Winners Societal Impact Award 2024
Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance

The Societal Impact Awards of the Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance were awarded on 13 January 2025 to a student team that conducted research in Greece, to a team of employees that organised Festival Europa and to an alumnus with a foundation that helps refugees. This annual award at the Faculty ol Law Economics and Governance, of Utrecht University,puts the spotlight on impactful initiatives and projects that connect academic research and education with society.
Winners in the student category
A team of students from the School of Govevernance with a research project that has had many editions and that has become a cherished tradition. This year, it was focused on Greece and themed ‘(Un)successful ways to address crises through social interventions,’. The jury commends the collaboration with societal stakeholders and government organisations. This collaboration ensures direct practical impact and generates valuable insights for crisis management worldwide.
Winner in the alumni category

Jan van Hövell, a former law student. He changed careers a few years ago and started the KLABU foundation. This foundation offers refugees worldwide access to sports, education and community through innovative sports clubhouses. KLABU means ‘club’ in Swahili. Jan van Hövell graduated cum laude in 2009 in private law from Utrecht University. After a period at De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek, as a lawyer, he founded KLABU, where he is also the director. He was recently interviewed about this change of job by Mr. Online(in Dutch).
Winners in the staff category

The team behind Festival Europa 2024. A large, free festival in Utrecht that made people think about Europe just before the European elections of 2024 through a diverse program with politics, theater, music and film. This was the second edition of the festival, at the previous European elections, in 2019 it was conceived and organized by Pauline Phoa and Hanneke van Eijken, who were there again this time. This year's team consisted of:
- Dave van Toor (project coordinator, team leader)
- Hanneke van Eijken (initiator, programmer, speaker at the festival, promotion, organisation)
- Pauline Phoa (initiator, programmer, speaker at the festival, promotion, organisation)
- Anouk Hak (student assistant at the time, coordination, programmer, event manager, assistant to Dave, floor manager, backstage management, event manager, artist support, promotion)
- Rebecca van Musscher (fundraiser, programmer, relations),
- Kathelijn Korver (financial management, fundraising, secretariat, programmer)
- Irina Mak (promotion and communication, organisation)