9 March 2026

Fancy spending three days collecting research data at a festival with over 65,000 potential research participants? And do you have an original research idea? Submit your proposal for Lowlands Science by 26 March 2025!

Festivalgoers as research participants

In recent years, Lowlands Science (21, 22 & 23 August in Biddinghuizen) has grown into one of the festival’s most popular programme components. People sometimes literally queue up to take part in the studies. It also offers you, as a researcher, a unique opportunity to showcase your work to a large general audience. The event is co-organised by the popular science platforms Universiteit van Nederland and New Scientist. Participation therefore also helps expand your professional network in this field. In short, it is the ideal opportunity to achieve societal impact quickly, efficiently, and visibly.

Requirements

Lowlands Science is specifically looking for research projects that address socially relevant themes and can be translated into an engaging, hands-on experience for festival visitors. You can find all the requirements here. Applications must be submitted by 26 March 2026. 

Get in touch with us

Leiden University has one or two places available for research proposals that may be selected by Lowlands Science, based on their criteria. If you are considering submitting a proposal, please contact science communication advisor Saskia van Reenen at s.van.reenen@bb.leidenuniv.nl or on +31 (0)6-24289821.

Inspiration session

Feeling inspired? On 12 March, Lowlands Science, in collaboration with the National Expertise Centre for Science and Society (NEWS), is organising an inspiration session for researchers. The following topics will be discussed:

• Form and content: how do you write a strong proposal?
• Putting the visitor experience first: how do you do that?
• How do you conduct research at a festival? A discussion with experienced researchers from last year.

These colleagues participated in previous editions

Researchers from Leiden University were also present at previous editions, with an experimental exhibition on quantum mechanics, a lab for research on virtual trips, a haunted house to study how people deal with fear, and more.