Our themes
A just society, the transition to sustainability, and the digital future. These are the three themes that THUAS focuses on in order to create societal impact.
Impact across three themes
Creating societal impact is what drives us at THUAS. We work towards this every day through our research, education, and collaborations with external stakeholders. In recent years, we have brought greater focus to our work in order to increase our societal impact. We have identified three themes that we consider important and to which we are especially committed.
Our three themes are:
- The digital future
- A just society
- The transition to sustainability
By focusing on these three themes, we build on our strengths. These themes are closely connected to THUAS and are areas we have been committed to for many years. However, our ambition goes far beyond continuity. We aim to drive innovation, and we do this by being crystal clear about what matters to us. Focusing on the three themes helps us direct our energy and creativity towards creating opportunities. Opportunities for impactful multidisciplinary collaborations, opportunities for new perspectives and innovations, and opportunities for a better future.
In the coming years, our education and research will focus primarily on these three themes. All professors and degree programmes ensure that their teaching and research align with them. At the same time, there will of course continue to be room for education and research on important subjects that are not directly connected to one of these themes.
The digital future
Artificial intelligence (AI), what are we supposed to do with it? It is a question many people are grappling with, including within higher professional education. THUAS aims to explore and harness the opportunities and challenges that AI presents, with a focus on ethics, inclusivity, and societal impact. Our guiding principle is: AI should be accessible to everyone.
Just society
As an international knowledge institution with one of the most diverse student communities in the Netherlands, THUAS feels a strong responsibility to contribute to a sustainable and just world. In doing so, we draw on every aspect of the university of applied sciences: education, research, our buildings, our operations, and our conduct.
The transition to sustainability
A liveable and sustainable future for everyone. That does not seem too much to ask. Yet we see that the chances of achieving this are becoming increasingly smaller. As THUAS, we aim to contribute - through our education and research, as well as through our role as an organisation - to a society in which the use of energy, resources, and labour is balanced, and in which benefits and burdens are shared fairly. A transition towards sustainability.
