Number of Eurekaweek participants drops further, team looks ahead with confidence

3,200 students will register at Ahoy this Sunday to take part in Eurekaweek 2026. That is 500 students down from last year, but assistant project leader Dayna Naujoks and the organising team are nevertheless in a good mood looking ahead to the opening with confidence.

The dark corridors of the P-building are largely quiet today, except for the Eurekaweek management office. Activity is buzzing at every desk.Assistant project leader Dayna Naujoks seems relaxed however. “The preparations are going well”, she says. “The management assistants are taking a lot of work off our hands.” Since June, the team has had ten assistants who take on many practical tasks. “Of course, it is a bit of a final sprint.”

Forklift certificate

The finishing touches mainly involve ‘small changes to the schedule and packing crates’, Naujoks says. “They are the kind of tasks you don’t really think about beforehand. You spend the whole year discussing things and then suddenly you have to get practical.” 

The medical student could never have imagined that she would one day obtain a forklift certificate. “I am responsible for logistics, so it makes sense that I did it – together with two others. There I was, wearing my overalls and safety helmet, among men who do this every day and had come for a refresher.” Despite her lack of experience, she turned out to have a natural aptitude for it, and she will be moving plenty of equipment around Ahoy with her forklift.

Not sold out

The number of students in the Netherlands is falling, as is interest in introduction weeks. The Eurekaweek has not escaped this trend. Whereas 4,500 students took part in Rotterdam in 2021, this year the maximum was set at 3,700 – the same number as last year’s participants.

That target was not reached. “We have 3,200 registrations. We did receive a lot of calls from students this week who still wanted to take part, but unfortunately that really is no longer possible. The groups have already been allocated”, Naujoks says. That means 500 fewer registration fees than expected, but according to the assistant project leader ‘it should be all right’. “We had already anticipated that we would not reach the same number as last year. But there is now a bit of a gap in the budget, that is true.”

Finding crew members has also become more difficult in recent years. Last year, the Eurekaweek began offering volunteers a small bonus: 20 euros or free food and drinks at Erasmus Sport. This year, crew members will receive a shirt, a sweater and a thank-you gift. The management hoped to find seventy crew members. At first, it looked as though they had succeeded. “We had 74 applications, but what we saw last year was that people still dropped out during the week. So we have now called and messaged everyone to ask whether they are really ready for it. Afterwards, we were left with 46. That was a bit disappointing, but it is really nice to know that you can rely on these people.”

True-crime series

Naujoks is not the type to get stressed by little bumps in the road. “I am simply incredibly excited, I really cannot wait for it to start.” The whole team understands that there also needs to be time to relax during the preparations. “For example, we regularly watch Netflix together and hang out on the sofa.” The team has just finished watching the new true-crime series One Night in Idaho and they’ve gone bowling together. Naujoks tries to stay well rested by going to bed on time every evening. “I aim for 10pm, but usually it ends up being 11pm”, she admits about her ‘rock-n-roll’ lifestyle.

What will be the most nerve-racking moment for her? “The opening, definitely. So much happens at once and it has all only just begun.”  She will also have to give a speech as the face of the Eurekaweek team in front of a packed hall at Ahoy. “I am normally always incredibly nervous before presentations, but as soon as you start, it actually disappears completely. In any case, I am too busy to stress about it now”, she laughs.

Starting on Sunday

The Eurekaweek begins on Sunday with participant registration at the Theil Building. Monday will feature the opening ceremony, campus day and the Maassilo Shuffle. Tuesday is dedicated to sport, followed in the evening by the cantus and the comedy club. The week concludes on Wednesday with Rotterdam Mosaic and the festival at Lloyd Multiplein.