Night University - on campus

Night University is a free on-campus science festival, which has been around since 2013 and aims to bridge the gap between university and town and to connect science and society. This is the night when the University opens its doors to all and sundry: residents of Tilburg and its vicinity, secondary school students, alumni and its own students and staff. Its wide range of activities include workshops, lectures, debates, guided tours, lab experiments as well as cultural and culinary attractions.

To researchers, Night University offers an opportunity to experiment with other forms of knowledge transfer to wider audiences. The festival usually takes place in early October and synchs with the Science Weekend, which is when all Dutch universities present themselves to the outside world. Night University has a partnership with the Tilburg council to address culture, safety or labor market issues from a scientific perspective. Student associations and partners such as museum De Pont and the Science Café also make contributions. Around 1,500-2,000 visitors attend the festival annually. It has a different theme each year. In its first four years, these were the Brain, Robotics, Safety and Fear. In lustrum year 2017, Night University’s theme was Back to the Future, Night University 2018 was dedicated to Science Zoo.