On Tuesday 6 January, Stalin Sarango Flores will defend his PhD thesis, titled “Microbial footprints of tomato domestication”.

Jurrian van Irsel will defend his PhD thesis, titled "From mosquitoes to birds: Unravelling the role of avian hosts in vector-borne pathogen dynamics".

Muhammad-Syamsu Rizaludin will defend his PhD thesis, titled "Underground alarms: volatile-mediated recruitment of beneficial soil bacteria by plants under biotic stress".

Zhaoqi Bin will defend her PhD thesis, titled "Application of trait-based plant-soil feedback for agroecosystem optimization".

Also in 2026, NIOO will be present at the national science festival for (thousands of) kids and their families. Will the giant soil animal maze be up and running again? That's where you go underground yourself... Will there be a new festival stand with surprises? Come join the festival and experience it!

How can biodiversity be safeguarded effectively in the long term? This is the core question of the 8th European Congress for Conservation Biology (ECCB). The congress will be held in Leiden, from 6 until 10 July 2026.

In een gezonde bodem leven bodemdieren. Zoek je mee? Dat kan overal: in je eigen tuin, het park om de hoek, op het schoolplein of zelfs het balkon. In 2026 voor de 12e keer alweer.

Save the date: on Saturday 3 October 2026, NIOO will open its doors again to visitors for our Big Open Day. From 11:00 to 17:00, everyone will be welcome. Seize your chance to take a look in our labs and experimental gardens: only possible once in every three years!