About us
UASNL is a collaboration of 17 Dutch Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS), who work together to strengthen their European research profile. Through the EU office in Brussels, UASNL contributes to policy developments, builds European partnerships and shows the value of applied research in answering the challenges Europe faces. In UAS, knowledge valorisation, applied scientific research and educational activities are strongly intertwined. Labs, projects, internships and workplace learning are often implemented in research programmes.
The professional orientation of the UAS student makes them a valuable contributor to the labour market and increases the graduate’s employability skills. In addition, UAS students also participate regularly in research projects that lead to innovation, for example new businesses. This provides a win-win situation for the institute and the student. The UAS uses research outcomes to improve their curriculum or further research, and the student has gained hands on work experience.
Our core mission
Use applied research and innovation to help answer global and local challenges through research projects that have direct societal impact.
Programmes
All Universities of Applied Sciences offer high-quality Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes, using the applied research to give students hands-on experience. This leads to an innovation strategy that includes education, research and collaboration with regional partners.
Societal impact
Research at Universities of Applied Sciences has a high societal impact, is demand-driven and conducted in cooperation with various stakeholders, such as SMEs, businesses and the public sector.
UASNL EU Office in Brussels
The UASNL EU Office in Brussels helps the 17 UASNL institutes to increase their profile in Europe, build a strong network and represent the voice of UASNL in the European context. One of the main challenge European funding programmes and policies in research and innovation face is the societal impact, or how to translate fundamental research into benefits for society. UAS have this process in their DNA, and all applied research follows the methodology of connecting research to society, SME’s and public institutions. See our ‘best practices’ page for examples of applied research.
464.281
UAS students in the Netherlands in 2019
92%
Students with a job 3 months after graduation
57
Centers of Expertise
679
Researchers at Dutch UAS
Sustainable Development Goals
All UASNL institutes are committed to the SDG’s, and they focus on one or more of the sustainability challenges. The SDG’s act as a strategic guideline from where specific research is being designed. Questions that are being tackled are very diverse, but cover challenges seen in Climate, Health, Sustainable Societies and Innovation.
Solutions are developed with relevant industry and societal partners, and often cover the whole scope of technology, from fundamental research design to the testing of prototypes. Next to this technology driven approach, UASNL also work on societal innovation, where community engagement is developed through a similar model as the innovation of new technology. This is essential in applied research, to ensure market acceptance of an innovation, whilst ensuring usability.
UASNL - the movie
UAS4Europe
UASNL is an active partner in UAS4Europe, a European organisation representing Universities of Applied Sciences. UAS4EUROPE aims to strengthen the voice of Universities of Applied Sciences in Europe in the field of applied research and innovation. It is both a networking platform for exchanging knowledge and for reaching out to European institutions and other European stakeholders to ensure a better integration and visibility of UAS in Europe’s research and innovation policies and programmes.
You can find more information here.