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Luris transition: important changes to organisational structure and working methods

Luris supports and advises researchers and societal partners on knowledge transfer, research impact and public-private partnerships between researchers and society. The organisational structure of Luris is changing to help us better meet the changing needs of our researchers and civil society. Read more about these changes below.

This transition was initiated last year by the Executive Board of Leiden University and the Board of Governors of the LUMC. This was based on the results of a report by Ferry Breedveld and Hubertus Irth in autumn 2020. The central question of this research was:

What is the best way to position and organise LURIS, based on the intended mission, while taking into account the changing need for support? 

The transition followed the main recommendations in the Breedveld/ Irth report. This has led to the following changes: 

  • The Leiden University Grant Development Team, which was previously part of Luris, has been moved to the Strategic Academic Affairs Directorate (SAZ) of the University Administration Office.
  • Two separate units have been created at Luris – an LUMC cluster and a Leiden University cluster – each with a director who reports directly to a member of the Executive Board/Board of Governors. Steef Blok is the director of the Leiden University cluster (ad interim) and Diederik Engbersen of the LUMC clusters. 
  • The position of Luris chair has been created to ensure Luris has a single face for external parties and to help facilitate interaction with the Executive Board/Board of Governors.  Hubertus Irth has been appointed to this role.
  • Entrepreneurship and Intellectual Property remain an integral part of Luris; incorporation, investments and financing start-up/spin-off companies will be placed under one of the holding companies of the LUMC and Leiden University.
  • The new organisational structure has been carefully designed, with attention paid to coordination between the two clusters and departments within them. The chair and the two directors will meet regularly. This working practice will be given further shape in the coming months.

The coming months will be spent working hard on matters such as finding definitive accommodation for Luris at the university, reaching a new cooperation agreement between LUMC and Leiden University, recruiting the director of the Leiden University room and deciding on a name for Luris.

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