Realisation Social Sciences and Humanities Labs
To give new impetus to the further intensification of interdisciplinary cooperation within the SSH domain and to continue to guarantee the high quality of social science research within Leiden University, the Social Sciences and Humanities Labs (SSH Labs) are currently being developed. In this, the aspect of interfaculty cooperation plays a central role.
During 2019-2021, the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences requested and received support from the university to improve the university-wide infrastructure for behavioural sciences labs. In 2020, the faculty's internal advisory board proposed a plan to move towards SSH Labs, which forms the basis for further elaboration and concretisation.
Currently, it is a collaboration between the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences and the Faculty of Humanities and will be extended to other SSH faculties in the future. The project involves the realisation of a new laboratory in the Sylvius building, the renovation of research spaces in the Pieter de la Court Building and the availability of labs in the Lipsius Building for all SSH faculties involved.
The strength of the project is the centralisation and sharing of research infrastructure, which ensures optimal use and enhancement of knowledge sharing. This also enables sustainable provision of research facilities and cost-effective support for research.
Construction SSH Sylvius Lab
New laboratory spaces are being built on the second floor of the Sylvius Building. This project is nearing completion. The completion of the lab is scheduled for June 2023 and it will be put into use by SSH researchers from September 2023.
The arrival of the SSH Sylvius Lab is important for the future-proofing of scientific research. Efforts are being made to modernise the laboratory spaces and enable new research with VR, dance, navigation and classroom, for example. In addition, a skills lab will be created where students and starting researchers will be taught how to conduct human-related research. The laboratory will also better suit the demands of research, through climate control, for example, and an expansion of space by a net 600 m² will take place.
