Maastricht University
@maastrichtu
Maastricht University (UM) is the youngest and most international university in the Netherlands that stands out for its global outlook, innovative education model and multidisciplinary approach to research and education.
New funding for YUFEPULSE 🎉 The European Commission has approved YUFE’s next two-year phase. It will expand learning and mobility opportunities, strengthen cooperation across ten universities and deepen regional partnerships. More here: edu.nl/47uvv
Is Europe facing a migration crisis—or a governance crisis? In this interview by @studioeuropa.bsky.social, UM Professor Lilian Tsourdi asks whether the new EU Pact can create lasting solidarity or whether national interests will undermine it. 👉 edu.nl/d7dvu
By day, Jolijn studies medicine. By night, she sings and dances on stage. How does she combine both—and should artistic talent receive more support? Read more: edu.nl/kgyw4 #MaastrichtUniversity #StudentLife
How do you bring Problem-Based Learning to life beyond the classroom? From student ThinkTanks to honours programmes, this #UM50 story shows how Maastricht University's educational philosophy continues to evolve through real-world learning. um50.maastrichtuniversity.nl/en/stories/p...
How wild can animals still be when humans breed, relocate, monitor and protect them? Professor Raf de Bont explores the changing role of zoos—and why protecting distant tigers often feels easier than living alongside wolves closer to home. Read the full interview: edu.nl/xfx48
Osteoarthritis is more than “wear and tear”. Prof. Tim Welting explores how molecular cartilage research could slow the disease, improve diagnostics and help patients keep their natural joints longer. Discover how cells, drugs and animal-free models may shape future care: edu.nl/fhn7g
Can improvisation help you become a better psychologist? Student Bella Geraerds thinks so. She and Professor Anique de Bruin compare studying psychology at UM in 1995 and today—from PBL and less cramming to research that can help families. What has changed, and what still works? edu.nl/9aypu #UM50
An old newspaper office testing technology for an underground observatory. Students living above a lecture hall in a former arsenal. A greenhouse researching the future of food. Explore the places that tell FSE’s story: edu.nl/pmyxw #UM50
Tumour cells deprived of oxygen are often harder to treat. Prof. Kasper Rouschop studies how they survive, communicate and spread—and how to block those mechanisms. “If we can prevent metastasis thanks to the antibodies, we will have a huge impact.” Read more: edu.nl/cqacq #CancerResearch #Oncology
What stories are hidden behind UM’s buildings? The 4 km self-guided Maastricht University Tour takes you past 13 distinctive city-centre buildings. Scan the QR codes to discover their history, architecture and role in the university—and see Maastricht through new eyes.🚶More info: edu.nl/vd4cm #UM50
Ten years ago, the Living Lab Rehabilitation set out to bring research, education and clinical practice closer together. Today, its partnerships are improving rehabilitation care across the south of the Netherlands—while helping people regain control of their lives again. Read more: edu.nl/63n73
Can arts and crafts reshape medicine? Professor Anna Harris studies how craft, materials and unconventional thinking can make healthcare more creative, sustainable and humane—from knitted organs to improvised hospital equipment. 🧶 edu.nl/nc7rd
Ten years after Brexit, Europe still defines British politics today. Michael Shackleton, Emeritus Professor of European Institutions at UM, explains why closer EU–UK ties look likely, while rejoining remains distant. Has Brexit changed Britain for good? 🔗 edu.nl/wyg6u
When Denise Villerius joined UM, timetables were still drawn up in pencil. 26 years later, she looks back on KidzCollege, international students, colleagues and a career spent across almost every corner of the university. One thing won’t change: she may still drop by for coffee: edu.nl/rr6pe #UM50
In wartime Russia, doctors and volunteers use digital networks to help Ukrainian refugees—and challenge the state’s actions. Olga Zvonareva’s research asks a difficult EU question: how do we regulate platforms without weakening the spaces that enable solidarity and civic resistance? 🔗 edu.nl/a4g43
What if your student room was literally above your lecture hall? For Gema, who moved from South Africa to study at University College Venlo, student life means small groups, new friends, river walks and the occasional 15-minute bed-to-classroom commute. Read her UM50 story: edu.nl/7br7p #UM50
Hylke Dijkstra will become UM Europe Chair at Studio Europa Maastricht on 1 September 2026. His task: connect UM’s Europe-related research more strongly with policy, public debate and the transitions facing Europe. Quite fitting, in the city where Europe is never far away. Read more: edu.nl/r7t4x
Pupils already use AI for their homework. The challenge is making sure it helps them learn, not replaces the learning. A new UM project brings parents, teachers and pupils together to create practical materials for responsible AI use at school and at home. Read more: edu.nl/dnkd7 #AI #Education
UM’s International Staff Week has started 🎓 As part of #UM50, Maastricht University welcomes 25+ colleagues from 17 countries to swap ideas on internationalisation policy, strategy and the future of global higher education. Curious what’s on the agenda and why it matters? 👉 edu.nl/apr7b
Epidemiology at UM turns 50, and the field is anything but ageing quietly. From bowel cancer recovery to working with chronic illness, Professors Matty Weijenberg and IJmert Kant show why population health research matters more than ever. 🔎 Read more: edu.nl/njh7a #Epidemiology #PublicHealth
Then and now: Health Sciences In this #UM50 story, we look back at one of the first Health Sciences students and forward with a current student finding her own path. 50 years apart, Henk and Renske show how UM keeps changing with healthcare itself. 👉 edu.nl/j7vrq
Group 8 in trauma care? Absolutely. 🦴🚑 During KidzCollege Brokkenboel, pupils discovered what happens after serious injuries: from fractures and plaster casts to the ED, OR, trauma team and ambulance care. Lots of questions, lots of curiosity — maybe even a few future healthcare professionals.
60 years ago, the University Fund Limburg helped turn a regional ambition into what would become Maastricht University. Today, UFL still connects knowledge, society and Limburg’s future — from research support to scholarships and partnerships. Read the story 👉 edu.nl/bgmww #UM50
Open Science is not just for researchers. As UM’s Dennie Hebels says, it’s also “for your neighbour and your grandma” — because public money helps fund research. UM will sign the Barcelona Declaration to support more open, findable and reusable research information. More info: edu.nl/mpkff
What do students, staff and alumni love about UM? In the fifth episode of UM by Bike, student reporter Caroline Guidi cycles through Maastricht during the UM50 celebrations to ask just that. A community view of three festive anniversary days 🚲 Watch the video 👇 #UM50
How do you keep science open when geopolitics gets messy? UM researchers Hylke Dijkstra and Mariëlle Wijermars will lead a €6.6m NWO project on knowledge security, looking at how the Dutch knowledge sector can stay international, trusted and resilient. Read more 👉 edu.nl/pg88c