On this page, you can read the latest news from and about the campus: stories about partnerships, new projects, companies and initiatives on and around the campus.
What if students didn't just learn about the future, but actually helped build it? In the open category of the RDW Self-Driving Challenge, educational institutions are working on autonomous mobility in real-world settings.
On Tuesday 9 June, the Ben Feringa Impact Award 2026 was presented. The 6th edition of the annual award ceremony took place at Forum Groningen. Sasha Ivashchenko won the award in the researcher category and Thijs van der Laan was presented with the prize in the student category.
The first full edition of Marathon Groningen, powered by Campus Groningen, is a wrap. With over 12,000 participants, thousands of spectators along the route, and a widely supported ambition for the future, the event has instantly put itself firmly on the map. For Johan Meijer, project manager at Golazo, the impact on the city in particular is a reason to look back with pride.
A European first at Hanze: a five-storey timber building was digitally tested for earthquake resilience. On 8 May, different parts of the building, including floors and walls, were tested simultaneously at facilities in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Greece. Through a digital connection, all test sites operated as one integrated system, allowing researchers to measure the behaviour of the entire building. Vibrations affecting one component immediately influenced all other components within the digital model. Until now, earthquake testing has often been carried out separately. One team would analyse the effect on a wall, while another focused on the floor. However, these components interact with one another, meaning separate tests cannot capture the full picture. The Hysteresis project addresses this challenge.Bringing everything together For the first time, measurement data from a complex building were combined in real time from multiple locations, as if the structure were being tested as a single unit. No European testing facility currently has the equipment needed to analyse an entire building under earthquake conditions. By virtually linking leading facilities through advanced software, researchers created a distributed testing environment capable of doing exactly that. From Groningen’s BuildinG facility, researchers Ihsan Bal, Eleni Smyrou and Kamer Ozdemir coordinated the live simulation. In Patras, Greece, damping elements were tested, while in Bristol, UK, timber walls were subjected to earthquake simulations on sandy soil conditions. The resulting reaction forces travelled back to Groningen within milliseconds, where the algorithm continuously adjusted its calculations. “We hope this test will help engineers gain greater confidence in these systems,” says Bal. “We also want to discover how they can be designed more efficiently.”Timber instead of concrete The choice of timber is deliberate. Concrete is responsible for an estimated 5–8% of global CO₂ emissions, while timber stores carbon and is significantly less resource-intensive to produce and transport. However, wider adoption of timber in multi-storey construction requires improved technical guidelines. In the absence of such guidance, builders often rely on heavy concrete foundations that may not always be necessary. This experiment provides data that could help change that.Relevance for the Groningen region The findings are directly relevant to the Groningen region. The project improves understanding of how earthquakes affect individual building components, such as floors and walls, and how these components interact. This knowledge can support better assessment and strengthening of existing buildings, while also informing the design of new timber structures. “It is a long-term investment by Hanze to carry out earthquake-resilience research here in the region. I am proud that we have been able to make this happen,” Bal concludes. Source: hanze.nl
The ROAM Paviljon on Zernike Campus wins the EDA Circular Economy in Construction Award.
In Groningen, we do not wait for others to lead the way. Progress happens here because people are given the space to experiment, collaborate, and take initiative. Marathon Groningen is a visible expression of that spirit: a milestone within a much longer journey that Groningen takes every day. “Marathon Groningen is much more than a running event. Just as we do through our partnerships in elite sports, this platform allows us to showcase what Groningen stands for: innovation, energy, and connection. It perfectly reflects how we want people to experience our city and region,” says Jan Hugo Nuijt of Groningen & Partners.Growing a Movement With more than 12,500 participants, Groningen celebrated a successful marathon edition in which sport and region came together in a powerful way. Thousands of runners and visitors gathered for a day dedicated to movement, connection, and community. Edward van der Meer, Director of Campus Groningen, said: “What we witnessed on Sunday was much bigger than a sporting event. The energy throughout the city, the thousands of people coming together in motion, and the collaboration between so many partners perfectly demonstrate what Groningen stands for. Today, we are expressing our ambition to continue growing that momentum together. Not only through sport, but also through talent development, health, innovation, and regional pride, with Marathon Groningen serving as a catalyst.”Building the Future Together During the gathering at the finish line, the participating organizations expressed their ambition to further develop Marathon Groningen between 2026 and 2028 as a regional platform with both societal and economic impact. Representatives from Groningen & Partners, Campus Groningen, UMCG, the University of Groningen, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, the Municipality of Groningen, the Province of Groningen, NV NOM, and Business Association WEST were present at the occasion. Through this collaboration, the partners aim to strengthen the visibility and attractiveness of Groningen as an innovative, healthy, and connected region.
ChainCraft launches European PACE project to scale circular chemistry through industrial biorefinery integration. ChainCraft is proud to launch the PACE project, a European initiative advancing the circular biobased economy. Supported by the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU), the project brings together industrial and innovation partners across the value chain to accelerate the industrial deployment of sustainable medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs). As part of the project, PACE will demonstrate a first-of-its-kind flagship biorefinery by retrofitting part of Royal Avebe ’ s existing production facility. Using advanced fermentation and microbial chain elongation, the facility will convert potato juice side-streams into valuable biobased MCFAs for applications across the chemical industry. The project represents an important step toward reducing Europe’s dependency on fossil and palm oil-based chemistry while strengthening local, circular value chains. By integrating circular solutions into existing industrial infrastructure, PACE demonstrates how industrial side-streams can be transformed into scalable and commercially relevant chemical building blocks. PACE aims to produce up to 20,000 tonnes of purified MCFAs annually from approximately 300,000 tonnes of potato juice, while significantly improving resource efficiency through wastewater reuse and reduced transport emissions. Compared to conventional fossil and palm-based alternatives, the biobased MCFAs are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50–80%, enabling the chemical industry to decarbonize its value chain. “PACE demonstrates how circular chemistry can become part of existing industrial systems at meaningful scale, ” says Niels van Stralen, founder and Chief Growth Officer of ChainCraft. “By upgrading infrastructure that already exists and using locally available side-streams, we show that sustainable chemistry does not have to start from scratch. This project is an important example of how Europe can build more resilient and circular chemical value chains. ” The involvement of downstream partners such as Syensqo, Symrise AG and SC Johnson highlights the growing industrial interest in circular and biobased alternatives to conventional chemistry. Together with partners across the value chain, PACE aims to accelerate market adoption and commercial scale-up of biobased fatty acids, while strengthening Europe ’ s position as a pioneer in deforestation-free and import-independent chemical production. Meer informatie: www.chaincraft.com
At Campus Groningen, companies, knowledge institutions and organisations work together on innovation and technological development. A recent example is the Defence North Business Cluster, in which thirty companies from the Northern Netherlands collaborate on innovation, technology and supply chain development. MIND-base North, located at the Zernike Campus in Groningen, also plays a connecting role in this initiative. Read the full article from Dagblad van het Noorden below.
Professors Jacquelien Scherpen (who is also University of Groningen Rector Magnificus) and Lude Franke (UMCG) have been appointed members by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). The KNAW elected 16 new members. The approximately 600 members of the KNAW are leading scientists from all disciplines. Membership is for life.About the research of Jacquelien Scherpen Jacquelien Scherpen is Professor of Systems and Control at the Faculty of Science and Engineering and Rector Magnificus of the UG. Her research applies to all kinds of technical systems, from controlling robots to regulating smart energy systems. Scherpen made significant contributions to the mathematics of balancing models for ‘non-linear control systems’, such as a thermostat linked to a heating system, thereby reducing their complexity. It is noteworthy that she also collaborated interdisciplinarily with behavioural scientists and economists to incorporate human factors. Scherpen speaks out publicly on science, technology and the development of talent. As a woman in a technical, male-dominated field, Scherpen fulfils her role as a role model with vigour.About the research of Lude Franke Lude Franke is Professor of Functional Genomics at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG). Lude Franke investigates non-coding DNA, genome sequences that are not transcribed into proteins and shed light on how cells and organisms function, and also opened up new avenues for the development of novel drugs. During the covid-19 outbreak, Franke developed the Corona Barometer, which helped us understand how the pandemic was unfolding. In addition, Franke has played a leading role in developing real-world applications for new discoveries, such as an affordable pharmacogenetic passport that predicts a patient's response to certain drugs. Franke also has a gift for visualising his research, and has won several awards for his graphic design work. Source: rug.nl