How to apply?

Criteria and selection

In general, the following criteria apply to Collective Futures candidates.  

• You are enrolled in a 2-year MSc program at a science faculty (UvA or another university) 

• You are eligible to participate according to the requirements of your MSc-program, usually stated in its Teaching and Exam regulations, with permission of the examinations board.
   

Additionally, you: 

• Have a strong desire to contribute to meaningful societal change.

• Seek opportunities to apply your academic background beyond traditional academic environments. 

• Are excited to collaborate with a partner organization on a real-world societal challenge.

• Are motivated to develop yourself personally and professionally.

• Want to work in an interdisciplinary team environment where diverse perspectives, cultures and approaches are valued and leveraged.

• Want to embrace the opportunity to go beyond your comfort zone and learn from both successes and failures. 

• Are prepared to commit to an intensive 5-month program and have a relevant track record in both your academic and extracurricular pursuits.

Application process

Each year, the application process begins with a priority application round in June. Submitting your application by the priority deadline gives you the advantage of being among the first to be considered for our limited (24) spaces.

If spaces remain available after the priority round, we will continue to review applications as they come in.

1. Approval from examination board

To participate in our program, you will need approval from your study’s examination board. While approval is typically granted, it is important that you submit an explicit request. We recommend doing this before submitting your application.

If you encounter any difficulties with this process, please don't hesitate to contact us—we're here to help find a solution.

2. Application submission

We ask you to submit a resume (C.V.), list of courses and grades, and a motivation letter (maximum one page), using this application form on Datanose.

In case you haven’t received a response within a week after submitting your application, please reach out to us by email.

3. Presentation

As part of this final stage of the intake process, we invite you to participate in a meeting with members of our team and fellow applicants.

The meeting will begin with a brief (10-minute) presentation from you and fellow applicants. The theme of the presentation is "Connecting Your Academic Background to Practice." You are encouraged to select a topic and approach that reflects your unique perspective and experience.

Following the presentation, we will engage in an open conversation to assess whether the program is a mutual fit. This will also be an opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have.

Following this meeting, we will inform you personally regarding your selection for the Collective Futures program.

Dates & application form

Our next cohort runs from 9 February – 3 July 2026. The application process starts with a priority application round in June 2025. Apply before June 1st to be eligible for priority admittance.

UvA students 

You can submit your application using this application form on Datanose. After receiving your application, we will inform you about the next steps.

Non-UvA students 

Please send an e-mail to collective-futures-science@uva.nl 

Contact 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us: 

• Rob Schuurink (coordinator): R.C.Schuurink@uva.nl  

• Jarik Guijt – J.J.Guijt@uva.nl  

• Jelger Kroese – J.Kroese@uva.nl