Festive opening of the IAS Festival
Celebrating 10 years of IAS with a book launch of our anniversary publication The Edge of Knowing.
- Date
- 18 May 2026
- Time
- 15:30 -18:30
- Location
- Allard Pierson
The IAS Festival 2026 opens with the launch of our anniversary publication The Edge of Knowing: Curiosity, Complexity and Collaboration at the Institute for Advanced Study of the University of Amsterdam (WBOOKS). In this event, we bring together leading scholars and practitioners to reflect on current developments in science and the role of collaboration in addressing complex societal challenges.
The programme begins with opening remarks, followed by the presentation of the first copy of the book to UvA Rector Magnificus Peter-Paul Verbeek.
A roundtable discussion will then explore transformations in science, research, and policy, as well as the role Institutes for Advanced Study can play in shaping future agendas.
Participants of the round table
-
Olivier Bouin
Chair of the network of university-based IAS institutes (UBIAS), secretary of the Network of European Institutes for Advanced Study (NETIAS), director of the French network of Institutes for Advanced Study and coordinator of the International Panel on Social Progress. -
Robbert Dijkgraaf
University Professor of Science and Society from an International Perspective at the University of Amsterdam and president of the International Science Council (ISC), former president of the KNAW, director and Leon Levy professor at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in Princeton and former Minister of Education, Culture and Science. -
Naja Hulvej Rod
Professor of Epidemiology and Director of the Copenhagen Health Complexity Center, former IAS fellow and currently IAS External Faculty. -
Karien Stronks
Professor of Public Health at the UvA/Amsterdam UMC, former IAS associate and current chair of the Health Council in the Netherlands. -
Peter-Paul Verbeek
Rector Magnificus of the University of Amsterdam, Professor of Philosophy and Ethics of Science and Technology in a Changing World at the UvA and upcoming president of the KNAW. -
Huub Dijstelbloem
Director of the Institute for Advanced Study and Professor of Philosophy of Science, Technology and Politics at the University of Amsterdam.
The discussion will be moderated by journalist and writer Sanne Bloemink.
This event is by invitation only.
From 18 to 21 May 2026, the University of Amsterdam's Institute for Advanced Study celebrates its 10th anniversary with the IAS Festival: a week-long programme dedicated to reflection, exchange and forward-looking dialogue. The festival marks a decade of boundary-crossing interdisciplinary research while exploring the complex questions that will shape the years to come.
The programme includes the launch of a special anniversary publication "The Edge of Knowing", alongside a series of Future Challenges sessions that bring together leading thinkers from science, society, policy and the arts. Participants will have the opportunity to engage with urgent themes, transcending disciplinary boundaries and exploring new perspectives in lectures, discussions and interactive sessions.