Creating a long-term research agenda is one of the major goals at Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences. To realise this goal, Dr Nicolet Theunissen has been appointed as the new Head of Research. Theunissen, a Dutch scientist and entrepreneur, is the founder of Future Life Research, a social enterprise which focuses on innovation for the future. Previously, she has worked for the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) and other universities. She holds a Ph.D. in Medicine (Health psychology) and a Master degree in Developmental Psychology.

The Netherlands is the perfect country to start a business – yes, even if you are still a student! Since April 2017 international students no longer need to obtain a permit to start their own business – they can work for unlimited hours alongside their studies and part-time job. But what does it take to be a successful entrepreneur? What is the business climate like at the moment in the Netherlands?

From 3 May 2018 international students in the Netherlands will pay considerably less for study permits, as well as post-study permits that grant them one year to look for a job after graduation. In addition, it will also become cheaper for companies to hire highly skilled migrants. The Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) announced the new fees a day after a letter, explaining the reduced amounts, was sent to the House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer).

From 3 May 2018 international students in the Netherlands will pay considerably less for study permits, as well as post-study permits that grant them one year to look for a job after graduation. In addition, it will also become cheaper for companies to hire highly skilled migrants. The Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) announced the new fees a day after a letter, explaining the reduced amounts, was sent to the House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer).

Results for this year’s National Student Survey (NSE) has hit a snag due to the European Union’s new privacy law - the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) – which kicks in on 25 May 2018. It is uncertain whether the results will still be made public on 24 May as scheduled. Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences is one of 73 institutions in the Netherlands participating in the 2018 NSE. It is considered the biggest annual survey of students in the Netherlands.

As one of Europe's top attractions, the Efteling theme park surely stands out for thrilling rides and fairytale-inspired experiences. We met up with the students to learn about their experiences at Efteling, and what value they found in such excursions. Some comments received were: It was amazing! It was great! It was so much fun! It’s the best. The experience was magical! When asked about what it meant to them personally – the value – some students remarked that it was: “a good activity for students to do something else, to do something different and fun while still learning”. One comment that really stood out was: “It was really cool that we had this opportunity because for some of us, we had never had such an experience before”.

On 23 May, the Netherlands will implement an EU directive that will make student mobility for non-EU students within Europe considerably easier.

Wittenborg Amsterdam reached another milestone this week when it held its first Open Day for prospective students, drawing a number of Dutch students and their parents as well as a French student. Admission officer, Florian Oosterberg, said they were pleased with the outcome. She, along with Iryna Bernatska, support officer and communication coordinator, hosted the event. Oosterberg also gave a presentation explaining among other things the difference between an International degree in Business Administration (IBA) and other business administration bachelor's degrees. "I explained how an international degree prepares them for work in an international environment, which means it has a much broader outlook. You can work anywhere in the world! The programme is also taught by internationally experienced lecturers and our Project Weeks have an international component to them, such as the annual Shanghai trip."

https://www.wittenborg.eu/iba-programmes-nvao-approved.htm The Dutch-Flemish Accreditation Organisation (NVAO) has just re-accredited all Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences’ IBA specialisations for the next 6 years. The decision is valid until 29 March 2024, and the result as well as the body’s full assessment was recently published on NVAO’s website.

Even the weather played along when MSc students from Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences made their way to the UK this weekend. All-in-all, 12 students from 10 different countries took part in the annual trip, which included a visit to Wittenborg's main education partner, the University of Brighton in the UK, from which the students will graduate upon completion of their programmes. "The UK trip was a great opportunity to bond with my fellow colleagues and explore new places together. I had such an enjoyable experience with this super fun group!" said Malaysian student Nadia Zaman. They were accompanied by Wittenborg's Head of Processing Tutoring, Myra Qiu.