News

The topic of cross-border cooperation plays only a modest role in the party manifestos for the upcoming provincial elections, even in border provinces. This is one of the findings of a thematic analysis by researchers from ITEM, Maastricht University’s transnational expertise centre.

Sabine van Rijt, principal investigator at Maastricht University’s MERLN Institute, has received a prestigious European grant of two million euros for her research project Nano4Bone. The ERC Consolidator Grant has a term of five years.

Scientists from Maastricht University (UM) and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) have for the first time systematically investigated what psychotropic medications are present in surface water in the Netherlands. In particular, the concentrations of the drugs oxazepam and carbamazepine appear to be so high that they could present a risk to aquatic life.

Four Maastricht research teams are starting their projects funded with money from the Open Competition of grant provider ZonMw. In addition, a Nijmegen research team has been awarded, which includes Harro van Lente, professor of Science and Technology Studies at Maastricht University (UM).

Scientists Daniel Keszthelyi and Anna Beckers from Maastricht University (UM) are to receive a prestigious European grant for early career researchers: the Starting Grant from the European Research Council (ERC).

Due to the Western lifestyle with a high fat diet combined with little exercise, more and more people in the Netherlands are overweight or even obese. This causes an increased risk of type II diabetes. What can be done about this besides a healthier lifestyle? The answer comes from an unexpected source: shivering from the cold!

The affordability of cigarettes in the Netherlands remained virtually unchanged between 2010 and 2020. This has emerged from research by Maastricht University (UM), and makes it clear that the excise duty increases have been insufficient to make smoking less affordable.

Survivors of colon cancer often have symptoms associated with the cancer or treatment for years after treatment, such as fatigue and tingling in fingers and feet. This has a great impact on the perceived quality of life. Whereas current lifestyle advice is mainly aimed at prevention of (colon) cancer, Marlou-Floor Kenkhuis studied in her PhD the relationship between lifestyle with quality of life and fatigue in colon cancer survivors.

Once again this year, the annual report of the Institute for Transnational and Euregional cross border cooperation and Mobility / ITEM offers new insights into the effects on border regions of European and national legislation and policy initiatives. The 2022 Border Impact Report is intended to be a valuable tool for policy makers at regional, national and European level to identify the effects on the border region and cross-border cooperation.

A lack of coordinated arrangements between neighbouring countries is making it extremely difficult to realise a successful energy transition in the German-Dutch border regions. These are the findings of the annual Cross-border Impact Assessment by the ITEM expertise centre (part of Maastricht University).