Among these shareholders were Lipton Tea, the Amsterdam stadium Johan Cruijff ArenA, the animal rights NGO Dier en Recht, and the waste management experts of PreZero.

Guided by the sessions’ host, professor Anniek de Ruijter, these groups delved into sustainability questions facing our world today. They tackled complex challenges such as developing environmentally conscious Bio-Based Plastics and transforming hospitals from linear to circular models in their operations.

One of the participants, freshly appointed professor of Sustainability & Marketing Jan Willem Bolderdijk, reacted: 'The Project Building Session made clear that there is an opportunity to make more impact, not even necessarily by doing new research, but by making sure that the knowledge that is being developed at the University gets to be used by the people that can actually use it to make a difference in the world.'

As we move into the new year, we aim to do just that and build on the momentum gathered at the event. The goal is to transform these initial discussions into actionable research projects. Are you inspired to take part in these critical challenges? Have a look below at the first drafts of research questions that came out of the event. If you find a cause that resonates with you, don't hesitate to reach out to: d.p.l.suijker@uva.nl.

• How to develop reliable Bio-Based Plastics with the environmental impact in mind? External stakeholder: Avantium;
• How can we change social norms and culture to reduce meat consumption and production in the Netherlands? External stakeholder: Dier en Recht;
• How can the Port of Amsterdam be transformed in terms of its energy basis from fossil fuels to hydrogen? External stakeholder: Port of Amsterdam and the municipality of Amsterdam;
• Where in the supply chain are the key sustainability bottlenecks and which chains are required to solve the biggest ones? External stakeholder: Lipton Tea;
• How can we transition from a linear to a circular hospital? External stakeholder: PreZero;
• How to positively change behavior in the Johan Cruijff ArenA? External stakeholder: Johan Cruijff ArenA.