B-MEAPB4.5 ECTSQ1EnglishMaster
Applied Plant Biology
FaculteitFaculty of Science
NiveauMaster
Studiejaar2026-2027
Beschrijving
Course goals
- Has obtained a broad overview of the green sector in the Netherlands and internationally, including academia, industry, and public stakeholders.
- Understands how fundamental plant biological research can be translated into applied, societally relevant research.
- Is able to identify current challenges in applied plant biology and biotechnology.
- Can design, write, review, and defend an applied research proposal following competitive funding formats.
- Has developed skills in scientific communication, teamwork, critical evaluation, and project planning.
Content
Course description
The Applied Plant Biology course introduces MSc students to the Dutch and international green sector, with a focus on applied plant biology, biotechnology, and plant breeding. The course highlights how fundamental research connects to industrial, societal, and governmental challenges and explores career opportunities both within and beyond academia. Through a combination of guest masterclasses, project-based learning, proposal writing, and peer review, students engage with real-world challenges in applied plant biology. The course emphasizes translating fundamental knowledge into feasible, societally and/or economically relevant research projects, following the structure and evaluation criteria of competitive funding schemes.
Course content
The course consists of four integrated parts:
Assessment
There is no written exam. Assessment is based on continuous participation and project work:
The Applied Plant Biology course introduces MSc students to the Dutch and international green sector, with a focus on applied plant biology, biotechnology, and plant breeding. The course highlights how fundamental research connects to industrial, societal, and governmental challenges and explores career opportunities both within and beyond academia. Through a combination of guest masterclasses, project-based learning, proposal writing, and peer review, students engage with real-world challenges in applied plant biology. The course emphasizes translating fundamental knowledge into feasible, societally and/or economically relevant research projects, following the structure and evaluation criteria of competitive funding schemes.
Course content
The course consists of four integrated parts:
- Masterclasses
Guest lectures from academia, industry, finance, and public organizations introducing different perspectives on applied plant biology, career paths, and interactions between science, industry, and society. - Project definition and presentation
Students work in small groups to identify a current challenge in applied plant biology or biotechnology and present the scientific background, problem definition, and project concept. - Research proposal writing
Groups develop an applied research proposal based on their selected topic, following a modified NWO-style funding format. The proposal balances scientific innovation, feasibility, company or public partner involvement, and societal impact. - Peer review and proposal defense
Students act as reviewers in a mock funding committee, providing written reviews, and defend their proposals in an oral committee-style setting.
- Guest lectures and interactive discussions
- Group project work
- Oral presentations
- Proposal writing and peer review
- Committee-style proposal defense
Assessment
There is no written exam. Assessment is based on continuous participation and project work:
- Active participation: 20%
- Initial project presentation: 10%
- Written research proposal: 40%
- Peer review: 15%
- Final project presentation and defense: 15%
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