BirdEyes first tenant for Friesland Bank after ten years of vacancy

In anticipation of the official opening in autumn 2022, BirdEyes, a research group consisting of academics from the UG, NIOZ, and several other institutions, is organizing a ‘small-scale launch’ on Wednesday 13 July from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. BirdEyes is located on the second floor of the Friesland Bank building in Leeuwarden, which was vacant for the past ten years.

New research centre

BirdEyes is the new centre for interdisciplinary and internationally oriented research and post-Master’s teaching in the field of climate change. It is an initiative of Professor of Migratory Bird Ecology Theunis Piersma and the University of Groningen. Combining knowledge from various different disciplines will make it possible to find answers to the complex challenges of our time.

Through the eyes of birds

BirdEyes looks at the world through the eyes of birds. More and more birds are fitted with tiny little transmitters on their backs and legs. This technology results in an incredible amount of information, also known as ‘big data’. By combining these data with other sources of information in a smart way, and by using new ways to distribute this knowledge, BirdEyes hopes to provide valuable insight.

Dutch tradition

BirdEyes is building on an approximately 75-year-old Dutch tradition of research into the living conditions of wading, woodland and meadow birds. In addition, the institute has the abilities to fit birds with small transmitters so that they can be tracked all over the world. This provides global meaning to the stories of these animals. BirdEyes aims to bring science and society together.

Partnership

BirdEyes is a partnership between the UG faculties of Science & Engineering, Campus Fryslȃn, and Arts. These faculties collaborate with colleagues and peers at the NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, the Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics of the University of Amsterdam, and the Fryske Akademy.