Looking back at Wetenschnapps XL 2026: a closer look at societal impact

An inspiration day on public engagement and social impact at Utrecht University

What do we mean when we talk about ‘societal impact’? When does connection set something in motion and become impact? Who do you need to make that happen? And how do you know what works?

In 2026, Utrecht University will draw up a university-wide impact strategy. In the atmospheric settings of the Centraal Museum and the Utrecht University Museum, more than 120 researchers, lecturers, communications professionals, policy officers and impact specialists from Utrecht University and beyond contributed their ideas. Together, we explored how fundamental research can make an impact, experienced how choices regarding team composition or location influence that impact, learnt from colleagues at universities of applied sciences how to shift our perspective, discussed definitions and building blocks, as well as recognition and appreciation, and much more besides. 

Building blocks of impact

What is impact? To explore what we mean by this, and to identify the building blocks around us that contribute to it, we used the image of a bridge in this session. After all, one thing is clear: impact is about something that extends beyond academia. It is about the ways in which we build bridges to the outside world and help shape it.

In this interactive session, we all placed building blocks on the six pillars that underpin the impact bridge: education (with building blocks such as CEL and work placement supervision), societal interaction (building blocks such as citizen science, Science Weekend, science festivals), research with and for partners (building blocks such as citizen participation projects and transdisciplinary research consortia), co-created research (building blocks such as living labs and co-created research with the local council), economic valorisation (building blocks such as RSO impact support and open-source software), and a pillar as yet unnamed that participants could define themselves (with building blocks relating to strategy and policy, identity and impact measurement).

What other building blocks did we see? Read about them here:

Societal impact: how can we strengthen it?

In half an hour, Vice-Rector Ted Sanders engaged us in the question: how can we strengthen societal impact? He explained how he viewed the contributions of the various ‘pillars’, and in particular the need for coherence between these different forms. He argued that these are not separate from one another, and that a strategy is needed to steer a course through the impact landscape, so that efforts in each of these areas can reinforce one another. He concluded with the hopeful observation that we currently have the wind in our sails: there is growing recognition and support, including from outside the university, for impact as an essential part of education and research.

Cross the line

A lively discussion then ensued based on six propositions. Regarding the proposition ‘As long as recognition and appreciation are not formalised, societal impact will remain a by-product’, it became clear that opinions differed on the extent to which support is structurally embedded. And the proposition ‘A university-wide impact strategy is unnecessary; simply organise this via the faculty or a strategic theme’ revealed overwhelming agreement on the usefulness and necessity of a university-wide strategy.

The main conclusion? Societal impact is widely regarded as an essential mission for the university. The central challenge lies not so much in building support, but in developing appropriate support mechanisms, recognition, strategies and measurement methods to make impact a sustainable part of academic practice.

Read the summary of the discussion:

Breakout sessions

During eight breakout sessions, participants explored various aspects of societal impact through research. For each session, we gathered answers to three questions: what are the key insights from this session? What is needed to take this forward? What advice would you give to the authors of the impact strategy?

Read the summary here:

Recognising impact: how do you make impact visible?

When you invest time in impact-related activities, this is by no means always recognised or rewarded. In this interactive and informative session, we explored together the changing role of impact in academic evaluations. Through a game, we identified challenges and opportunities to discover what is needed to ensure that impact is genuinely taken into account.

With: Hanne Oberman and Dan Rudmann (Open Science Community Utrecht)

The right place

Where should you be if you want to make impact? In the House of Representatives, or in the boardroom of a large company? Some scientists appear at festivals and in theatres. Through Utrecht University’s ‘Gesprekken op Plekken’ initiative, researchers even visit shopping centres. This session used geoguessing and creative exercises to help participants link their impact goals to specific locations and target audiences.

Featuring: Laura Mol (programme curator at the Centre for Science and Culture, Utrecht University) and Irina Mak (Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance, Utrecht University)

From research to influence: how do you reach the policymaker?

Your research is relevant to society, but do you know how to convey that to the people who can put it to good use? In this interactive workshop, participants explored how, as a researcher, you can effectively engage in dialogue with policymakers, politicians and other stakeholders in the public sphere. They received feedback on their pitch from professionals with experience in The Hague and local politics, and with their help, refined it to make it sharper, more convincing and, consequently, more effective.

Featuring: Ludo Koks (Public Affairs adviser, Utrecht University), Miguel Israel (Council Clerk, Municipality of Utrecht), Maarten Kleinhans (Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University), Meike Bokhorst (Utrecht University School of Governance, Utrecht University; Scientific Council for Government Policy), Tessa Bijvank (Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment). Moderated by Esther van Zoen and Luuk Schokker (Institutions for Open Societies, Utrecht University).

It’s nice to realise that everyone is facing the same challenges

Peer support specialists in research

How can you ensure that your research makes a real difference to the people it concerns? During this interactive workshop, participants learnt how drawing on the expertise of people with lived experience can enrich their research, how they can incorporate this expertise into their team, and how they can put it into practice. They gained knowledge, insights and practical tips from various perspectives to apply in their own research practice.

Featuring: Lilian van der Ven (Public Health Practice at UMC Utrecht) and Eugenie Mac-Nack (peer support specialist poverty and social exclusion within this team).

Getting acquainted through knowledge: how to shift perspectives

When you work on issues together with others, you will encounter differences in understanding and opinion. How can you gain an insight into the underlying knowledge and values of those involved? How can you find common ground amidst those differences? In this workshop, participants learnt to make their own professional knowledge transparent to others and to apply working methods to understand other perspectives. They did this using a knowledge typology that aligns with the ‘knowledge as a tool’ paradigm for improving practical situations.

Featuring: Ansfrida Vreeburg (project leader of the Living Lab for the SSH Sector Plan Welfare, Participation and Citizenship in the Digital World) and Miriam Losse (senior adviser in the field of Research in Education at Saxion University of Applied Sciences)

That there is a tremendous sense of commitment and a great deal of enthusiasm for making an impact

How to make impact with fundamental research

‘It’s all very well talking about social impact, but my work involves fundamental research. Surely that’s far too removed from society to have any impact?’ But fundamental research can certainly have an impact. During this session, scientists who have successfully bridged this gap explained how they did so. Together with a historian of science, participants reflected on the place fundamental research occupies in society, and the changes it has undergone. They also devised impactful activities for their own fundamental research.

Featuring: David Baneke (Freudenthal Institute, Utrecht University), Johan Commelin (Faculty of Science, Utrecht University) and Hanno Sauer (Institute of Ethics, Utrecht University). Moderated by Nieske Vergunst (Faculty of Science, Utrecht University) and Machtelt Oudenhuijzen (Faculty of Humanities, Utrecht University)

Working on scientific literacy

When you talk about your research (whether to stakeholders or partners, a wider audience or your own family), the focus is often on the results. This is true even when it’s very difficult to explain, for example because you’re conducting fundamental research. In doing so, you don’t necessarily explain how you conduct your research, that you don’t know everything for certain, and why that is actually an integral part of research. But it is precisely by highlighting these aspects that you can help foster a greater understanding of science. And in doing so, you can bridge the gap between science and the people for whom that knowledge is relevant: an immensely valuable way of making an impact. In this session, participants experienced how this works at the University Museum and how they can apply it to their own research.

With: José de Wit and Jeroen van Schie (programme curators at the Utrecht University Museum)

Dream Team for Impact

You rarely achieve societal impact on your own. But collaboration doesn’t always go smoothly either. Members of a project team or partnership often (unconsciously) have different ideas about what impact should look like and what role they play in it. Joost Vervoort demonstrated how the Theory of Change helps to clarify what you want to achieve and how. Jeroen Heemsbergen from Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park showed how different parties collaborate on sustainable landscape management, each with their own expectations and conceptual framework.

Featuring: Jeroen Heemsbergen (Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park) and Joost Vervoort (Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University).