‘Support scientific talent with your legacy’. This is the slogan of the Leave a Legacy campaign that was recently launched by the 15 Dutch university funds. The funds hope to inform people about the different options for including university funds in their wills.

They didn’t study at Leiden University, but Patrice Gerlach and Ellen Reuter have still chosen to leave a legacy to the LUF. A journey through Cambodia made them realise just how much of an impact education can have on the well-being of an entire family.

Have you considered including the LUF in your will? After your life you can continue to contribute to the future of Leiden University by including the LUF in your will in the form of a bequest or as an heir or one of your beneficiaries.

Riet Groenen was able to spend almost a year in Fiji for her thesis research on fertility and family planning thanks to donations from funds. Her studies, research experience and focus earned her a job at the United Nations. Groenen dedicated her career to women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights, and to ending violence against women.

People with chronic intestinal inflammation, such as Crohn's disease, often have high numbers of the gut bacterium Ruminococcus gnavus (R. gnavus) in their intestines. But why? To answer that question, LUMC researchers have for the first time mapped the complete genetic code (genome) of this bacterium on a large scale. And to accelerate further research on R. gnavus, they are offering all data for free to other researchers.

In the summer of 2019, South African student Tarryn Abrahams was awarded a scholarship from the Mandela Scholarship Fund. She is now spending a semester in Leiden, and following four courses at Leiden Law School. ‘I’m learning to engage more in lectures.’