Research and campus initiatives
At Maastricht University (UM), we are continually working to further strengthen our position as a research university. To this end, collaboration between the government, business sector and knowledge institutions in the region is crucial. This is what we call the ‘triple helix’ formula. Such partnerships also help to shape our major campus initiatives:
- the Chemelot Campus in Sittard-Geleen, an open innovation campus specialising in chemistry and materials
- the Maastricht Health Campus in Maastricht-Randwyck, focusing on health and wellbeing. Brains Unlimited is one of the first concrete projects on this campus.
With these campus initiatives, UM is hoping to enhance its international appeal for top scientific talent, and foster additional opportunities for research funding. This will serve to further anchor the university in the regional economy.
Community
In both initiatives, students, researchers and entrepreneurs work together in a community, the optimal climate for knowledge exchange and knowledge transfer. This helps us to rapidly translate research results into patents and products. Further, clustering all activities on a single campus serves to increase their international visibility.
Programmes
These projects are also linked to new educational initiatives at the bachelor’s, master’s and PhD levels. The most tangible of these at present is the Maastricht Science Programme, a bachelor’s programme launched in September 2011. This programme allows students with broad interests in the sciences to compose their own natural sciences curriculum that suits them and is well geared towards a follow-up programme.
Limburg Economic Development (LED)
Maastricht University works on the campus initiatives together with the government, industry and other educational institutions. This is done within the Limburg Economic Development (LED) partnership, which serves to carry out the Brainport2020 programme in South Limburg.
