THUAS awards 2025

Once again, the Olive Award, the Pim Breebaart Research Award, and the Golden Staff Award were presented to teams that advance education, research, and support. In addition, colleagues who obtained their PhD in the past year will receive a statuette on December 4 as a tribute to their scientific contribution.

The Olive Award

Each year, the Olive Award has a different theme, and this edition focused on the teaching team that best succeeds in developing initiatives that realize and safeguard language-conscious education. This is exactly what the team Nurses of the Future demonstrated. The jury appreciated how the program regards language-conscious education as a fundamental principle in the revision of the curriculum. During the design phase of the learning outcomes, they already involved students through focus groups, who contributed ideas on among other things the formulation of the learning outcomes.

In summary, the jury found the submission Nurses of the Future communicatively strong, practically oriented, and “sustainable.” An approach that can inspire other programs to realistically embed students’ language skills development into the curriculum.

Team members: Hanneke Broekman, Norbert Huyer, and Trienke IJmker

The Pim Breebaart Research Award

Research teams that demonstrate how education, research, and practice reinforce each other receive the Pim Breebaart Research Award. This year, Project NextGEM from the Centre of Expertise Digital Operations & Finance / Research Group Smart Sensor Systems won. Project NextGEM combines advanced measurement technology with biomedical analyses and is supported by collaboration with international partners. This project led to the establishment of a specialized laboratory environment within THUAS, where both researchers and students can work with advanced measuring equipment.

Their ability to connect international collaboration, education, and practice made them stand out. By linking substantive expertise to social relevance, Project NextGEM shows exactly what the PBRA is intended for: connecting research, education, and practice, thereby creating lasting value both inside and outside the university.

Team members: John Bolte, Erdal Korkmaz, Sam Aerts, Astrid Jansen, Derek Land, Xavier van Rijnsoever, Jonathan Gnanadhas, Merel Hillen, and Jacobine de Zwaan.

The Golden Staff Award

The Golden Staff Award honors teams that provide demonstrable added value to the educational or research process. This year, The Lighthouse & Events was recognized for their connecting role within the university, their willingness, and the impact of their events.

The team summarized their appreciation with the words: “A day to never forget. We are honored and delighted to have won the Golden Staff Award. This prize is for our entire institution, which supports us every day. We want to express our deepest gratitude to all teams within THUAS and everyone who took the time to write recommendation letters in support of our team. Your hard work and dedication made this success possible.”

Team members: Annelies van Rosmalen, Chantal van Enst, Amanda Tielemans, Gideon Reid, Anja Plugge, Mirjam Schoenmaeckers, Eva Smarius, and Robin Bormans.

Audience Award

The Olive Award Audience Award was won by the team Project Ñ de España from European Studies, Faculty of Management & Organisation.

Team members: Anabel Díaz, Elena Cabrera, and Claudia Bulnes.

Graduation Prizes

The Graduation Prizes are also part of the Awards Parade, but for the second year in a row they are presented during the opening of the academic year.