Grand Finals

@ 13.00-16.30 CEST | Omnia, WUR Campus | 

On 29 November 2023, 62 teams worldwide joined the Nature-based future Challenge. After two selection rounds eleven teams remain in the game. What are their ideas? Who will win the 9000 EUR jury award? And how do ideas developed in the Challenge contribute to creating better future for Bangladesh and our planet?
Join the Grand Finals to find answers to those questions, get inspired and meet bringht and motivated minds from all over the world!

Special guest will be H.E. Ambassador of Bangladesh M. Riaz Hamidullah and Tim van Hattum. 

Programme:
13.00-14.00 Networking market
14.30-16.30 Award Ceremony
16.30-17.30 Drinks

Register here for live attendence or here for on-line attendence. 

11-06-2024 Check out this event!

WEBINAR | Whale poo: a nature-based solution?

Most CO₂ produced on earth is being absorbed by phytoplankton that lives at the oceans’ surface. Whales take care of the fertilisation of this plankton with their manure and their pump.  Whale poo may therefore be a very effective nature based solution to climate change!

Intrigued? Join the online Challenge Webinar on January 24^th!

Frank Zanderink, Whale Poo Ambassador and director of the Rugvin Foundation, will tell all about the role of whales in increasing CO₂ absorption in the oceans, and their impact on biodiversity, (local) economy, and our wellbeing. 

He will dive in detail into ways whales contribute to fertilizing the plankton; What amount of poo produces one blue whale every day, and why this is so important? And how deep do sperm whales go underwater and pump-up nutrients from the sea floor?

About the speaker

Frank Zanderink studied Forest and Nature Conservation at Wageningen University. Over the span of his career,  he was involved in a various research projects in the field of marine ecology. He is one of the founders of the Rugvin Foundation, that runs Whale Poo Ambassadors programme.

24-01-2024 Check out this event!

Nature-based Future Challenge Kick-off

@ 17h15 CET Plus Ultra II, WUR Campus & WebinarJam

The Nature-based Future Challenge is coming! 

You might feel overwhelmed with anticipation or, on the contrary, perhaps these last few months have watered down your excitement for this Challenge. But do not worry, because we have just the right solution to get you ready to take on the Nature-based Future Challenge!

Join us and get energized by our vibrant host, Nathalie Mangelaars. She will be there to infuse you with excitement for the task ahead of you. Besides hosting many of our events, Nathalie is our designated Pitch Trainer at WUR Student Challenges and has helped countless students pitch their ideas to the jury.

Since this Challenge is all about tackling the challenges of Bangladeshi coastal regions, H.E. Mr. M. Riaz Hamidullah, Ambassador of Bangladesh in the Netherlands, is our special guest for this event. And he is ready to welcome you to take part in this collective effort to re-imagine the future.

Finally, you will meet the partners of our Challenge and learn the composition of the student teams taking part in the competition. 

Come celebrate with us the official launch of the Nature-based Future Challenge!

Watch back here

29-11-2023 Check out this event!

Online Info Session

@ 17h00 CEST on WebinarJam 

Are you still on the fence about joining the Nature-based Future Challenge? Do you want to know exactly what it is about, how it works, and what it feels like to participate and win? Join this session and find out!

You will learn more about the local context in Bangladesh through the experiences of Abdullah Maruf (FAO) who has worked on several issues affecting coastal regions. 

Next, Marta Eggers from the WUR Student Challenges team will tell you all you need to know about the Nature-based Future Challenge. From the timeline, to deliverables, to how many team members you will need. And of course, she will make sure to answer all your practical questions.

To wrap up, we invited a former participant of one of our Challenges. Adrianna Waleszczak is a member of Team LettUs Design, the winner of the Urban Greenhouse Challenge #3 two years ago. She will tell you about her experience and what it took to win the Challenge.

Join this Q&A session and find out all you want to know about joining the Nature-based Future Challenge! 

Watch back here.

17-10-2023 Check out this event!

Masterclass | Challenge accepted: Imagining a nature-based future for Bangladesh

17h00 @ Impulse, WUR Campus (and Online)

How does one go about imagining the Future? We know that a climate resilient and nature positive future is possible with Nature-based Solutions, but to go from ideas to the drawing board is another story. We want to help you explore possibilities for nature-based futures that are compatible with a complex and challenging reality. By taking the case of the Bengal Delta in Bangladesh, we walk you through the do’s and don’ts of the whole process.

Programme:
Tim van Hattum (WUR), leader of the projects Netherlands in 2120, and EU in 2120 will talk about the untapped potential of Nature-based Solutions in addressing climate change and biodiversity loss. He will share his experience in using long term perspective to stimulate discussion on landscape planning and policy choices. 
Maheen Khan (WWF NL), Bangladeshi entrepreneur now working with civil society to amplify the voices of climate change, will emphasises the importance of grasping the local social, economic and political issues when it comes to designing nature-based solutions. She will go over the local context and help you understand how local people view nature, so that the future will also fit and benefit them. 

With this Masterclass, you will get a good picture of the challenges experienced in the Bengal delta, and start building your toolbox to imagine a path for the future.

Organized in collaboration with the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research and Wageningen Biodiversity Initative.

Watch back here

04-10-2023 Check out this event!

Biodiversity & Nature-based Solutions

With nature-based solutions, we aim to address the biggest challenges of the 21st century: climate change and biodiversity loss. In this webinar, experts and practitioners zoom in on the biodiversity component of nature-based solutions. How do nature-based solutions contribute to nature-positive futures? And, what is happening around the world? Join this informative and inspirational event to learn more and be inspired

Watch the webinar back on our youtube!

21-02-2023 Check out this event!