Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam: societal impact
At Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, we attach great importance to the societal impact of our education and research. Personal development and social involvement are key parts of our vision on education, in which individual differences are seen as a strength. This allows us to develop innovations and insights that contribute to a better world.

VU Strategic Plan 2015 – 2020
The origins of VU with its ambitions for the future are linked with the content of the VU Strategic Plan 2015-2020 (print version). The SP sets out the ambitions, objectives and policy measures for the next five years. The starting point of the SP is the VU Vision 2025, which states where Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam wishes to be in 2025.

Freedom in responsibility: three core values
Academic research and education at VU is characterized by a high level of ambition, and encourages free and open communications and ideas. VU stands for universal university values such as academic freedom and independence, which is reflected in our name (‘VU’ is the Dutch abbreviation for ‘free university’): free from the church, state and any commercial interest. The basic philosophy of VU is expressed in three core values:

• responsible
• open
• personally engaged