Science and Society

Connecting science and society to solve pressing societal issues

At Utrecht University, we are leading the way when it comes to interdisciplinary research on the formal and informal rules of human action: institutions.

Within this research area of expertise, Institutions for Open Societies, we gather top scholars from four faculties, who work together to help solve pressing challenges that society faces today and tomorrow. Fruitful and sustainable answers to these issues can only be found as we go beyond the existing academic frameworks. At IOS, we believe that innovation, new insights and social impact require cooperation not only between scientific disciplines, but also with knowledge and know-how from professionals outside the scientific field.

Innovation and new insights requires cooperation between scientific disciplines and with professionals outside the scientific field

Joining forces

Institutions for Open Societies is proud to present focal points of research in which we take an important step in connecting science and society to solve pressing societal issues: our IOS Platforms.