Home@House of Connections: the University of the North

Four Schools for Science & Society and the University of the North (UvhN) will operate from the House of Connections—part of the Groot Handelshuis—at the Grote Markt. Who will they collaborate with, what will they tackle first, and how will the House Of Connections support them to achieve their goals? This time: The Rudolf Agricola School for Sustainable Development .

Who will you collaborate with inside and outside the University of the North?

The University of the North is an initiative by the UG, UMCG, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences Groningen, Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences, and vocational education institutions from the North. Together with governments, businesses, and civil society organizations, we are working on a wide variety of projects that have the common denominator that they are all linked to the transitions from the Knowledge Agenda. We organize several meetings every year and we will definitely be doing the same at the House of Connections. For instance, we already recently held the presentation of the Booster Fund cheques at the House of Connections, and we will be organizing our first Student Challenge here on 23 June. Incidentally, the House of Connections is not the only venue for us to host events; in fact, the spread in the region is very important to the University of the North.

What will be your first thing to work on after moving to the House of Connections?

Our activities have been up and running for some time and will continue as usual, but the nice thing is that we now also have a beautiful physical space for our events. The fact that this is also home to all other stakeholders who also organize events creates a nice cross-pollination. I am sure that by meeting face-to-face new collaborations and activities will emerge.

How do you think the House of Connections will help achieve your goals?

With the House of Connections, the University of the North has gained a very nice event location. People who have been here once, are happy to come back. You could already see that happening at the presentation of the Booster Fund cheques. The historical location, in the very heart of the city centre, certainly contributes to this. Everyone remembers the V&D store that used to be located on the site. Combined with the central location, this makes it a very attractive location to work and meet.

What are you looking forward to the most?

We want to make a growth spurt. Our multi-year plan includes budget and capacity to accelerate now. In doing so, I think we can make good use of such a top location as the House of Connections. It is a location with appeal, which fits our ambitions.

In your opinion, when will the House of Connections be a success?

When the place is buzzing with inspiring activities, and when people who have visited here have had a nice afternoon and think to themselves “this is where the action is!” As far as I’m concerned, these are staff members from knowledge institutions, students, businesses, but especially also “the outside world” because the House of Connections seeks to connect with society.