When top athlete and Team 4 Mijl ambassador Paavo de Leng fires the starting gun on Friday 11 September, Campus Groningen will quite literally spring into action. During the seventh edition of the Campus Trail, participants will run a 6.4-kilometre course packed with innovation, remarkable locations, live music and unexpected encounters.
Paavo de Leng is looking forward to his role as starter of the fun run on Zernike Campus. “As an athlete, I know how inspiring it can be to run in a unique environment. The Campus Trail offers participants a special opportunity to discover the campus and everything that happens here. That makes this event truly different from other runs.”
Over the years, the Campus Trail has grown into a much-loved tradition at Campus Groningen. The route takes participants straight through educational buildings, research facilities and innovative companies on Zernike Campus. Along the way, runners will pass locations such as the Energy Barn, Willem Alexander Sports Centre, Digital Society Hub, Lode Holding, Avebe Innovation Center, SE Factory and, for the first time, student housing complex Proxima.
Also new this year is the start and finish location: Plus Ultra Groningen, a multi-tenant building for innovative companies and organisations. Participants will gather here before the run and can join fellow runners afterwards for drinks and networking.
Nearly twenty company and organisation teams have already signed up for the Campus Trail, underlining the event’s role as a meeting place for entrepreneurs, researchers, students and staff members on campus.
Registration for Campus Trail 2026 is open until 3 September via the Campus Groningen website or through this registration form: https://inschrijven.nl/form/2026091150684-nl]. Participation is open to individual runners as well as company and organisation teams.
Amber van der Schaaf, Communications and Community Manager at Campus Groningen and co-initiator of the event, is proud of its growing popularity: “We expect around 700 participants this year. Just like Marathon Groningen, which also starts and finishes on campus, the Campus Trail showcases the many sides of Campus Groningen. It is a place where people work, study, innovate, exercise and live. During the Trail, participants get to experience that dynamic environment up close.”
Campus Trail is an initiative of Campus Groningen in collaboration with Bedrijvenvereniging WEST, Lode Holding, ACLO, the Sports Centre (University of Groningen / Hanze University of Applied Sciences) and Kadans. The event is organised by Paul van Put Events.
Who is developing the most impactful innovation in Life Sciences & Health in the Northern Netherlands? Five companies are in the running for the LIFE Science Innovation Award 2026: Flux Robotics, Limosa Immunodiagnostics, SPCTR, MimeCure and GlycanScan International. The nominees will present their innovations on Tuesday 22 September during the fifth edition of the LIFE Science Conference in Groningen. An independent jury will select the winner, who will receive a €10,000 cash prize.
A much-loved tradition The Campus Trail has become a much-loved tradition on campus. Students, employees and professionals from companies and organisations across the campus ecosystem lace up their running shoes for a sporty 6.4-kilometre route through buildings and past some of the campus’s unique labs. The rapid growth in registrations shows just how much the Campus Trail has become part of the campus community. The combination of sport, meeting others and the unique campus setting makes the run a great opportunity to connect with people outside the usual work and study environment. And there’s no need to head home as soon as you cross the finish line. During the after-party, hosted by Contini Catering, participants can relax together, enjoy a drink and celebrate the afternoon. There’s still time to join: those who want to take part can register online until 3 September, or sign up on the day itself using the PIN Campus Trail 2026 | Campus Groningen.
ZonMw is expected to open the final call for proposals within the PharmaNL Shared Development Infrastructure (SDI) program line. This program line focuses on strengthening the infrastructure for the development, upscaling, and production of innovative medicines in the Netherlands.
