Imagine this: you have 65,000 enthusiastic people available for three days who are willing to participate in your research. What would you want to find out? At Lowlands, visitors don’t just enjoy music—they also love coming to the Lowlands Science research area, a unique and ideal place for scientists. You can now submit your research proposal for Lowlands Science on August 21, 22, and 23, 2026. Applications are open until March 26.
Since 2015, Lowlands Science has been very successful, and many Radboudumc research teams have participated. This year, Lowlands is again inviting researchers from universities of applied sciences, universities, and other research institutes to submit proposals for research during the festival. If the quality and (financial) feasibility are in order, the possibilities are considerable.
Criteria for a proposal
- The project involves scientific research that is often carried out in a lab setting but benefits from the live setting offered by Lowlands Science.
- The primary purpose is to collect research data; education or awareness may be a secondary purpose.
- The public experience, including the research, lasts no longer than 15 minutes.
- Applicants have a creative idea for an engaging experience for visitors and can carry it out independently.
- The research theme is socially relevant and interesting for Lowlands visitors and aligns with their world: 18–40 years old, curious, urban-oriented.
Inspiration session
On March 12, 2026, we are organizing an online inspiration session in collaboration with NEWS from 15:30–17:00. If you would like more background information for writing your proposal, sign up here. You can also download a flyer about conducting experiments at Lowlands via this link.
The application includes
- Name of research institution/organization
- Name of principal investigator
- Name of department/faculty/program
- Research title
- The research question
- Explanation of the research in a maximum of three (lay) sentences
- What the festival visitor experiences/does/feels during the research
- The social relevance of the research
- Check against the previously mentioned criteria
- Confirmation of a €6,000 own financial contribution (excl. VAT)
- Confirmation of ethics committee approval
- An uploaded PDF of the full research proposal (max. 10MB, max. 3 pages A4)
More information about the call can be found here.
Submit your research proposal before March 27, 2026 via the Lowlands website. On April 15 and 16, applicants will be informed whether they have been selected to carry out the research.
Help with your proposal
The science communicators at Radboudumc have been closely involved in the preparations in recent years and were also present at Lowlands to support all press activities. They maintain good contact with the Lowlands organization and can assess what will and will not work. You can present your proposal to Eline Zwijgers and Annemarie Eek—they are happy to think along with you.
More information
Annemarie Eek
wetenschapsvoorlichter
