UM International Staff Week 2026
In the context of its 50th anniversary, UM is organising an international staff week. From 9 to 11 June 2026, UM’s global partners are invited to come to Maastricht and exchange ideas during an attractive programme.
The purposes of this staff week are to:
- enable key internationalisation staff to exchange knowledge on a wide range of developments and strategic issues in internationalisation policy
- inspire and equip participants with strategies and tools to implement and/or optimise their internationalisation policies
- stimulate networking among key internationalisation staff, with the objective to foster relations between the participating universities
Quickly to:
Programme
Practical information
Meet the speakers
Programme
Deep-dive into problem-based learning & educational innovation
Location: EDLAB
Address: St. Hubertuslaan 12
Tapijnkazerne 23, Building X
| Time | Activity | Speaker/facilitator |
| 09:00 - 09:30 | Walk-in with coffee | |
| 09:30 - 10:00 | Introduction to EDLAB institute for educational innovation | Dr. Ellen Bastiaens |
| 10:00 - 11:30 | Workshop: An introduction to Problem-based learning (PBL) | Ms. Annechien Deelman |
| 11:30 - 12:30 | Presentation: Reforming academic curricula – the case of the new bachelor’s programme in Psychology | Dr. Herco Fonteijn |
| 12:30 - 14:00 | Tour of Maastricht’s European history Followed by lunch | Dr. Bart Stol |
| 14:00 - 15:30 | World café: Designing effective partnerships | Mr. Jan Hupkens, Dr. Rosa Becker, Ms. Maud Dassen, Ms. Magdalena Kohl |
| 15:30 - 16:30 | Innovating European education: Lessons from Europe’s top-scoring European University alliance YUFE | Ms. Ebru İşgüzarer-Önder |
| and | Quality assurance in European higher education, the case of CeQuInt | Dr. Rosa Becker |
| 16:30 - 18:00 | Coffee break with joint reflections, followed by an informal Erasmus+ gathering hosted by the UM Erasmus+ Office at the Student Services Centre | |
| 18:00 - 20:00 | Dinner at restaurant “Le Petit Bonheur” |
The university and the community
Location: Studio Europa Maastricht
Address: Onze Lieve Vrouweplein 22a
| Time | Activity | Speaker/facilitator |
| 09:00 - 09:30 | Walk-in with coffee | |
| 09:30 - 09:45 | Welcome to Studio Europa Maastricht | Mr. Valentino Vondenhoff |
| 09:45 - 11:30 | Connecting research, public debate, and policy | Mr. Valentino Vondenhoff |
| 11:30 - 12:45 | Roundtable: Research funding strategy: the role of the Research Support Office | Dr. Eva Rijkers |
| 12:45 - 13:30 | Visit to the ET Pathfinder research infrastructure | |
| 13:30 - 14:30 | Presentation on the Faculty of Science & Engineering Followed by networking lunch | Dean prof. Thomas Cleij |
| 14:30 - 15:30 | Closure of the International Staff Week, followed by a certificate ceremony & joint reflection | Dr. Gonny Willems |
| After 14.30 | Departures or faculty visits |
Practical information
How to apply
You can register for the UM International Staff Week by completing this form. The application deadline is 1 February 2026.
After the deadline, you will receive an e-mail with further information and a payment request. The payment must be made within one week to secure your attendance.
Investment
Participation in the UM International Staff Week costs € 350,- per participant.
Members of UM partner networks YERUN, WUN and YUFE receive a discount of 25%.
Please note: travel and accommodation expenses are not included. Participants are responsible for arranging and financing their own travel to Maastricht and their accommodation.
It is possible to use your Erasmus+ budget for accommodation and travel expenses.
Conference venues
The programme will take place in various UM locations. The venues will be in one of our university premises in the city centre:
UM Executive Building
Minderbroedersberg 4-6
EDLAB
St. Hubertuslaan 12, Tapijnkazerne 23, Building X
Studio Europa Maastricht
Onze Lieve Vrouweplein 22a
Any hotel in and around the city centre will be at walking distance from this venue. Those who will find accommodation in the outer parts of the city can reach us by city bus.
How to get to Maastricht
- By plane: you can fly to Amsterdam (Schiphol) or Eindhoven. Both cities have a direct train connection with Maastricht.
- But you could also fly to the airports of our neighboring countries. Most are closer to Maastricht than Amsterdam. If you would choose to fly to Düsseldorf or Cologne in Germany, then you can reach Maastricht by train via Aachen. If you would fly in through Brussels Zaventem or Charleroi (‘Brussels South’), then you can reach Maastricht by train via Liège.
- By train (see above). Our national railway company (NS) offers an english version of their route planner https://www.ns.nl/en/journeyplanner#/ .
- By bus. Maastricht is reachable with the Flixbus network.
- By car. Please take into account that you will have to pay for parking your car. Maastricht is a relatively small historical city with limited space. Free parking in or close to the city centre is almost impossible.
If you have any questions about travelling do not hesitate to contact us at isw@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
Where to stay in Maastricht
Maastricht has for years been welcoming many visitors, so you will have a wide choice of hotels and hostels. Since budgets and preferences of people differ, and since many participants are used to make bookings themselves, we have not made any agreements with hotels for our event.
But of course we can always advise you or answer your questions. Also in this case do not hesitate to contact us at isw@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
About Maastricht
Maastricht is a beautiful city with a history that dates back to the roman times. Its historical center offers beautiful little streets, monuments and ample restaurants that are waiting to be discovered. Maastricht is located in the most southern part of the Netherlands countryside and is surrounded by Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia) and Germany. See the following pages if you want to learn more about our city:
Meet the speakers
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