Universiteit Maastricht

Research

Research in one of the labs of the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience (FPN) of Maastricht University (UM)

In line with Maastricht University’s strategic programme, FPN’s research has a limited number of main aims, represented in its four departments: Clinical Psychological Science, Cognitive Neuroscience, Work and Social Psychology and Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology. Together, these departments constitute FPN's research institute. In addition, they participate in the research schools F.C. Donders/NICI, Euron, Psychology & Health/EPOS and EPP.

In 2010, FPN awarded 10 doctoral degrees (2009: 19); for the group appointed as PhD candidates (previously AIO/OIO) the average length of the PhD project was 3.7 years (2009: 4.5). The FPN expects the number of doctoral degrees to moderately grow in the coming years; on 31 December 2010, it employed 80 PhD candidates (2009: 70) as well as several funded by external parties.


Grants
In 2010, the FPN received 3 Veni grants (2009: 2). Eight PhD projects received grants in the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research’s (NWO) and the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development’s (ZonMw) other competition rounds (2009: 5). The FPN also received a MaGW middle-sized equipment grant for the Virtual Reality Lab. The total of received grants is €3,000,000 from NWO grants (same as 2009). Six EU, charity and industry grants worth approximately €2,000,000 were acquired (2009: 7 grants worth approximately €1,750,000). The first ERC starting grant worth €1,300,000 was also acquired.


Brains Unlimited

The acquirement of three fMRI-scanners with ultra high magnetic fields of, respectively 3.0, 7.0 and 9.4 Tesla is central to the project Brains Unlimited. The machines, which are manufactured by Siemens, will be connected and integrated in the specially built scanner laboratory on the Maastricht Health Campus. These buildings will also facilitate spin-off companies (Neuropartner Incubator) and the new FPN building. The first scanners will arrive in March 2012. The total cost of the project exceeds 40 million Euros. Parallel to the research of Brains Unlimited new profession-orientated education, fulltime and part-time master’s programmes in the area of neurofysica and neuro-imaging, will be developed. These programmes are focused on professionals in the industry, small and medium-sized Enterprises and the healthcare services.


Research strategy
With regard to faculty research strategy, three important efforts were continued in 2010:

  1. the development of the M-Bic Graduate School
  2. the further elaboration of the Brains Unlimited project, i.e. the intended investments in FPN’s neuroimaging facilities
  3. The continuation of TMFI, so that the growth and use of forensic psychological research is secured