In 1880, the VU Amsterdam was founded by a private initiative, including theologian, journalist and politician Abraham Kuyper, as a Protestant Christian university. The idea was to establish a university that was independent from government or the Dutch Reformed Church. Ever since, the VU has emphasized scientific and value-driven education and research combined with a focus on contributing to society. Reflecting this focus, for the third year in a row, VU Amsterdam has been ranked among the top 3 sustainable universities in the Netherlands. The VU is also part of the International Sustainability Campus Network (along universities such as Cambridge and Princeton), committing itself to incorporating sustainability considerations in all aspects of the VU.

Currently, around 30.000 Bachelor’s and Master’s students are inscribed in roughly 145 different study programs, spread across nine different faculties in the humanities, STEM, social sciences and medical sciences.

In the School of Business and Economics (SBE), we strive for Science with Purpose. We – that is about 700 scholars, working in ten different departments. Highlighting our excellence in teaching, SBE just received dual AACSB Business and Accounting accreditation as the first faculty in the European Union, placing among the top 2% of business schools worldwide. We also proudly accepted a premier sponsorship role at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting (AOM) 2022, having 39 papers accepted for presentation and thus placing among the top 10 institutions at AOM 2022.

COPE 2023 will be hosted by the Management and Organization department, home to over one hundred scholars. As a department, we thrive on our cultural and disciplinary diversity, engaging in collaboration across fields such as management, economics, and psychology. We look forward to welcoming you at the VU!