Do you ever wonder what we can learn from blood vessel systems in relation to crowd control and solutions for traffic jams? How we learn from the compound eyes of insects to reduce light pollution? How we can make a building function like a living organism or ecosystem? Or how to make the world more circular and sustainable by learning from nature?

Icon of a globe
35%
International students in the programme

🔥 Burning Questions: Bio Inspired Innovation

Learning from Nature: where science meets sustainability

Bio inspiration design and biobased research are used for innovations that support a transition to a sustainable, circular economy. The Master’s programme Bio Inspired Innovation offers a unique blend of knowledge and skill training that will support the search for and development of circular business-models and bio inspired research and innovations.

Go to study programme

Scientist aiding designers

We live in a society that places great trust in technology and science to solve our problems and fulfill our needs. However, science and technology alone cannot provide us with a society that nourishes rather than destroys its surroundings. We need to switch to a more circular society. As a science professional, you will be able to inform designers and industry professionals of the value of nature and how to use nature to enhance their designs. We will introduce you to the grand challenges that need to be tackled to become a circular society and to the Life’s Principles that are of use in the scoping and evaluation phases of a biomimicry design cycle. 

The programme is aimed at students with a Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences, who are interested in research, sustainability and systems change. You will use your biological perspective to innovate in key sectors on principles that have evolved in nature. You will be the professional that contributes to the transition to a circular economy with Bio Inspired Innovations.  

After 3.8 billion years of evolution, nature, humans, and animals are naturally full of solutions that are inherently sustainable. The evolution is a continuous experimental process in which the better solutions are preserved and passed on.

Innovation, research and design

This Master’s programme equips you with research, design and collaborative skills that will make you a bio inspired expert. Bio Inspired Innovation builds on the excellent research at the Faculty of Science and links research findings to solve societal and business challenges. The first year is research based, while the second year focuses on the use of research knowledge in innovation.

Admission

Bio Inspired Innovation is a selective research Master’s programme. Do you want to know if you are eligible for this Master's?

Check the entry requirements

Why in Utrecht

  • Follow a unique programme, combining science and inspiration from nature with design and innovation to come up with sustainable processes and to ensure future food supply. 
  • Freedom to design your own programme, by choosing the track, research project and electives that best fit your interests. You also select one out of 9 thematic profiles which are designed to equip you with skills for your future career in a direction that appeals you most. 
  • This Master's is part of the Graduate School of Life Sciences (GSLS). The GSLS brings together the research expertise and facilities of the faculties of Science, Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, in cooperation with UMC Utrecht - offering you an interdisciplinary approach.

Key facts

Degree: 
Biosciences (MSc)
Language of instruction: 
English
Mode of study: 
Full-time
Study duration: 
2 years
Start: 
September
Tuition fees: 
Dutch and other EU/EEA students (statutory fee, full-time) 2024-2025: € 2,530

Non-EU/EEA students (institutional fee) 2024-2025: € 23,765

More information about fees
Croho code: 
68713
Accreditation: 
Accredited by the NVAO
Faculty: 
Science
Graduate school: 
Life Sciences
Brochure: 
Request a brochure