Universities in Climate Transition
To mark the 50th Dies Natalis, UM is organising an exciting panel discussion entitled ‘Universities in Climate Transition’ on Thursday, 22 January. Two honorary doctorate recipients of the Dies Natalis will be joining the discussion: Roger Cox and Peter Stenvinkel. Together with former EU Secretary Frans Timmermans and two representatives from the UM community, they will discuss the role of universities in the transition to a sustainable and just society.
During this event, we would like to reflect together on the social responsibility of universities and the associated international perspectives. We will zoom in on themes such as climate, justice and planetary health. We want to inspire staff and students and engage in a dialogue about how we, as a university, can increase our impact.
Registrations for this event are closed. We have reached the maximum capacity for this venue.
📅 Date: 22 january 2026
🕒 Time: 16:30 - 17:45
📍 Location: Faculty of Law, Statenzaal
✨ Audience: UM staff and students
Upon entrance show your UM-card
The dialogue will be in English.
The event will be recorded and shared afterwards.
Panellists:
- Roger Cox – Attorney, climate change litigator, author Revolution Justified and founder of the Planet Prosperity Foundation. Recipient of the honorary doctorate of the Faculty of Law at the Dies Natalis.
- Peter Stenvinkel – Professor of nephrology at the Karolinska Institutet. Expert in the field of planetary health and climate. Recipient of the honorary doctorate of the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences at the Dies Natalis.
- Frans Timmermans – Former leader of GroenLinks-PvdA, diplomat and former First Vice-President of the European Commission (European Green Deal)
- Two representatives of the UM community
The programme consists of short opening statements, a moderated panel discussion centred on key questions about the role of universities in sustainability, health and social justice and a Q&A with the audience. The panel discussion will be moderated by Jan Smits, Dean of the Faculty of Law, and Annemie Schols, Dean of the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences.
With this internal event, we aim as Maastricht University to deepen the conversation about our shared responsibility and the steps needed to accelerate our sustainability ambitions in the coming years.
This event is organised by the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences in cooperation with the UM Sustainability Office.
Want to know more about UM's sustainability efforts? Visit the UM sustainability webpage.