Our motto is 'From ambition to achievement'. We can only do this with the help of our donors. Not all academic education and research is financed by the government. This makes contributions from donors indispensable.

Thanks to medical innovations, more children are recovering from serious interventions such as heart surgery or stem cell transplants. A remarkable achievement, but for eight out of ten children and their families this has a lasting medical and psychosocial effect. Paediatric haematologist Anne de Pagter and paediatric cardiologist Arno Roest want to research how support for these children and their families can be improved.

A woman is murdered every eight days in the Netherlands. Marieke Liem, professor of Security and Interventions at Leiden University, is working on the Femicide Monitor, a public database on femicide in the Netherlands. Femicide is when women are killed because of their gender. More knowledge is vital to protecting women in the future.

Growing numbers of young people with complex mental health problems are trapped in a vicious circle of despair. This seriously affects their future because they drop out of school, self-harm or, in the most extreme cases, die by suicide. Dr Laura Nooteboom and her team are researching how young experts by experience can help support their peers.

Dr Anouk Goemans has been appointed professor by special appointment of Youth Services and Child Protection from an Educational and Legal Perspective as of 1 November 2024. This chair is funded by the 'Stichting Steunfonds Pro Juventute' support fund foundation and serves as a bridge between the Department of Child Law and Health Law and the Institute of Education and Child Studies.

What reduces the likelihood of children being taken into care? At present, child protection services don’t have the data to answer that question. In her inaugural lecture, Anouk Goemans calls for data-driven systems, alongside attention to the stories behind the numbers.

Migraine attacks strike suddenly and can seriously limit people’s lives. People with migraine can experience an aura with flashes of light or coloured spots that affect their vision. They can also develop a pounding headache accompanied by severe nausea and even vomiting. More knowledge about lifestyle factors and triggers will help predict and prevent attacks. The aim is personalised treatment.

The University conducts a lot of research into foster care. How can we improve the support for foster children? Which interventions really are effective? It is important that this knowledge is shared not only in academic papers but also with those who work in the practice.