Call for self-nomination for new members of the Utrecht Young Academy (UYA)
The Board of the Utrecht Young Academy (UYA) is calling for self-nominations for the UYA and would hereby like to ask you to send this call to the young scholars at your faculty.
The Utrecht Young Academy was established in 2016 with its first 24 members and now has 40 members, with 8 new members selected each year. In even years—including this year—academics at Utrecht University may nominate themselves. In odd years, candidates are nominated by deans, education vice-deans, directors of strategic programs, and PhD councils and the UYA Alumni Network. We would therefore warmly encourage you to nominate yourself for the Utrecht Young Academy.
How can you nominate yourself? In the attachments, you can find the regulations of the selection procedure, the nomination form, and an explanatory note. Completed applications should be submitted to uya@uu.nl no later than 23:59 CET, November 15, 2026.
Who is eligible for the Utrecht Young Academy? We are looking for enthusiastic young UU academics who are committed to contributing to UYA's mission and activities in the coming 5 years. Candidates are eligible if they received their PhD degree up to 8 years ago, though extensions may apply (see regulations in the attachment). UYA aims to be inclusive and to have a diverse representation of academics in its group of members.
More information about Utrecht Young Academy can be found here: https://www.uu.nl/en/research/utrecht-young-academy.
Differences between UMC-YA and UYA
Since 2019, Utrecht has two young academies: the Utrecht Young Academy (UYA), which falls under the university administration of Utrecht University, and the University Medical Center Utrecht Young Academy (UMC Utrecht-YA), which falls under the Research Support Office of UMC Utrecht. You may have received or will receive soon a request for nomination from UMC-YA. Below we outline the difference between both young academies which should guide you in your nominations.
Objectives and missions of UYA and UMCU-YA
The members of UYA are young scientists from all the faculties of Utrecht University (including the medical faculty). We specifically recruit members who are able or curious to look beyond the dikes of their own discipline. UYA has a three-part mission in the fields of science, policy, and society. In the field of science, UYA offers a collaborative platform and network for the exchange of ideas, is committed to diversity and inclusion, and promotes open science. UYA stands for evidence-based policy at all policy levels in society. UYA wants to make science accessible to society and stimulate scientific thinking in society.
The UMC Utrecht Young Academy is a group of early career researchers who advocate for a strong and competitive yet open and transparent research environment in the UMC Utrecht. We act as a sounding board for clinical and basic scientists and advise the UMC Utrecht leadership about academic affairs such as research careers, education, and academic reward and recognition.
In view of these missions, there are differences between UYA and UMCU-YA in the following areas:
1. UYA has a larger educational component in their mission and activities than UMC Utrecht-YA because of the significantly larger educational task of its members.
2. UMC Utrecht-YA reflects the position of researchers with both medical and non-medical training within clinical practice. In this, the focus of UYA is less, because of the smaller number of UMC members in UYA.
3. UMC Utrecht-YA focuses on strengthening the ties within the institutes of the Utrecht Science Park, while UYA focuses on a connection between disciplines from Utrecht Science Park and the disciplines in the city center (Humanities and REBO).
4. Although the UMC Utrecht-YA automatically has a major impact on society through patient-related research, UYA has made an impact on society as a concrete part of its mission and links specific activities to it.
For more information, please contact the secretary of the selection committee Eefje Schellings (uya@uu.nl).
Kind Regards,
Utrecht Young Academy