments and businesses. Our ideas come through in publications, collaborations, and projects with these partners, and in spin-off companies, where our students and staff bring forward their ideas for new technologies and products.

How is this role evolving with challenges such as Covid-19 and climate change?

Both Covid and climate change have made clear the important role that universities can play. For example, quite a few of the knowledge breakthroughs that allowed Covid vaccines to be developed so quickly came originally from universities, although of course we were not the only players involved.

And the global scale of these challenges has become clearer...

There are no boundaries for a virus, and climate change is not limited by borders, so it’s clear that these are truly global issues that need global solutions. Universities have talented international staff, and we work on an international scale, so our global networks can truly contribute. It’s also important that we nurture talented people with a global perspective.

Is that global perspective compatible with the conflicts we see around the world?

Events in Ukraine in recent months have made us even more aware of the need to be careful, as has Europe’s changing perspective towards China. I think that universities have an important role to play in protecting our fundamental values, such as academic freedom, integrity and institutional autonomy. These are crucial values for our university, and for excellent research and education, and need to be safeguarded. We also have quite a few staff members from Ukraine and Russia, and from China, so we have to address these issues and make sure that we remain a healthy academic community.

Are there other topics which you expect to come up at the meeting?

How universities contribute to sustainable and resilient societies will be at the core of our discussions, but in order to make that contribution in an effective way, we need to be healthy institutions. The high workload within our universities is a concern, with increasing student numbers, and time for free and open research under pressure. We also strive to be open and inclusive organisations, where all our students and staff members can thrive, and we have further ambitions on interdisciplinary research and education. These topics are not at the top of the agenda, but they are important if we are to reach our goals.

EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel is among your guests. What message do you have for her?

If we look at the current agenda, the European Universities Initiative is an important example where LERU needs to work closely together with the European Commission. It is essential that universities have the time they needed to realise the ambitious goals that have been set by this initiative. We would like her to be aware that it is not possible to realise these ambitions in just a few years, and we would welcome a joint, open dialogue about the pace of change.

What challenges do you see for LERU in the years ahead?

I think that LERU is doing a great job, but maintaining its position will be a bit of a challenge in future, given how many organisations want their views to be heard. The fact that LERU consists of Europe’s leading research-intensive universities should help in this respect, because Europe needs excellent and ground-breaking science more than ever. In the Green Deal, for example, I believe that universities can truly play a crucial role, but to do that we need to push our way in, make sure that we are visible and have a good position.

As well as LERU’s birthplace, Leiden is also European City of Science 2022...

Yes, that’s very exciting. We are in the middle of 365 days of science in the city, with a very diverse programme on learning, connecting and engaging with science. The aim overall is to connect science and society, by engaging a broader public with the world of science. When you look at the global challenges we have discussed, it’s clear that you need the entire community on board, so it’s crucial to link the university, the city and citizens together. And in this European City of Science year, we have an excellent opportunity to make this happen. The yearlong programme is great. Ranging from European events like hosting ESOF, the largest interdisciplinary meeting on science and innovation in Europe, and EUCYS, the EU Contest for Young Scientists to local initiatives such as a daily radioshow on science and scientific walks through Leiden.

This interview is part of a special interview series on the occasion of LERU's 20^th anniversary. The anniversary conference will take place in Leiden on 19 en 20 May 2022. The LERU Rectors will meet for their spring Assembly on the 21st of May 2022.