InScience - International Science Film Festival Nijmegen

What InScience - International Science Film Festival Nijmegen does

InScience is a Dutch non-profit foundation (Stichting InScience) registered in Nijmegen, Netherlands, that organizes an annual international science film festival. Founded in 2014, the foundation held its first edition in November 2015 and has since grown into one of the larger dedicated science film festivals in Europe, screening 55–61 films per edition and hosting 150–174 speakers, drawing over 10,000 visitors per cycle (including roughly 2,200 students and 200+ industry professionals). The 2026 edition is scheduled for March 3–8, marking a calendar shift from its prior November timing. The festival is paired with a year-round programming slate that includes InVision (a B2B industry program for filmmakers, scientists, and distributors), InScience on Tour (satellite editions in Arnhem, Maastricht, Rotterdam, and Twente), an education program reaching thousands of secondary-school students, an award competition, and an emerging VR/xR programming strand.

The operating model is that of a publicly funded cultural institution with ANBI status (Dutch charitable designation). Revenue is assembled from three streams: consumer ticket sales (€9 regular / €5 student / €3.50 VR, with discounted multi-film strips), institutional co-funding from public partners (Gemeente Nijmegen, Provincie Gelderland, Radboud Universiteit, HAN, Radboudumc, LUX Nijmegen, NTR), and program collaborations with broadcasters and European science-film networks (e.g., EURASF, Klokhuis, Oostpact). A board comprising a former Hoge Raad justice, the director of EYE Filmmuseum, and the director of the Donders Institute lends institutional credibility. The organization is staffed by approximately 20 people (8–10 core staff plus seasonal and volunteer support), making it a small, mission-driven operator rather than a scaled commercial enterprise.

Name

InScience - International Science Film Festival Nijmegen

Legal name

Stichting InScience International Science Film Festival Nijmegen

Website

https://insciencefestival.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

InScience is a Dutch ANBI-registered non-profit foundation that runs an annual international science film festival in Nijmegen, serving the general public, students, and film/science industry professionals through screenings, talks, satellite editions, and education programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Festival & Science Communication Events

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830)

akta.pro primary industry

Film Festivals & Festival Organizers (MPADAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts & Culture Documentaries (MPADADAI), Campus & Educational Screenings (Universities, Schools) (MPADAKAI), Science Camps & Field Programs (Nature, Space, Marine, Geology) (EDAMABAB)

Keywords

• Science film festival
• Documentary screenings
• Science communication events
• Film programming services
• Educational film programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Nijmegen

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket sales: The festival generates revenue through individual film tickets, ticket strips (passes), and student tickets. Ticket sales occur through the LUX box office and online platform.
2. Institutional partnerships and sponsorships: Funding from universities (Radboud Universiteit, HAN), healthcare institutions (Radboudumc), government bodies (Gemeente Nijmegen, Provincie Gelderland), and cultural partners (LUX Nijmegen, Klokhuis).
3. Program partner collaborations: Collaboration with various media and cultural partners including Eye Film, Beeld & Geluid, NTR, and others for program content and distribution.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

InScience is an annual international science film festival held in Nijmegen, Netherlands, that screens science documentaries alongside expert talks, interactive experiments, and educational programs. The festival curates 55-61 films each edition, bringing together filmmakers, scientists, and the public for interdisciplinary exchange around science and film. It operates through in-person screenings at LUX Nijmegen and partner venues, an online streaming platform, touring editions in other Dutch cities, and a professional industry program (InVision).

Product overview

InScience Film Festival is a single annual event (core product) held in Nijmegen from March 3-8, 2026, showcasing science documentaries and films with expert talks, interactive experiments, and debates. The festival operates as a platform connecting filmmakers, scientists, and the public. Supporting modules include InVision (industry program with Oostpact), InScience on Tour (satellite editions), Student Jury and education programs for primary, secondary, and higher education levels, and various awards including the InSights NTR Audience Award, InLab International Jury Award, InShort Student Jury Award, and Klokhuis Wetenschapsprijs. Additional offerings include a Scientific Research Platform for data collection and an InScience Strippenkaart (ticket pass) for flexible attendance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• InScience Film Festival Annual international science film festival held in Nijmegen, featuring screenings of science documentaries, expert talks, interactive programs, and competitions for general audiences, students, and film professionals.
• InVision Industry Program Professional program for filmmakers, scientists, and researchers that stimulates interdisciplinary exchange around science storytelling, running as part of the annual festival.
• InScience on Tour Satellite editions of the festival held in other Dutch university cities (Maastricht, Rotterdam, Twente, Arnhem), bringing selected films and talks to wider audiences in collaboration with local universities and cinemas.
• Education Program for Primary Schools Special school screenings for primary education (groups 6-8) developed in collaboration with Wetenschapsknooppunt Radboud Universiteit, featuring films followed by scientist-led discussions and digital learning materials.
• Education Program for Secondary Schools School screenings for secondary education with films selected to match various subject areas, including post-screening discussions with scientists and digital teaching materials for classroom use.
• Education Program for MBO and HBO Programs for vocational (MBO) and higher professional (HBO) education students that combine film screenings with debate sessions, designed to encourage critical thinking about media and scientific content.
• Student Jury Program Program involving five students from colleges and universities in Gelderland who watch and evaluate short films, encouraging young people to engage more deeply with science films.
• Scientific Research Platform Platform offering researchers from all disciplines the opportunity to conduct experiments and collect data in a festival setting, engaging visitors actively in scientific research.
• InScience Strippenkaart Ticket Pass Festival pass offering 3 or 5 film tickets at discounted rates, allowing flexible attendance across festival days with one ticket per screening.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 10,000 visitors per edition
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

25 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Radboud UniversiteitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMain institutional partner and supporter of InScience festival. Radboud University provides support and collaboration for the science film festival.
• HAN (Hogeschool van Arnhem en Nijmegen)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Applied Sciences in Nijmegen that collaborates with InScience as an institutional partner.
• RadboudumccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRadboud university medical center partners with InScience for the science film festival.
• Gemeente NijmegencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe municipality of Nijmegen supports the festival as a key partner, contributing to the cultural and scientific life of the city.
• Provincie GelderlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvince of Gelderland provides regional government support for the festival.
• Noviotech CampuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovation and technology campus in Nijmegen that partners with InScience.
• LUX NijmegenflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMain venue for InScience festival. LUX is the arthouse cinema in Nijmegen that serves as the central location for screenings and festival operations. Also handles ticket sales through their system.
• Het KlokhuiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDutch children's television program that co-organizes the Klokhuis Wetenschapsprijs (Science Award) with InScience.
• OostpactcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for InVision, the industry program of InScience that brings together filmmakers, scientists, and researchers.
• ArtEZ (Academie van Arnhem)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArt academy that collaborated with InScience as a partner institution.
• Max Planck GesellschaftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman research organization that partnered with InScience.
• Donders InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrain, cognition and behaviour research institute affiliated with Radboud University that collaborates with InScience.
• KNAW (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational academy for science and arts that supports InScience as a partner.
• NTR (Dutch public broadcaster)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerDutch public broadcaster that partners with InScience for the NTR Audience Award and related programming.
• SynthonminorOthersPharmaceutical company that sponsored InScience (named the Synthonzaal room).
• Eye FilmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDutch national film museum and archive that is a program partner of InScience.
• Beeld & GeluidcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDutch national media museum that partners with InScience.
• EURASF (European Science Film Foundation)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean foundation that awards the Best European Science Film award at InScience.
• Focus Filmtheater ArnhemminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal cinema in Arnhem for InScience On Tour satellite edition.
• Universiteit MaastrichtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity in Maastricht that hosted InScience satellite edition.
• Erasmus Universiteit RotterdamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity in Rotterdam that hosted InScience satellite edition.
• Universiteit TwentecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity in Twente that hosted InScience satellite edition.
• Bibliotheek Gelderland-ZuidcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic library in Nijmegen that serves as a festival venue for screenings and VR programs.
• MariënburgkapelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric chapel venue in Nijmegen used for festival exhibitions and programs.
• Museum Het ValkhofminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMuseum in Nijmegen that serves as a festival venue.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Science Film Festival: International science film festival organized by the Goethe-Institut with editions across multiple countries. Direct peer because both serve as platform for science documentary films and educational outreach through school and public screenings.
• Festival Pariscience: International science film festival held in Paris by the Association Science Télévision & Communication. Direct peer because both curate science documentary films and host filmmaker/scientist discussions at a comparable annual scale.
• Imagine Science Film Festival: New York-based science film festival combining screenings with scientific talks and experiments. Direct peer because both are dedicated science film festivals with parallel curatorial and educational missions serving filmmakers, scientists, and general audiences.

Broad incumbents

• IDFA (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam): Leading global documentary film festival based in the Netherlands. Comparable as a Dutch documentary festival competing for science documentary premieres and audience, but operates at much larger scale and broader thematic scope than InScience.
• Sheffield DocFest: Major UK documentary and factual film festival with industry and public programs. Comparable as a documentary festival featuring science programming and a market/industry component analogous to InScience's InVision.
• Hot Docs: Toronto-based documentary film festival with a large industry market and educational programs. Comparable as a documentary festival offering science strands and educational outreach, though at significantly larger scale.
• CPH:DOX: Copenhagen-based documentary film festival with a science and technology programming strand. Comparable as a European documentary festival curating science films, though broader in scope and significantly larger in audience scale.

Others

• European Science Engagement Association (EUSEA): European network of science engagement organizations including science festivals and science communication events. Comparable as a peer in the science-communication ecosystem that connects universities, museums, and festivals similar to InScience.
• LUX Nijmegen: Arthouse cinema and cultural venue in Nijmegen that serves as InScience's flagship venue and ticketing partner. Comparable because it screens curated film programs including documentaries to cultural audiences in the same Dutch market.
• EYE Film Museum: Dutch national film museum focused on film heritage and exhibition. Listed as a flagship program partner of InScience; comparable because it is a Dutch institution curating science/cultural film and serves a similar mission-oriented audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/insciencefilm
• Facebookfacebook.com/insciencefilm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/inscience-international-science-film-festival-nijmegen
• Instagraminstagram.com/insciencefilmfestival

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about InScience - International Science Film Festival Nijmegen