| Maastricht University

Let's talk... about How Social Media Shapes our Views on Masculinity and Femininity

Knowledge session
Lecture

18 May 2026 20:00

Studium Generale | Talk Show

A license is required for each individual study. In addition to a scientific assessment, every research application must include an ethical assessment which examines whether the potential burden on the animals outweighs the expected results of the research. Multiple parties are involved in the process of applying for this license, so that all considerations are weighed carefully.

For each study involving animal testing, a research proposal that must meet a number of conditions is required to be submitted by the researcher(s). The researcher must explain why the research cannot be conducted using an alternative method (replacement) or fewer animals (reduction), as well as how the distress of the animals is minimized (refinement).

The Animal Welfare Body (IvD) helps the researcher with the license application. This application is submitted to the Animal Ethics Committee (DEC). The DEC assesses the application for ethical and scientific aspects and provides advice to the Central Authority for Scientific Procedures on Animals (CCD): the governmental organisation that has exclusive authorisation to grant licenses for animal testing in the Netherlands. The CCD then grants the license or rejects the application. After approval of the test application, the experiments are supervised and monitored by the IvD to ensure compliance with the approved procedures and specifications.

A non-technical summary (NTS) must accompany every license application for a study that involves animal testing. This contains the objectives of the study, a substantiation of the use of animals, and the expected negative consequences for the welfare of the animals, including the application of the 3 Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement). The NTS must be written in layman's terms so that it can be read by a wide audience. The Central Authority for Scientific Procedures on Animals (CCD) publishes this summary without attributing the name(s) of the applicant(s). This way, the use of animal testing in the Netherlands is made transparent without violating intellectual property rights or privacy.

There are strict laws and regulations regarding animal testing. In the European Union, the use of animals for scientific research is only permitted if there is no other option. Moreover, there is a European directive with rules to protect laboratory animals in Europe, which all member states of the European Union must incorporate into their national laws and regulations. In the Netherlands, this is the Animal Testing Act (Wod, 2014); the Animal Testing Resolution; and the Animal Testing Regulation.

Only institutions with a license are allowed to conduct animal testing. In the Netherlands, these are primarily universities and other research centres. Maastricht University (UM) complies with the Animal Testing Act and follows the Code of Conduct of the Central Authority for Scientific Procedures on Animals (CCD), as well as the Code of Transparency in Animal Testing (COD). This code has been drawn up to give concrete guidelines for addressing the widely held view in society that transparency regarding animal testing is desirable and necessary.

UM account? Then you can rapidly go online.

Connect to the WiFi network “UMnet”
Login:
- student: i<student number>@unimaas.nl
- employee: <account name>@unimaas.nl
Accept the certificate when asked.
You are now online.

No "UMnet" visible?

When you cannot find the network called "UMnet" you can also use the "Eduroam" network. Simply replace the network name in step one from “UMnet” to “Eduroam”. The rest of the steps remain unchanged.

A guest at UM?

Guest at UM? Ask your host for "Eduroam visitor access", also known as "eVA".
Or if your own organisation also uses Eduroam you can use your personal account.

Problem-Based Learning meets AI in the classroom

Marc Becker is investigating how the success of AI depends on its social skills, given that AI is increasingly beginning to function as our colleagues, managers, leaders, and even teachers. Among other things, his research explores how AI can support students’ learning process.

SHIFT: Studying Hourly Influences and Fluctuations at Work over Time

Purpose

With this study, we hope to better understand how potentially stressful experiences at work change throughout the day.

What will we ask of you?

Download the Avicenna app, turn on notifications and fill out a 10-minute intake survey
Fill out 4 short, 1-3 minute surveys per day for 10 working days
Finish the surveys with one last follow-up survey a week after your last daily entry

Why does this matter?

You are contributing to research that reflects real life, not just lab data
You’ll have a chance to reflect on your own experiences at work
Most stressful situations have immediate effects, and we want to uncover how this happens hour by hour. Having full daily measures would advance our understanding greatly.

What’s in it for you?

Based on your participation, you have a chance to enter a raffle:
- Complete more than 50% of the surveys (5 days) to enter a draw for one of 10 prizes of €50
- Complete at least 80% of the surveys (8 days) to enter a draw for one of 10 prizes of €100
Your contribution will also help Master’s students in completing their degree

Sign up

Thank you for taking the time to consider participating in our research. We are very grateful for your contribution. You can sign up via the green button. If you run into any issues or have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us via: fpn-shiftstudy@maastrichtuniversity.nl

Frequently asked questions

How do I download the app?

You can search the Avicenna app using Google Play or the App Store. Please fill in this code to get into the study: 5254

Once you have the app, please make sure that your notifications are turned on!

What can I do if I do not get notifications?

Turn off your device’s [Do Not Disturb] or [Focus Mode] (either fully or for the Avicenna app).
Verify app-specific notification settings:
- On Android:
  - Go to Settings > Apps > Avicenna > Notifications.
  - Ensure vibration and sound are enabled for the app’s notification channels.
  - Ensure [Survey-related notifications] and [Study-related notifications] channels are set to alert with sound/vibration.
- On iOS:
  - Go to Settings > Notifications > Avicenna.
  - Ensure [Sounds] and [Vibrations] are turned on.
  - Ensure the notification style is set to [Banners] or [Alerts].

How do I know if I’m eligible to participate?

You can take part in this study if you’re 16 years or older. You further need to work at least 30 hours a week, including at least three full days (8-hour workdays). This is important because experiences across full workdays are especially interesting to us. Finally, you should not work in shifts, but have regular working hours.

What kind of insights come out of this?

We want to understand how specific emotions and stressors change during the day, how they are connected. We also want to learn what drives individual differences.

Will this interrupt my work?

The surveys are designed to be as short as possible, making sure that they interrupt your work as little as possible. Each of the daily surveys will take around 1-3 minutes to complete, totalling approximately 4-12 minutes per day.

You will have a 30-minute window to answer each survey, and we will send a reminder 15 minutes after the first notification.

How often will I be notified?

You can indicate when your work starts, and we will notify you every 2 hours. For example, if you indicated that your work starts at 8 a.m., you will get your first notification at 10 a.m., the second at 12 a.m., the third at 14 a.m. and the last at 16 a.m.

What if I’m on vacation during the study?

Please choose two weeks when you are working your regular working hours, to have a clear picture of your work stressors.

What if I forget responses?

We are especially interested in the hour-to-hour effects, therefore, we would really aprreciate if you could fill out as many full days as possible. However, we know that the study can be intense. Please feel free to continue all the surveys, even if you missed one, as every data point is very valuable to us.

You will have a 30-minute window to answer each survey, and we will send a reminder 15 minutes after the first notification.

Where is my data stored?

We will store your anonymous research data on private university servers, and it cannot be traced back to you.

What happens to my data?

Privacy:

Personal Data and Research Data will be kept confidential. The following data are involved: email address, age, gender, information on work-related experiences (e.g., time pressure) and personality traits, health-related data (e.g. exhaustion), for Dutch participants: date of birth, name, address and email address. Research data may be published and reused in other studies but only in such a way that they cannot be traced back to you.

Personal information (email address, for Dutch participants: date of birth, name, address and email address) will be stored separately from research data, only temporarily, and will be deleted after selecting the winners.

Research data may be published and reused in other studies but only in such a way that they cannot be traced back to you.

Privacy Statement:

You can withdraw your consent to the use of your personal data at any time. In that case, they will be deleted if possible. For more information about privacy, consult the responsible researcher (see below), the website (www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/fpn/ercpn) under Additional information), or the Data Protection Officer of Maastricht University at FG@Maastrichtuniversity.nl.