Radboud University is a broad, internationally oriented student-centred university that combines excellent education with leading-edge research, focussing strongly on societal issues and on transferring knowledge to society. Research is carried out in 15 research institutes, while Radboud University provides education to 20,000 students via 36 bachelor and 76 master programmes. The Faculty of Science conducts high-quality society-driven research and provides bachelor and master courses in the natural sciences, mathematics, and computing sciences.
The Institute for Science in Society (ISiS) is positioned within the Faculty of Science and dedicated to interdisciplinary academic research and education. Our mission is to analyse, assess and improve the societal embedding of science and technology through research, education and outreach. The main research themes are (a) Socio-Ecological Interactions and (b) Responsible research. ISiS brings together a group of experts coming from various disciplines and backgrounds (science, social science, science studies and philosophy) to understand how society is shaping science and vice versa. Our work is carried out in close collaboration with other researchers in the natural sciences (both within and outside the Faculty of Science), with peers and colleagues at other universities (nationally and internationally), but also with societal stakeholders. Interactive research is a basic attitude. It means seeing scientific and societal stakeholders not as ‘consumers’ of our knowledge, but as sources of inspiration and information and as partners in our work. Sharing preliminary analyses and assessments is bound to make our research more relevant, robust and comprehensive. Interaction means that we see ourselves not as outsiders, but as active participants in knowledge production and sustainable development.
Proximity to science is of key importance. Positioned within the Faculty of Science, we offer expertise to the other research Institutes to collaboratively strengthen the social robustness and responsiveness of academic education and research. Moreover, within ISiS the Centre Connecting Humans and Nature is positioned. CCHN studies people’s connectedness with nature in different contexts and over the human life course. CCHN has the mission to contribute to connecting humans and nature through research and by organizing and encouraging dialogues within and between science and society.’