Wageningen University & Research is a collaboration between Wageningen University and the Wageningen Research foundation. The strength of Wageningen University & Research lies in its ability to join the forces of specialized research institutes and the university. It also lies in the combined efforts of the various fields of natural and social sciences. This union of expertise leads to scientific breakthroughs that can quickly be put into practice and be incorporated into education. This is the Wageningen Approach. The scientific quality of Wageningen University & Research is affirmed by the prominent position we occupy in international rankings and citation indexes.
The domain of Wageningen University & Research consists of three related core areas:
- Food and food production
- Living environment
- Health, lifestyle, and livelihood
Wageningen University & Research has branches all over The Netherlands and abroad. A large number of lecturers, researchers, and other employees are based at Wageningen Campus. Wageningen University & Research is a research institution that focuses on the domain' healthy food and living conditions'. We do not just develop top-quality expertise. We also help translate our knowledge into practice worldwide. That is why we do fundamental research all over the world. And finally, we also train professionals who will discover breakthroughs in science and technology in the near and distant future.
The world is changing radically. The world's population is growing while the population of the western world is aging. The pressure on land use increases, thus giving less environmentally damaging forms of food-producing more chance. The climate is changing, and fossil fuels become scarcer, which offers the possibility of utilizing profitable, sustainable alternatives. And there is a growing need for healthy, versatile, adequate, and safe food.
For the urgent challenges within our domain, there are no clear-cut solutions. Therefore we cherish the close collaboration that exists between the natural and social sciences at Wageningen UR. But we also look beyond our domain by applying our advanced knowledge in 'healthy food and living conditions' elsewhere.
In the coming years, we want to expand our leading position in this field further. We want to do this in close collaboration with governmental organizations, commercial businesses, fellow institutions, and universities at home and abroad. We want to stay ahead of the game internationally, join financial forces with third parties, share knowledge, and find sustainable solutions to the world's challenges. That is the infinite ambition of Wageningen University & Research.
We educate students to become academic professionals who can contribute to sustainable solutions for existing and future complex issues in the 'healthy food and living environment' worldwide and take their social, personal, and ethical responsibilities seriously.
The world around us is changing quickly. Many global developments and challenges are essential for our strategy and, thus, for the future course of Wageningen UR. Particularly noteworthy are global population growth, the need for safe and healthy food, overtaxing the earth's carrying capacity, conservation of nature and biodiversity, and alleviating poverty. But external developments also affect our courses, such as shifts in research funding and the fact that our education is influenced by technology and growing student enrollment.
Moreover, global economic and international relations are continually changing. Wageningen University & Research endeavors to impact society by working closely together with various parties and partners from science, government, society, and business.
The Strategic Plan 2015-2018 describes the direction Wageningen University & Research will take over the next four years and demonstrates the unique strength of our organization: the distinctive combination of fundamental and applied science, education, and research. By choosing the five research themes shown below, Wageningen University & Research has committed to more synergy between fundamental and applied research and education at Wageningen University & Research and scientific disciplines. In research, collaboration with partners in science, government, society, and business will be intensified in the Netherlands and abroad. The Strategic Plan goals will be realized step-by-step by identifying priority areas for each year of the Plan.
Generally speaking, all students and staff are expected to behave with integrity in all matters relating to education, research, and services to society. Together, the Integrity Code of Wageningen University & Research and the Netherlands Code of Conduct for Scientific Practice set out the main guidelines of integrity for staff members and, more specifically, for scientific researchers and practitioners at Wageningen University & Research. Integrity is also safeguarded by specific protocols, agreements, and complaints procedures. All staff members are required to act in adherence to both the letter and the spirit of this mandatory code of conduct and, if necessary, to remind one another of what it says.
