UM & COVID-19

How are family businesses getting through the crisis?

Do family businesses have greater resilience in times of crisis than non-family businesses? And why is that? Dr Anita Van Gils looked at existing research into these questions, which was primarily carried out after the previous (financial) crisis in 2008.

Post-COVID economic recovery – a question of confidence

How quickly do you think things will return to normal? How you feel about this is more important than you might think! Since it’s crucial for policy-makers addressing immediate problems to understand what people think might happen, Peiran Jiao has conducted an online survey experiment into how the pandemic shock has influenced economic preferences and beliefs.

Here to stay!

When the lockdown was announced in March, UM Career Services immediately started thinking about offering their services online. In the meantime, they can hardly imagine that the online offer will ever disappear completely. And: they are open all summer.

Questionnaire: 60% of UM-students followed all corona guidelines

Etudes for a new classical music practice

The MCICM received funding from the NWO/SIA for research into ways in which symphony orchestras can involve their audiences more actively in concerts. And then the corona crisis hit. Peter Peters, director of the MCICM explains what this means for the research and talks about the insights thus far.

Will The Euro Survive The Corona Crisis?

Studio Europa Maastricht spoke with Clemens Kool, professor of Monetary and Financial Economics, about a monetary union that continues drifting apart. His conclusion? “We haven’t developed sufficient mechanisms to absorb shocks together.”

Redrawing borders

Professor of Philosophy of Public Health Klasien Horstman and Belgian artist Marlies Vermeulen have won this year’s Mingler Scholarship for their project Bacteria & Borders. Experimental cartography between art, lab & (daily) life. They plan to study and make tangible the realities of infectious diseases in border regions.

How to make ethically responsible corona policy?

Associate Professor in public health ethics Peter Schröder-Bäck studied the effects of the European debt crisis on health. He is now advising  policymakers across Europe on the ethics of responding to the corona crisis.

Well-being, Women and Work in Ethiopia

The UM-initiated 3WE project (‘Well-being, Women and Work in Ethiopia’) studies how employment generated by foreign direct investment (FDI) is affecting the well-being of workers, and women in particular. Especially in Africa, where FDI is becoming one of the main sources of new employment opportunities and economic growth on the continent. Principal investigator Valentina Mazzucato, Bilisuma Dito and Konjit Hailu Gudeta, explain the situation of women in Ethiopia, particularly in the light of the current pandemic.

“We’ve been warning about this for decades”

COVID-19, the third outbreak of coronavirus in 20 years, wasn’t exactly unpredictable. Professor Pim Martens, who tries to integrate scientific knowledge and animal advocacy, talks about how zoonoses, infectious diseases that jump from animals to humans, foreground the complex interconnectedness of our wellbeing and our treatment of animals.

‘This is a golden age for science’

Maurice Zeegers is not only professor of Complex Genetics and Epidemiology, but also scientific director of the Maastricht research school CAPHRI (Care and Public Health Research Institute). And during these corona times, he also functions as research partner of the WHO Evidence Collaborative. A discussion about the delicate balance between scientific rigour and social impact.

European cooperation in times of crisis

“What does the EU have to offer?” is the question the EU needs to answer now more than ever, according to professor of Contemporary European History and European Integration Mathieu Segers. 

A gentle heartbeat enters our being

Damien Nunes’ concept Hearttalks tries to provide timely solutions and timeless food for thought around the process of losing a loved one. It allows family members to send verbal messages from a distance while intimately listening to the beating heart of (terminal) patients unable or struggling to speak.

Science and the oil industry: an intimate relationship

The entanglement between science and the oil industry is also of the pillars of Mody’s research on how to deal with sustainability in times of scarcity, for which he recently received a Vici grant from the Dutch Research Council (NWO).

The corona-effect on the ETpathfinder

“The preparations for the arrival of the ETpathfinder have not yet been hampered by the corona crisis. So far we seem to be still right on schedule”, says Prof. Stefan Hild.

Certain border workers may be ineligible for government support

Researchers from ITEM, the Maastricht University institute that specialises in research on the effects of national and European legislation on the border region, compared the support offered to self-employed businesspeople by the Dutch, German and Belgian governments. They found that self-employed people who work in the Netherlands but live in Belgium or Germany are ineligible for support. Their advice: follow the Belgian model.

The hunt for the dinosaur

In January, with Brexit looming, Donna Yates moved from Glasgow to Maastricht. The associate professor of Criminal Law and Criminology brought with her an ERC grant worth €1.5 million. Less than three months later, the world is in lockdown due to COVID-19. What does this mean for her research on the illicit trade of antiquities, fossils and wildlife?

Making work from home work for you

Fatigue, headaches, irritability, or sleep problems? These might be symptoms of stress caused by the unfamiliar demands of working from home. Angelique de Rijk studies work stress in nurses – and worries about the current situation and the transition back to normal.

‘Every healthcare system is only as strong as its weakest link’

SHE Collaborates is part of the Maastricht School of Health Professions Education (SHE), and in simple terms you could describe it as the ‘development cooperation department’ of the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences. How is director Geraldine Beaujean coping now the corona crisis has brought international travel to a standstill?

One stayed in the Koekoek’s nest

Gideon Koekoek teaches theoretical physics and researches gravitational waves from the comfort of his home – and is working his pecs in the process.

Southern comfort

Just over a month ago, they were celebrating that spring had finally arrived in Maastricht. The day after, they sat on a plane home – where they still are (home, that is, not the plane…). First-year UCM students Giulia Petrilli in Puglia, Italy and Max Griera in Catalonia, Spain share their experiences of the coronavirus crisis in Southern Europe.

Sustainability goes beyond “the green stuff”

When it comes to teaching about sustainability, you need an interdisciplinary team of teachers on board. Sustainable UM2030 organised a meeting in which teachers from various faculties presented their ideas for sustainability courses to students.

We said, ‘Let them rot in hell’

Piet Eichholtz was one of the co-signatories of an open letter criticising the Netherlands’ reluctance to help Southern Europe in its time of need. Here, he reflects on how the coronavirus crisis is ineluctably embedded in economic, political and ethical issues.

Palliative care in times of the coronavirus

‘Loneliness is looming’

The coronavirus is hitting vulnerable elderly people the hardest in every respect, finds Maastricht University Professor Hilde Verbeek. Not only do they face the greatest risk of dying from the disease, but they are also particularly affected by the strict government measures to prevent the virus from spreading

The new challenge: finding a routine in online education

Finding a new routine in education is the biggest challenge we face, says Patrick Bijsmans, assistant professor in European Studies in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASoS).

Selection predicts better performance

Before she began her PhD, Sanne Schreurs thought “important people” were standoffish. Then she met her supervisor, Professor Mirjam oude Egbrink. “I was surprised at how sweet and supportive she was.” According to the findings of their research, the selection procedure for Medicine predicts study success and results in better doctors.

Your wellbeing is more important than ever

The team of UM Psychologists at SSC are there for you – whether you struggle with fear of failure, procrastination, stress, sadness or loneliness. Now you get to contact them even – only, come to think of it – from the comfort of your own home.

Student babysitters unburden employees

Two medical interns of Maastricht University (UM) seized the corona crisis for a special new initiative.

Report from the front lines by professor-general practitioner Jochen Cals

Professor of General Practice Medicine Jochen Cals is also a practicing general practitioner in Sittard, a city that is suffering from a relatively high number of coronavirus infections. What is his experience during these unique times?

"Everything is going ahead – just differently."

Mark Levels and social order in times of corona

For Professor Mark Levels of the Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market (ROA), it’s business as usual these days - although his alarm clock is going off earlier than usual, and after-work drinks are now held online.

Let your dialect be heard!

Extended deadline

Necessity as the mother of invention

UM’s buildings might be closed but its teaching is charging full steam ahead, evolving faster than ever. Professor Teun Dekker even has a giddy sense of excitement about all the innovation that this crisis will foster.