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York and Maastricht join forces in major partnership for research, teaching and business projects

Posted on 23 November 2017

The Universities of York and Maastricht have agreed a major partnership in which they will establish joint research projects, teaching collaborations, knowledge exchange, student exchanges and sharing best practice among their staff.

The initial focus will be in the areas of crops, nutrition and public health, high-field imaging for medical diagnostics, data science, and international trade.

They will also work together on relationships with industry, and the employability of their students.

The two universities have complementary expertise in areas such as crop development, nutrition and health, cyber-security, medical imaging, and international law. Discussions on joint work in all these areas is underway.

In the short-term, the alliance will result in a shared PhD degree in public health, reciprocal business delegations, joint research workshops and conferences, and staff development programmes.

In the longer-term, the two universities intend to create more shared teaching programmes, including joint degrees, collaborative research centres, and knowledge sharing in technical and professional areas.

York in the UK, and Maastricht in the Netherlands, have enjoyed a close relationship for several years through their joint membership of the Worldwide Universities Network. They already have student and staff exchanges through the Erasmus+ scheme, and a number of research connections – most notably in the field of imaging.

The two universities have strong synergies – including a strong international presence, a commitment to excellent student experience, high-quality research, and the flexibility to work effectively with partners. Maastricht University is a European pioneer of Problem-Based Learning and promotes the ‘international classroom’, where students work in small tutorial groups with people from different parts of the world. York has global research links and actively promotes international opportunities for all students during their degree studies.

York’s Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Koen Lamberts said: “We have a clear set of priorities for this alliance, and work is already underway. I am confident, however, that following on from our first set of projects, many more will emerge, and we will see a network of joint enterprises emerging from our university communities. We expect strong business links in line with the UK’s industrial strategy, as well as teaching and research connections.”

Maastricht’s President, Professor Martin Paul said: “We have brought together groups of staff from both institutions, and this is a genuine grass-roots partnership. Our staff are hugely enthusiastic about the research and teaching links we have with York. It is particularly exciting that business links with regional partners will be part of the alliance.”

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