The Hague Gets 'University Center' in Heart of City

The former V&D and Hudson's Bay building at the Grote Marktstraat in The Hague is getting an academic destination. TU Delft,  Leiden University, the Open University and Universities of the Netherlands (v/h VSNU) will move into the 'Spui building' in 2025. The ideal place to bring knowledge and expertise closer to the heart of policy and governance, according to Behnam Taebi, Faculty of Technology Administration and Management TU Delft.

Proximity to demand

The Hague is not only the seat of the Dutch government. It is also the second UN city in the world and thus a springboard to important issues of international policy and governance. Hilbert Bredemeijer, alderman for education of The Hague: "As a city we are of course delighted with the arrival of so many students right in the center. A beautiful spot opposite the city hall and the Lower House, where these students will once again provide extra élan. The cooperation between the universities is obviously something that I can only greatly encourage."

Taebi: "Being closer to the demand is precisely one of our principles. We can design our work better if we know the need from policy. The solutions to the great challenges of the coming decades depend largely on technological innovation. Let's think about that together with policy makers in the spirit of co-creation, even before we propose solutions. Our broadly trained engineers can help think about socially accepted, broader-based solutions related to topics such as Climate and energy, digitalisation, security."

Martijn Ridderbos, vice president of Leiden University's Executive Board: "There is an enormous energy among all the partners involved. The Spui Building works as a magnet for all kinds of fruitful collaborations. We are eager to see how we can learn from each other and strengthen each other. With this center we also want to contribute from research and education to the development of the city and to solutions for challenges The Hague faces as international city of peace, justice and security."

Take a look here, to find out how the University Campus will look like (virtual tour).

Source: University of Leiden and TU Delft (in Dutch)