Wageningen University & Research (WUR) is a world-leading university and research institution dedicated to exploring the potential of nature to improve the quality of life. Uniquely positioned at the intersection of life sciences, natural sciences, social sciences and technology, WUR is consistently ranked among the top universities globally in the fields of agriculture, environment and food science. It is the only university in the Netherlands, and one of a very few worldwide, to focus its entire academic and research mission on a single interconnected domain: the relation between humans, their environment and the food they eat.

WUR is a collaboration between Wageningen University and the Wageningen Research foundation, combining fundamental and applied research under one roof. This dual structure enables WUR to move seamlessly from fundamental scientific discovery to practical application, translating breakthroughs in the laboratory into real-world impact in the field, the policy arena and the marketplace.

Mission

To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life.

The Wageningen Approach

The defining characteristic of WUR is what it calls the Wageningen Approach: the union of specialised research expertise and education, combined with the joint forces of the natural and social sciences, and conducted in close collaboration with government, business, NGOs and civil society. This integrated approach produces scientific breakthroughs that can quickly be put into practice and incorporated into education, shortening the distance between knowledge and impact. The overarching ambition is captured in WUR's strategic programme Finding Answers Together, which positions WUR as a university and research institution that actively works in partnership with others to address the most pressing global challenges of our time.

Six research and education themes

WUR structures its work around six interconnected societal themes, each addressing a critical global challenge:

• Sustainable food systems: finding a new balance between what we eat, how we produce it, and the conditions under which it is grown
• Biodiversity and resilient ecosystems: preserving the interaction between plants, animals and ecosystems that keeps our environment healthy, nutritious and resilient
• Health for all life: taking a holistic view of health, recognising that human health is deeply connected to the health of all living things and their shared environment
• Climate-proof futures: building adaptation and resilience to climate change, from green cities to nature-inclusive agriculture
• Biobased and circular society: closing resource loops, using renewable materials and working towards a society that generates almost no waste
• Sustainable water and land use: managing water and land so that these vital resources remain available for future generations

Academic structure

Wageningen University operates as a single faculty with five academic departments and 95 chair groups, reflecting the depth and breadth of specialisation within WUR's focused domain:

• Agrotechnology and Food Sciences: 22 chair groups
• Animal Sciences: 12 chair groups
• Environmental Sciences: 20 chair groups
• Plant Sciences: 20 chair groups
• Social Sciences: 21 chair groups

This single-faculty structure, unique among research universities, ensures deep interdisciplinary collaboration and prevents the academic siloing that characterises larger, more dispersed institutions.

Academic programmes

WUR offers 20 Bachelor's programmes, 31 Master's programmes, an Engineering Doctorate (EngD) programme, a PhD programme, and education for professionals including short courses and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). WUR currently offers 49 MOOCs, making it one of the most active universities in the world in open online education within its domain. Master's programmes attract a large proportion of international students, reflecting WUR's global reputation in its field.

WUR in numbers

• Total students (October 2025): 12,407 (excluding PhD candidates), of whom 5,175 are Bachelor's students and 6,754 are Master's students
• PhD candidates: 2,440
• Total employees: 7,044 (in FTE), split across Wageningen University (3,588) and Wageningen Research (3,456)
• Professors: 234, including 92 chair holders, 88 personal professors and 51 special and endowed professors
• Alumni: 64,117, of whom 47,264 are from the Netherlands, 6,458 from Europe and 10,395 from outside Europe
• PhD theses defended annually: 359
• University Fund Wageningen regular donors: 2,788

Research excellence

WUR's research quality is affirmed by its position in international rankings and citation indexes, where it consistently ranks among the world's top institutions in agriculture, food science, environmental science and related fields. Since 2007, WUR researchers have been awarded 11 ERC Starting Grants, 12 ERC Advanced Grants and 8 ERC Consolidator Grants, affirming the quality of fundamental research conducted at the university. In 2023, WUR co-authored publications with academic, government, corporate and medical partners across the world: 2,944 co-publications involving Wageningen University alone, across academic, government, corporate, medical and other sectors.

Innovation and spin-offs

Since 1995, WUR has generated 48 spin-off companies and more than 98 startups, each leveraging WUR research knowledge to develop innovative solutions for present-day and future societal challenges. These ventures span agrifood technology, environmental solutions, biotech and digital innovation, forming a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem connected to the university's research base.

Wageningen Campus

Wageningen Campus is one of Europe's most concentrated ecosystems for food and life sciences innovation. It is home to 230 organisations, including 168 SMEs and startups, 28 NGOs, 27 corporates and 7 institutes, all co-located with Wageningen University and Wageningen Research. This proximity between academia, industry, government and civil society is a direct expression of the Wageningen Approach in physical form, enabling rapid knowledge transfer and creating fertile conditions for collaboration, innovation and impact.

Global partnerships and reach

WUR is active in research programmes across many regions of the world and maintains formal collaborations with a wide range of international and national partners, including:

• Agrifood 5 Alliance
• Agrinatura Association for European Life Science Universities (ICA)
• CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research)
• Euroleague for Life Sciences (ELLS)
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
• RUFORUM (Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture)
• Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS)
• Dutch universities of technology (4TU Federation)
• Delta Climate Center, Foodvalley, GroenPact, OnePlanet Research Center
• Strategic alliance with Eindhoven University of Technology, Utrecht University and UMC Utrecht

Why WUR

1. The world's leading university in agriculture, food and environment, focused entirely on the relation between humans, their food and their natural environment
2. A unique dual structure combining Wageningen University and the Wageningen Research foundation, enabling seamless movement from fundamental science to real-world application
3. 20 Bachelor's programmes, 31 Master's programmes, an EngD and a PhD programme, all rooted in an integrated, interdisciplinary approach
4. 7,044 employees, 2,440 PhD candidates and 64,117 alumni active in the fields of food, agriculture, environment and life sciences worldwide
5. A single-faculty structure with 95 chair groups ensuring deep specialisation without disciplinary silos
6. A campus co-located with 230 organisations, creating one of Europe's most dynamic ecosystems for life sciences and food innovation
7. A proven track record of impact: 48 spin-offs, 98+ startups, and ERC Grants across Starting, Advanced and Consolidator categories