Societal and Business Impact
OSE takes pride in doing rigorous academic research with high relevance for business and society.
Many of our department members maintain close relationships with industry and perform practice-close research. In this regard, many initiatives and projects are co-created with various stakeholders. As a current example, we are enacting an NWO research project (2023-2025) on interorganisational collaboration in crime prevention conducted in partnership with police forces, public prosecution services, and municipalities in the Euregion Meuse-Rhine.
We are also active in providing training sessions for organisations and businesses on team dynamics, employee behaviour and communication, and strategy. In this regard, we have been training young ensemble teams and organisational teams in the information technology sector to establish clear objectives and a shared vision, manage diversity and conflicts, share and discuss errors, and lead crisis situations. OSE also collaborates with businesses on AI and machine learning.
One of our other focus areas is sustainable development. This entails research on innovation investment or environmental conservation. Research outcomes on these topics provide insights on firm and individual decisions, inform policies and practices, and therefore create long-lasting impact for all members of society.
We are equally driven by a strong passion to cultivate and elevate our (local) entrepreneurial landscape, actively engaging with both budding entrepreneurs and start-ups, as well as established business owners and business families.
As such, together with Maastricht University’s Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, we engage with many actors in the Maastricht University entrepreneurial eco-system. We provide nascent (student) entrepreneurs from various industries (and from various faculties) with many opportunities to develop their ideas through mentorship, networking events, and contests. The yearly Maastricht University Challenge constitutes an excellent example.
Our collaborations with already more established entrepreneurs and business families (current owners as well as next-generation members) revolve around the advancement of competencies related to strategy, innovation, and succession. An example of such activity is the TOF (Trots Op Familiebedrijven) project, a learning trajectory supported by the Province of Limburg as well as the Ministry of Economic Affairs, aimed at benefiting small family businesses.
In addition, OSE department members are highly active in the Maastricht University’s MBA programmes, advancing the knowledge of practitioners, especially through Leadership and Entrepreneurship modules.
