Utrecht Science Week takes place from Friday 26 September to Sunday 5 October at the Utrecht Science Park (Netherlands), offering a host of interesting (and predominantly free) activities for everyone. The following is an overview, with the full program available here.

In Friday’s keynote lecture “Cracking the Code on Cancer and Other Serious Diseases: The Past, Present, and Future of Immunotherapy”, Jan van de Winkel will explore how immunotherapy is revolutionizing medicine. From early discoveries to today’s breakthroughs in cancer care, he will offer insights into the evolving role of antibody therapies, the next frontiers in biotechnology, and the power of collaboration and AI in driving innovation.

The festival recommences on Monday 29^th, with (amongst other things) a Science for Life Café and the projection of the film ‘Picture a scientist’, which follows three female scientists along their ambitions and experiences in a field once dominated by men. Their stories are interwoven with insights on the subject from various academic luminaries, such as sociologists and psychologists.

The day also hosts another film event, Film, art & the role of attention – A guided viewing with professor Stefan van der Stigchel (AttentionLab) & filmmaker Jefta Varwijk introducing the film-installation To Caress a Cloud.

Tuesday hosts the Sustainability day, with the theme “Connecting with Nature”, an invitation to Rethink Hydrogen: A dialogue about hydrogen in a sustainable and just energy system and a Science for Sustainability Café that links questions from Dutch citizens about climate to relevant experts. What is ecocide? How can the music industry become more sustainable? What is the climate impact of space travel? And lots of others.

Wednesday’s offerings include the Beauty of Decay lecture, bringing a long time foundation interest under the spotlight: Funghi. microbiologist Jan Dijksterhuis goes on a journey into the fascinating world of fungi, based on his research at the Westerdijk Institute in Utrecht. HU  University of Applied Sciences Utrecht celebrates 10 years of innovation and impact with the iLab, follwed by The Ureka Mega Challenge Finale, a unique innovation program with a competitive twist, designed to stimulate, support, and partially fund the further development and realization of promising ideas.

On Thursday, the Applied Science Domain (DAS), in collaboration with HU Utrecht University of Applied Sciences, will host the first edition of the Applied Science R&D Congress – a national conference for practice-oriented research in applied natural sciences. The day also includes a Future Food Event: A Pear Review on a Just, Community‑Driven, Food System on Campus.

Friday hosts the 4th Utrecht Plant Science and Industry Symposium (UPSIS), at which groups present and discuss their work on next-generation crop engineering, stressing resilience and smart plant design for yield and stability. The day also brings the launch of  LABEX, an online platform designed to reduce laboratory waste and enable the sharing of resources across campus, and the Final of the Sustainable City Challenge 2025.

On Sunday, leading organizations will open their doors for everyone during the Weekend van de Wetenschap (Weekend of Science), offering interactive possibilities for experiments in laboratories, robot building and discovering how paediatricians and researchers work together on groundbreaking therapies.

All of the above activities are free of charge, some are in Dutch and others in English.

Alongside all of these free options, one of the highlights of the Utrecht Science Week is the Betweter Festival, which will take place this year on Friday 26 September at TivoliVredenburg. The Betweter Festival is a blend of talks, interviews, art installations, film, music, and live scientific research. It provides a unique meeting place where researchers, artists, and visitors come together in a relaxed and creative atmosphere to reflect on the world of tomorrow and today’s big questions. A budget-friendly €22.50 entrance free and half price for students with a very interesting lineup.

Foreign Correspondent Jonathan Hankins will be attending for the Foundation.