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Curiosity as the driving force behind R&D at BUas
On 1 February 2026, Ilja van Beest joined BUas as Director of Research & Development (R&D). In his new role, he leads the development and delivery of the institute’s shared R&D agenda. His aim: to further strengthen the connection between research, education, the professional field and society – and to firmly establish BUas as a European university of applied research. We spoke with him about his vision, his motivation and the steps he wants to take.
Knowledge is there to be shared
Ilja van Beest opens the conversation with a question he finds himself returning to: what makes working at a university like BUas so special? ’The ”as” in BUas implies that universities of unapplied sciences also exist. Put it that way, and we're on the right side of the spectrum. Knowledge isn't a secret – you have to take it out into the world, you have to actually do something with it.’
He compares it to composing music: you don't do it purely for the enjoyment of it, you want it to mean something to people. ’In a knowledge-based society where money is invested in research, people need to be able to access and absorb the results. That's a large part of our responsibility.’
Research is a team effort
For Van Beest, research has never been a solitary pursuit. ’It's about group dynamics. Just like in football, we're not all playing the same position – it's about the team's performance, and every role has value.’ He advocates for researchers and lecturers who not only have in-depth expertise but can also be deployed across a broad range of areas. ’Hyperspecialists struggle to communicate with one another. In a world that is already uncertain, breadth is a form of resilience.’
He sees that breadth reflected in BUas itself. ’Dijkgraaf's range of options is spread across the entire campus here: MBO students, HAVO and VWO graduates, HBO and WO bachelor's students, master's students, an associate degree programme, and a focus on both the humanities and technologies. That is future-ready.’
From unapplied to applied: a deliberate choice
After thirty years at traditional research universities, Van Beest made a conscious decision to move. ’I'm 53 now and I thought: am I going to carry on wearing those ”ignorant” spectacles? At BUas, I have the opportunity to rekindle my sense of wonder.’ What appeals to him is the principle of co-creation: ’Formulating the question from real life, arriving at an answer in collaboration with people from the field – that's something BUas does well.’
Visibility and sustained connection
As Director, Van Beest's first priority is making clear choices within the R&D agenda and supporting colleagues in forging a sustained connection between education and research. ’We're all already doing it, but we need to become more conscious of it.’ Step two is visibility: ’Don't be modest. We want to become the European R&D university of applied sciences. That means showing the world which projects you've carried out with industry partners, and what knowledge of yours others are building on.’
He sums up his philosophy with a call to both students and colleagues: ’R&D needs to become part of their DNA too. Let the integration of education and research be a piece of music rather than a competition. Let's strike a fine chord together.’
Ilja van Beest obtained a PhD in Social Psychology at Leiden University. Before he joined BUas, he had worked, among other things, at Tilburg University and as a research director at the Kurt Lewin Institute, a centre for postgraduate programmes and research focusing on analysing psychological factors impacting the formation of social behaviour. He is an active member of the Dutch Institute of Psychologists (NIP), and initiated the national thesis prize for social psychology and its applications to reward outstanding student research. He is also editor-in-chief of Social Influence, an international academic journal in the area of social influencing, in which the connection between theory, behaviour and application takes centre stage.
