How do you ensure that engaging wider society with science becomes part of the university’s DNA? That it’s not just an add-on, but truly embedded in the university’s core mission? Utrecht University is often seen as a leading example for other LERU universities when it comes to Public Engagement. But how did we achieve this? And will we be able to maintain this momentum in the face of political pushback and cutbacks?
This post is part of a larger series of blogs that representatives of the LERU focus group on Public Engagement are writing to inspire and inform academics, societal partners and citizens who have a keen interest in Public Engagement. As Utrecht University Public Engagement Fellows, Drs Lauren Gould and Saskia Stevens reflect on how the Public Engagement movement gained traction across Utrecht University — and why it’s now more important than ever to keep moving forward.

Public Engagement as a Key Pillar of Open Science
In 2018, Utrecht University embarked on a transition to Open Science; a way of transferring results of scientific research quicker to society and realising impact with, and for society both through research and teaching. To fulfil this ambitious strategic theme by 2023, five different programme pillars were introduced: Open Access, FAIR1 data, Recognition and Rewards, Open Education, and Public Engagement. Subsequently, within each faculty, an Open Science team with ambassadors representing each pillar was put together, ensuring an exchange of ideas and updates among the various pillars of the programme.
Public Engagement Fellow as an Engine for Change
As the then Vice-Dean of Utrecht University and Chair of the Open Science Programme, Prof dr. Frank Miedema always used to say: “As Frank, let me be frank with you: you can work on all the other pillars, but if you do not actively engage and entice society, this will lead to nothing.” Utrecht University defines Public Engagement as “the myriads of ways in which the activity and benefits of higher education and research can be shared with the public. Engagement is seen by definition a two-way process, involving interaction and listening, with the goal of generating mutual benefit.
The university’s Centre for Science and Culture looked for early adaptors of Public Engagement in research and teaching and invited them to take on the role of PE fellow. Based on our extensive experience in ‘doing’ Public Engagement under our respective research programmes, we – Lauren Gould and Saskia Stevens – were asked to team up with 40 other PE fellows to set an example and help pave the way for our fellow scholars and lecturers. The pool of Public Engagement fellows includes colleagues from across the university ranging from assistant to full professors.


Being a Public Engagement Fellow
So what did we do? We shared PE knowledge and best practices across faculties in regular meetings and discussion sessions, tried to represent the voice of our colleagues within each faculty and transferred this knowledge up to the university level, at times in talks with the rector magnificus. At the same time, we brought ideas and developments at central level back to the faculty and department level.
One of the first joint activities we engaged in as a group of PE fellows was to write an academic article addressing the question: what is Public Engagement and how does it contribute to Open Science? For this article, we interviewed each other and other colleagues about PE. The main conclusions of the article was that if we really want Public Engagement to be a key part of Open Science, universities need to step up. That means putting real institutional support behind it, building awareness, and creating space for staff to talk about what good Public Engagement actually looks like.
An outcome of the publication was also the design of the ‘discussion starter image’ (fig. 1), visualising the position of PE within the Open Science programme and its development. Writing the paper helped us to define shared goals and formulate points of action for the various faculties involved. It also helped us engage in a dialogue with advocates and potential critics of the Public Engagement movement.
A second step was to organise a series of events and workshops to inform and inspire colleagues across the university. In 2020, for instance we organised a large event for the Faculty of Humanities called “Are you engaged?”. The main goals of the event were to share inspiring best practises, talk to engaged stakeholders and citizens, and to trigger colleagues to reflect on their own research and to what extent they were already actively engaging a wider public. One of the highlights of our PE fellowship was when the opening of the academic year in 2023 was dedicated to the theme of Open Science and Public Engagement and two of our PE fellows were asked to take the stage and talk about the importance of our mission.

Institutionalising Public Engagement and Impact
December 2023 marked the official conclusion of Utrecht University’s Open Science programme—and with it, our formal roles as Public Engagement fellows. But while the official programme may have ended, conversations among fellows continue and the commitment to Public Engagement has been institutionalised in a number of important ways. First, more emphasis has been placed on team science and impact in how we recognise and reward academic activities. This has opened the way for other types of academic careers that not only focus on scientific output in high-ranking academic journals, but also allow for more impact driven career paths in research and, or, teaching.
A large number of our PE fellows – including ourselves – have since been promoted, some were even made a Chair in PE and Community Engaged Learning. At Faculty level, more and more PE support staff have been hired. Our very own Department of History and Art History took it a step further and created two new Impact Developer positions in 2023, further anchoring Public Engagement within the departmental structure. With our experience as PE fellows and our broad university network, we were invited to step into these roles. Our mission? To inform, inspire, and support our colleagues in integrating PE into their work, ensuring that our research continues to connect with and contribute to society in meaningful ways. Our department really is at the forefront of this development, and thus far the faculty and other departments have been looking at us for inspiration.
One of our first big initiatives was to take stock of all the exciting projects and collaborations already happening within our department. We wanted to celebrate these efforts and share them with a wider audience. That’s how Impact Magazine was born—a publication featuring our colleagues discussing their ongoing projects, the partnerships they’re building, and the real-world impact of their work. Building on that momentum, we’re thrilled to introduce our latest project: The Arena, a four-episode podcast series dives deep into the evolving relationship between universities and society. How do we translate academic knowledge into truly affecting societal change? But also: Can and should we continue making an impact when societal challenges unfold within our university?
Navigating the Future of Public Engagement
Faced with student protest against the ongoing genocide in Gaza and a far-right political agenda that has slashed funding for higher education, this latter question is now more pressing than ever in the Netherlands and across the EU. We now stand at a crossroad; can and should we continue engaging the public and making an impact when societal challenges unfold within our university walls? Are we equipped to do so, or should our limited time and energy be focused elsewhere amid cutbacks and political pressure?
There are no quick answers to these questions, but creating a safe space to continue to talk about the added value of science and PE in our society is key. For us the answer is clear; we can only resolve the societal and global challenges we face in the 21st century if we produce grounded knowledge and build bridges: across disciplines, with societal partners, and the citizens that our research serves.
AUTHOR BIOS
Saskia Stevens: Bringing the Roman empire close to home
As an Associate Professor in Ancient History and Classical Civilisation within the Department I have always enjoyed sharing my research on ancient Rome with a wider audience, for example with teachers in secondary education or so-called “children’s university” meetings. It kept me on my toes and the questions raised by non-academic audiences challenged me to explore new avenues for research. That proved helpful when I became responsible for overseeing and managing a research project on Roman borders, in which collaboration with societal partners, hobby archaeologists and volunteers plays an important role. Since 2021, I am Principal Investigator of a transdisciplinary research project Constructing the Limes that investigates the function and impact of the Lower Germanic Limes, the border of the Roman Empire in the Netherlands and Western Germany.
Lauren Gould: What wars are fought in our name?
As an Assistant Professor in Conflict Studies at Utrecht University, Lauren Gould has always been fascinated with the question ‘what wars are fought in our name?’ Therefore, as the Principal Investigator of the Intimacies of Remote Warfare programme and the Realities of Algorithmic Warfare project, her research focusses on the Western way of war. She does so not only from the perspective of those in power, but also from the perspective of those who innovate and execute military strategies and technologies and those who undergo their violent effects. With this, her aim is to inform policy makers and the broader public about the lived realities of 21st century warfare. By collaborating with key stakeholders, sharing research findings through op-eds, media performances, documentaries, and public events, and engaging in lengthy negotiations with defense actors, she sheds light on the lines of responsibility and increases democratic accountability in the military domain.
OpenEdition suggests that you cite this post as follows:
Sarah Cullen (May 28, 2025). Utrecht University: Public Engagement and the Transition to Open Science . LERU Public Engagement Scholarly Blog. Retrieved May 15, 2026 from https://lerupesb.hypotheses.org/428