| Maastricht University

A required part of the NVAO accreditation process is a so-called development dialogue with the assessment panel. During this meeting potential improvements will be discussed from a development perspective. The results of these discussions will be reported on this webpage. The outcomes of the development dialogue are not part of the application for accreditation.

On Thursday 6 February, hundreds of Maastricht University alumni joined the sixth edition of the UM Star Lectures. This lecture series took place in 14 different cities in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom and France.

For graduates of Maastricht University

Promotion video 2020

UM actively wants to contribute to the transition to a circular economy. During the past years, action has already been taken to reduce the amount of waste and to separate waste flows. In the coming years, efforts will be intensified to further reduce the use of primary resources and the CO₂ footprint of UM.

Goal: 55% of collected waste is recycled by 2026

In 2021, UM and MUMC+ together set up the tender for the waste management service. In preparation for this tender, three students from FASoS and SBE conducted research on different policy options and needs from staff and students. Waste collector PreZero has won the tender. UM and PreZero have agreed on a joint target to ensure that 55% of collected waste is recycled by 2026.

To achieve this goal, a commodity analysis was initiated to identify improvement opportunities. In 2023, the waste bins were equipped with improved information to better facilitate correct waste separation. Furthermore, at the FASoS faculty, a pilot was started to collect organic waste (food waste, such as fruit peels) separately in the office and education areas. In 2024, this will be further implemented in other university buildings.

Workshops for staff

Furthermore, in 2023, workshops were organised with support staff from different units to translate the principles of circularity to their own field of work. At Facility Services, this is perpetuated with a circularity working group to capitalise on opportunities around circular use of furniture and ICT equipment.

Circularity at the Sustainability Hub

At Tapijn, UM established a Sustainability Hub for students and staff. Here, three circulatory rooms are available:

Reroom (Reuse Recycle Repurpose) This room is used for anything that can be "the 3 R's". Here, you can find a sewing machine and materials for sewing, there's reusable paper and plastic and a desk with machinery to upcycle plastic.
Swap room where clothes can be brought in exchange for other clothes.
Library of things is a room with appliances and decorations that people can use and bring back.

Commuting

UM is preparing a new mobility plan aimed at discouraging car use and promoting cycling and public transport. Due to the corona crisis, decision-making has been postponed. In 2022, the plan will be updated based on new insights from COVID-19.

In line with the intention of the new mobility plan, UM has committed itself to the Higher Education Cycling Mission in 2020 which aims that, after COVID-19, UM will have 10% more employees commuting by bicycle. UM encourages the use of bicycles with financial contributions and tax-attractive arrangements. Employees can find more information about the bicycle scheme on UMployee (login required). In addition, UM reimburses the use of public transport, see UMployee.

Employees can make free use of loaner bicycles for transport between the UM locations in Maastricht. On UMployee you can find an overview of the rental bicycles per UM location.

Air traffic

Internationalisation is embedded in the DNA of UM. As a result, air traffic is often unavoidable. The air traffic by UM employees is an important component of UM's CO₂ footprint. Based on the available data, the CO₂ footprint of business air traffic of UM employees pre-corona was estimated at 2.7 kilotons of CO₂ equivalent per year. UM started the campaign 'Take the green seat' in 2021. This focuses on raising awareness, promoting alternatives to air travel and facilitating voluntary compensation through an internal fund. In 2024, the campaign will be evaluated and it will be considered whether additional measures are needed to achieve a significant reduction in CO₂ emissions. Employees can find more information about 'Take the green seat' on UMployee (login required).

Zero Emission City Logistics (ZES)

In 2021, UM signed the Act of Ambition for Zero Emission City Logistics. Thereby, the UM supports the Municipality of Maastricht with the introduction of a Zero Emission zone on 1^stof January, 2025. This means that service providers and suppliers in the city centre may only use zero-emission transport, such as electric cars and bicycles. ZES also stimulates smart solutions that will reduce the number of transport movements. This way, CO₂ emissions are reduced and Maastricht retains a safe, healthy, accessible and attractive city centre as well as economically vital for a future-proof city.

With the Act of Ambition, UM demonstrates the need and urgency to take steps now to be able to introduce a zero-emission zone by 2025. In 2019, UM already switched to an electric vehicle for the department of maintenance and management of Facility Services. A number of service providers and suppliers have also switched to electric transport, including our internal moving service, print service provider, internal mail delivery and coffee supplier.

We set minimum requirements for means of transport through tenders and encourage suppliers to switch to more sustainable transport more quickly. In addition, we expect suppliers to drive energy efficiently. Are you a (potential) supplier or service provider and do you want to make the switch to emission-free logistics? Then visit the following websites for more information about ZES and the new way of driving.

#Posifiets

The Municipality of Maastricht and the organization “Maastricht Bereikbaar” have launched the #Posifiets campaign, which focuses on more frequent and safe cycling and proper bike parking. UM is contributing to the campaign in various ways. Students and employees can give their redundant bicycles a second life by returning them to UM collection points (more information here). UM also deploys bicycle stewards to manage the large flows of bicycle traffic at the university, to ensure that bicycles are properly parked and thus the university and its neighbors remain easily accessible. Together with partners, UM organizes annual bicycle repair days and bicycle lighting campaigns for employees and students. UM also draws attention to #Posifiets at open days and events and through internal communication channels.

Watch the #posifiets video

Maastricht University expects from its suppliers that they actively pursue sustainability in their business. In each tender UM applies at minimum the requirements for Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) by PIANOo. The requirements relate to environmental and social aspects in contracts. By using award criteria, UM motivates bidders to go beyond the sectors’ standards and to give progressive companies more chance to win the tender. PIANOo has not defined requirements for all products and services. In these cases, UM develops suitable requirements and award criteria that relate to opportunities for improvement of the requested products and services.

In order to work and study hard, you need good nutrition. At UM, various services and facilities are available for food and beverages. These include two cafeterias, several catering outlets, meeting and event services, and coffee and snack vending machines. All of these facilities are provided by Facility Services in cooperation with external service providers.

The transition from animal to plant-based protein

The production of animal food products, such as meat and dairy, releases high levels of CO2, methane and nitrous oxide, all of which contribute to global warming. Promoting a plant-based diet is critical to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combating climate change.
UM's caterer, Eurest, supports the protein transition by continually expanding and improving its offerings of plant-based alternatives. Eurest contributes to awareness and behavioral change through promotions and campaigns, such as participation in the National Week Without Meat. Nudging also drives more plant-based choices: in the ordering system for meeting lunches, the plant-based option is presented first. At the Randwyck campus, Eurest also collaborates with students and employees of the faculties of FHML and FPN, such as the student group HUMMUS.
Monitoring data* from Eurest show that at UM the animal/plant protein ratio has been around 25%/75% in recent years. The Dutch Health Council concludes that the shift to a diet with 60% vegetable and 40% animal protein is generally good for health. In the coming years, UM, together with the caterer, will therefore take additional measures to accelerate the transition to a diet with more vegetables and less animal proteins.

*Click here to download the monitoring data of the caterer Eurest 'CO₂emissions food and beverage 2022 UM' (Pdf in Dutch).

Less food waste

Food waste accounts for about 16% of total greenhouse gas emissions from the EU food system (see research). The main caterer takes several measures to reduce food waste. A lot of cooking is done with fresh produce, but it often has a shorter shelf life. Through clever combinations of ingredients for lunches and meals, there are fewer leftovers at the end of the day.
Through the Too Good To Go app, tasty and good products are offered at the end of the day in a Magic Box at a reduced rate. In the coming period, Eurest will start working with Winnow's food monitors. By monitoring waste in kitchens, kitchen staff will be made aware and opportunities can be exploited for smart solutions to reduce waste.

WELL-Building at Tapijn

When redeveloping the Tapijnkazerne, UM chose to apply the WELL Building sustainability guideline. This also includes requirements for the supply of food and beverages. For example, there is more supply of fruits and vegetables and less sugary products, such as sweet soft drinks.

Bring your own cup at UM

As of July 1, 2023, disposable cups are no longer offered at Maastricht University. This means that when visiting UM, you will have to bring your own cup or get the Billie Cup from one of Eurest's catering locations.

Bring your own favorite mug for your desk or bring a reusable cup that's light to carry. Faculties and service centres can decide for themselves how they want to apply the SUP directive. At most faculties and service centres, there's a small kitchenette where you can find mugs. If this is not the case, check with your own unit’s building manager to see if there is an alternative.

When you order a drink at Eurest Campus catering locations, you can receive your order in a Billie Cup by paying a deposit of 1 euro. If you return the Billie Cup, you will receive a 1-euro discount on your next purchase at Eurest Campus or you will receive a coin for a new Billie Cup. If your Billie Cup needs replacing, you can just exchange it for a new one. Take note: You can buy an additional lid for the Billie cup for 1 euro as well, but these are not refundable (due to hygiene reasons).

On UMployee (UM intranet for staff) you can find a page with frequently asked questions and answers. If your question is not listed, please forward it on to Facility Services.

Coffee Machines

In 2020, the procurement of hot drinks (vending machines) took place. Again, the requirements for sustainable procurement (PIANOo) were followed, including exclusion of plastic coffee cups, minimum requirements for energy efficiency and sustainability requirements for coffee, tea and cocoa. In addition, tenderers were scored on circularity (revisable and recyclable equipment), CO2 footprint (including sustainable logistics), social return (deployment of employees with a distance to the labor market) and sustainable logistics. Furthermore, the vending machines are overhauled as much as possible after the contract period. Equipment that cannot be reconditioned is recycled, with 94% of the materials being suitable for recycling. The coffee has the Rainforest Alliance label and the cocoa has the Fairtrade label. The new supplier further offers carbon-neutral coffee through offset projects "improved wood furnaces in Uganda. Through Made Blue's "1 liter for 1 liter" program, an annual donation is made for clean drinking water in developing countries, based on the number of consumptions at UM.

Social return on investment

When it comes to food and beverage services, many people are involved. A number of activities lend themselves well to employing people with a distance to the labor market. Through the tender for coffee machines, UM created additional employment opportunities for people who need extra attention and guidance. The Facility Services unit set up a special Rapid Response Team for this purpose. This team ensures that on a daily basis the coffee machines in UM's buildings are cleaned and filled and that simple malfunctions are resolved. The main caterer Eurest also currently employs 5 employees with a distance to the labor market.
Furthermore, since June 2023, UM's coffee machines are offering Heilige Boontjes coffee. The supplier of these coffee beans has a special program to reintegrate vulnerable and underprivileged young people and offer a new perspective on the labor market.

In the wake of Christmas Eve, Maastricht University was hit by a serious cyber attack. Almost all Windows systems were affected and e-mail services, among other systems, could no longer be used.

On the same day, IT staff at UM, along with external specialists, immediately started forensic investigation and repair work. On 24 December, UM put a protective "shell" around its entire network. In order to work as safely as possible, UM itself took all other systems offline. Everything was aimed at allowing students and staff, whether or not phased, to regain access to the systems as soon as possible. It was unclear how long it would take for UM to find a solution. As required, UM has filed an official report with the police.

Great responsibility

The Executive Board, deans and directors felt a great responsibility in this area. They were immediately well aware of the possible consequences for students and staff and looked for ways to minimise any damage and provide as much clarity as possible. Temporary ‘help desks’ were set up, where students and staff could ask questions and where "customisation" could be provided if desired

UM Statement

On 2 January, UM published the following statement:

Maastricht University will not provide any information regarding communication with the group that has committed a major breach of the university's ICT systems and thereby put a strain on the daily operations of the institution.

The university has two important considerations in this regard:

The (external) investigation into the background and consequences of the breach of our systems is still in full swing and will take some more time. We will share the results of this investigation (in the sense of 'lessons learned') with our fellow institutions in the sector when they become available.
In light of this ongoing investigation, the university does not in any way want to do or communicate something that could further threaten the (digital) security of the institution in any manner, and therefore adversely affect the interests of our students, researchers, staff and the university itself.

It has been decided that UM will continue along this line until new circumstances or factors lead the institution to make a different assessment.

Guarantee education and access to scientific data

All actions were initially aimed at getting education back to normal in time and to provide researchers with access to scientific data as quickly as possible. Special attention was given to urgent and important issues such as education schedules, exams, theses, applications (restricted intake programmes), grant applications, research projects, and job applications.

Frequently Asked Questions

An FAQ was posted online as soon as possible, and was updated daily. On 2 January, UM announced that education could be resumed on 6 January and that all resits scheduled in week 2 could take place. As students had no access to the educational environment for some time, including the study materials, they may not have been able to prepare optimally for the resits planned in week 2. The Executive Board and deans therefore decided that there would be an additional opportunity for resits. Also, a "leniency arrangement" was set up for students who were demonstrably disadvantaged in any way by the cyber attack. All buildings were open again for students and staff from 2 January.

Resume education on 6 January

On 2 January it was announced that education could resume on 6 January. Some important systems - information systems on scheduling (inspection only), study materials (Blackboard) and the Student Portal - that are required for this were available online again from 2 January.

Change passwords

Students and staff had to change their password before Monday 6 January, outside the UM network. Many users heeded this call; on Friday 3 January, 15,000 students and employees had already changed their password.

Email available again

Email and agenda are available again from 7 January. All emails since 23 December are dated 6 January in Outlook. When you open the mail, you see the actual sending date (anytime between 23 December and 6 January). No emails were lost. On 7 January 27,000 members of the UM community have changed their passwords. We urge everyone to do so as a matter of urgency.

More and more functionalities accessible

From 7 January the network drives are accessible via the wired networks (not via WiFi). In the coming days, many other functionalities are also expected to become operational. Unfortunately, it will take a while before UM will be operational again to the same extent as we were before the cyber attack. Please check our FAQ for an overwiew of the systems that are accessible again.

Timetable education

A lot of work is still being done to make all the programmes needed for scheduling fully operational. As a result, the schedule for period 4 became available on 23 January - later than usual.

Lessons learnt

On Wednesday 5 February, Maastricht University will organise a symposium to communicate the lessons learnt from the attack on its computer systems. Not just for its own sake, but also for the benefit of academic colleagues, other stakeholders and the media. During the symposium, UM will be able to answer questions that couldn’t be addressed while the investigation was still ongoing, so as not to harm the interests of our students and employees or the university as a whole.

Message for alumni: password

We have received questions from alumni about changing their passwords. The accounts and passwords for the alumni portal have not been affected by the cyber attack, but are still blocked. So you cannot change your password at this time. For (urgent) questions related to alumni matters, such as the registration of the upcoming Star Lectures Event on 6 February, you can send an email to alumni@maastrichtuniversity.nl.

Access internet, printing/scanning/copying and VPN

Cabled internet at the workplace: it is necessary to monitor workplaces for suspect activities. For that purpose, the monitoring software Carbon Black is currently being installed at all workplaces. As soon as this software is installed at (almost) all workplaces, the cabled network can be opened again. Look at the FAQ to find out how you can check if your workplace has already been equipped with the correct software. If not, then please contact your local support officer.

Printing / scanning / copying: new (stricter) security measures still had to be implemented. From 27 January print orders can be given by selecting the printer installed on UM workstations. The myprint website is also operational.

VPN: the expectation is that VPN will not be available for a while, because it will have to be equipped with more security. This process simply requires more time.

For employees access to the Virtual Private Network (VPN) has also been restored since 27 January. Students looking to access UM Services can use Student Desktop Anywhere (SDA), which has been operational since 6 January.

Grateful

Many people have sympathised with our position in the past days, both from outside and especially within our university. It reflects the spirit and culture of Maastricht University that many people want to contribute to solving the problems. Many colleagues put their weight behind these efforts. This makes us feel very good and very grateful.

What New York is for fashion, Los Angeles for entertainment and Wall Street for stock markets, Silicon Valley is for technology. Tech behemoths such as Google, Facebook and Apple have their headquarters in this region near San Francisco. What is it like to live and work there? Alumna Anna Karmann answers this question.

‘‘The secret of Silicon Valley is the electrifying, unique environment.’’

Universities and research institutes worldwide are working on the realisation of "Open Science"; Maastricht University (UM) is one of them.

UM endorses the principles of Open Science, offering its academics support to put these principles into practice and make science "as open as possible, as closed as necessary".

In this way, we strengthen ties with our communities and improve our relationships on many levels, from regional to international and from citizens to professionals.

Open Science can contribute to making science more visible, in the broadest sense of the word.

What exactly is Open Science?

Open Science is a new approach to scientific research. Its aim is to strengthen collaboration, both between individual researchers and between other parties and scientists. Open Science makes research more transparent, controllable, faster, more efficient, reproducible and more sustainable. The idea is that civil society organisations, patient organisations, companies and other organisations can all benefit from easy access to scientific research.

The following themes are important spearheads in UM's Open Science policy:

Recognising and rewarding scientists in a different way
Currently, scientists are usually judged by the number of scientific papers they have published and the research grants they have acquired. Open Science also stands for recognition and appreciation of other issues such as educational activities, leadership qualities and social impact (more information on this topic can be found here).
Changing our system for recognising and rewarding is crucial for bringing about the transition to Open Science.
Open Access
This refers to a broad international academic movement promoting free online access to scientific information, such as scientific articles, books and book chapters. In this model, the author or university pays, not the reader, thereby enabling full access to everyone. UM has steadily been increasing its Open Access (OA) percentage and we are aiming for 100% of our published material to become OA (preferably Gold or Diamond OA, with Green OA as a backup, for example through Taverne).
FAIR data use
Research data (both quantitative and qualitative) must be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR) to maximize the value of our work. The FAIR principles should therefore form the basis of our research data management strategy.
FAIR software
It is an umbrella term that includes any piece of code, script, package, tool, library, or programme written or used for research. It therefore applies to research tools, research analyses and virtual research environments. We consider FAIR data and FAIR software as complementary to each other.
Public engagement
Often used synonymously with citizen science, it involves engaging the public (both individuals and organisations) in drawing up research questions, conducting research and communicating the results. Specific examples include crowdsourcing, in which citizens are involved in processing of research data, and participatory science, in which participants are involved in steering the direction of the research from problem definition to data collection.
Open Educational Resources (OER)
Teaching, learning and research materials in any medium (digital or otherwise) that are released under the terms of an open license, which allows it to be freely used for educational purposes. OER can be any type of educational material and they include Open Access publications. Their scale varies from something as small as a class handout or image to something as large as a textbook or online course.
Preregistration
This is the idea that research designs are published before the actual research is carried out. The design is as specific as possible and addresses at least the research questions and analysis plan and, if applicable, the hypotheses and the data or data collection method that will be used for testing. The ultimate goal of preregistration is transparency by enabling a distinction between confirmatory and exploratory analyses.

Open Science tree — Open Science in Maastricht

Open if possible, closed if necessary
Drawn up at the request of the Netherlands deputy minister of Education, Culture and Science, the National Plan Open Science has the support of Dutch universities and other parties. The plan aims to help implement the country’s ambitious Open Science policy.

Also download the UM Open Science policy

The Research Data Management Code of Conduct
Proper research data management (RDM) is an essential part of the research process and is an intrinsic part of the UM Open Science policy. The FAIR principles form a guideline for RDM, but RDM also deals with other aspects of the research process, such as data security, data retention, data privacy, etc. The Research Data Management Code of Conduct, provides guidance to UM’s academics on how to do RDM in a responsible and productive way.

National Open Science Festival 2024

On 22 October 2024, Maastricht University (UM) proudly hosted the 4th edition of the National Open Science Festival. Guided by the motto ‘Meet, share, inspire, care’ over 350 visitors from the education and research sectors across the Netherlands gathered for a day of engaging discussions, workshops, and networking opportunities, all focused on advancing Open Science. Read more on the National Open Science website. The aftermovie below gives a good idea of how the day was experienced at UM.

What can researchers do?

Open Science – it’s basically a matter of doing it. It can be applied in all research phases (e.g. open pre-registration in the preparatory phase, applying citizen science in data collection, publishing open access after the research is completed).

Researchers who want some help on how to apply open science practices can contact advisers within their faculty via the following portals.

Research Data Management portal
The Research Data Management portal supports UM researchers making their data FAIR.
Open Access portal
You can find all UM information on Open Access publishing and sharing of research output through this portal provided by the University Library
Open Educational Resources pagina
UM overview page on Open Educational Resources (OER), educational, learning, and research materials that can be used, created, and reused.

For general questions or comments about Open Science, please contact our Chief Open Science Mariëlle Prevoo or Open Science Officer Dennie Hebels.

With Open Science we want to provide more transparency because transparency is the foundation of the public’s trust in science and science’s ability to question and correct itself.

Prof. dr. Pamela Habibović
Rector Magnificus Maastricht University