Translational Life Sciences profile

To train you as a translational scientist and to achieve the learning outcomes of the profile, the profile consists of three elements:

Capstone project (20 EC)

The capstone project is the major element within the profile. The project consists of a group assignment (three students) in which you develop a feasible and innovative solution for a real-life societal problem presented by a company, non-profit organisation, or another institute. The capstone project is structured according to the Design Thinking model. During the last eight weeks of the profile you will take the first steps to actually develop your solution (e.g. generating pilot data, creating a beta-version of a device or an app, or writing an actual grant proposal).

The capstone projects are currently being developed. We are exploring problems provided by patients (juvenile arthritis, heart failure) and from institutes and companies such as TNO, Nutricia Research, and the WWF. At the start of the profile, you can provide your preference for the project you would like to work on.

Click here for examples of capstone projects that have been used in comparable education.

Note: these are not the challenges for the capstone project of Translational Life Sciences 2022-2023.

Theoretical components (9 EC)

The first two weeks of the profile form an introduction that prepares you for the profile and the capstone project, in which we pay attention to community building. After this introduction, workshops and inspirational sessions are planned regularly during the profile (± once or twice a week). These elements are aimed at teaching you skills that are required for translational research (e.g. communication, collaboration, and boundary crossing) and on topics that either fuel the capstone project, such as entrepreneurship and involvement of stakeholders, or your personal development.

Personal development (4 EC)

You learn how to reflect on personal skills and competences related to translational science. Furthermore, you finetune your own development by personalised learning objectives. Guided (peer) feedback, coaching, and intervision will guide you in this development process.

Assessment

In this profile, you are assessed on the end product of the capstone project. Your personal growth and development on the skills are assessed by means of multiple feedback moments and a reflection report.

Application deadline for start of the profile in February 2024: December 1, 2023. 

Application takes place via OSIRIS Case. You can access OSIRIS Case via OSIRIS Student. 

Note that when asked to indicate the courses you will follow within the profile you should fill out the following: personal development (4 EC), theoretical components (9 EC), and capstone project (20 EC).

The profile coordinator will let you know within two weeks after the registration deadline if you are admitted to the profile.

Please confirm your participation within one week by sending a confirmation email to the profile coordinator.

The profile will facilitate you to take the lead in your own education, both in the (process of the) capstone project and in your personal growth. Along the way, you are supported and guided by a UU supervisor and by the client. Specific expertise that is required within the profile is provided by coaches from different backgrounds.

Would you like to know more about the experiences of previous students with the Translational Life Sciences profile? Then watch their testimonials below.

Anouk Olthof about challenge-based learning:

Challenge-based learning let's you make this profile your own project.

Listen to Inez Miltenburg when she shares her biggest challenge during the profile with you:

In the end, it comes down to convincing others of the solution you came up with.

Kate Liang envisions herself in five years:

I had a really great team!

Societal implementation was an important aspect during this profile for Emma Nessen:

It is great to have this opportunity during your Master's!

After fulfilling this profile, the student is able to address an unmet societal need and to provide a feasible and sustainable solution by building bridges towards relevant disciplines and stakeholders.

The learning outcomes of the profile are listed below. Both the capstone project, the workshops and training, and the assessment are aligned to supervise the student in achieving these learning outcomes by the end of this profile.

In the context of communication, the student is able to:

• Communicate effectively and appropriately both orally and in writing in a multidisciplinary setting.

In the context of reflection, the student is able to:

• Formulate the own strengths and weaknesses in expertise and in professional skills such as communication and collaboration;
• Apply the learning cycle of Kolb (see below);
• Handle ambiguity in a resilient manner.

In the context of translational science, the student is able to:

• Identify a life science related societal need and translate this need into a well-defined problem definition revealing the root cause;
• Recognise and integrate the needs and intentions from stakeholders and other disciplines that are related to the unmet societal need and solutions;
• Design a feasible solution that alleviates or satisfies the identified social/societal need and takes the entrepreneurial perspective into account;
• Execute or prepare a pilot, or test a concept (prototype) in the field and incorporate the outcomes into a final design or solution.

In the context of boundary crossing, the student is able to:

• Understand the perspectives of peers and of stakeholders/other disciplines that are related to the unmet societal need and solutions;
• Recognise the limitations and biases of the student’s own discipline and perceive the added value of other disciplines beyond life sciences to create a solution for an unmet societal need;
• Include information and knowledge from relevant disciplines into the designed solution.

In the context of collaboration, the student is able to:

• Share knowledge and feelings with the team, convey respect for others, and be open-minded towards their ideas;
• Be flexible and compromise when necessary to move forward with the group;
• Participate actively and being accountable;
• Provide constructive feedback and accept feedback from others;
• Take the lead, monitor, redirect or adjust the group process.