News

Researcher Hugo Hollanders co-hosted the launch workshop of the new ‘European Observatory for Clusters and Industrial Change’ (EOCIC) on 22 January 2018. Held in Brussels, the workshop gathered around 40 participants including 10 invited experts, 18 representatives from the European Commission, plus...

These days when asked where I am from, I usually say Hawai’i. Honolulu. It is the simplest answer and the one that is most rarely followed by that dreaded question – ‘but where are you really from?’ – that regularly comes when I say the United States. It is not so much that I find this question offe...

On 22 January 2018, UNU launched its Sustainable Development Explorer, a new campaign highlighting UNU’s work to support the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015, the SDGs unite global action to overcome the world’s biggest challenges, from hunger and p...

China, once the final resting place for half the world’s trash, has just banned the import of certain plastic, paper and textile waste. Western countries are scrambling to shift ‘the problem’ elsewhere – but there could be another way. They could invest more in the circular economy, which would also...

Our Master in Public Policy and Human Development (MPP) offers six highly-specialised tracks. Deciding which one to follow is one of the most important decisions our students will make during their time at UNU-MERIT. In order to support them in this process, our instructors have developed a digital ...

We held our fourth science reporting workshop in a decommissioned particle accelerator in the heart of the Middle East — sharing a stage with veteran BBC presenter Robert Winston before an audience of around 40 researchers and reporters. This was an audience passionate about the scientific met...

West Africa is known for its diversity: from the island nation of Cape Verde deep in the Atlantic, to the regional giant of Nigeria. One might expect a region of barriers, at least in terms of language and logistics. Yet our latest ‘DEIP’ workshop demonstrated clear and consistent engage...

As coordinators of the Evidence-Based Policy Research Methods (EPRM) programme our job is to look after our participants, not only when they are physically in Maastricht but also when they join us online. We assign course tutors, individual research tutors, and modular coordinators – including Dr. O...

For this edition of Alumni Watch, we caught up with Dr. Andres Mideros Mora of Ecuador, who graduated from our PhD programme in December 2017. He defended his thesis, ‘Essays on the Economic Effects of Non-contributory Social Protection’, while taking a short break from his role as Minister of Plann...

Today, Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS, reminds us that one of the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. But this isn’t just a target; it is part of the fundamental human right to health because “… no one person has a greater right to he...

Many policymakers have backgrounds in academia – a fact that goes a long way to building understanding and trust. Trust not only among individuals but also in academic research per se. UNU-MERIT’s 10th ‘MEIDE’ conference put this theory to the test, revealing among other things how much, and under w...

You defend your PhD thesis on 24 November. In your research, you study a remarkable ‘Case Management Information System’ in Kosovo. Can you briefly explain the background and why you decided to study it? / My research looks into the roll out of a ‘Case Management Information System’ (CMIS) in the ju...

On Thursday 23 November, you will defend your PhD dissertation “Prioritizing the HIV Response: A multi-criteria decision analysis”. Can you briefly describe what your study is about? / Nearly 35 years since the discovery of the virus that causes AIDS, the political and financial momentum that saw ra...

You’ve worked on your PhD for the last five years, alongside a full-time job at the United Nations. What were your aims? Why did you choose to do that? / My aim was to develop a deeper understanding of the issues I was dealing with at the UN. For example, promoting the catch-up and long-term develop...

When most political leaders talk about migration and security, they usually refer to threats rather than opportunities. Prof. Khalid Koser, the executive director of the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF), a Geneva-based public-private fund supporting local prevention of radical...

Young entrepreneurs from ‘Finish Society India’ and ‘Sidian Bank Kenya’ were honoured in this year’s ‘Sarphati Sanitation Awards’, presented at the opening ceremony of Amsterdam International Water Week on 30 October 2017. Shortlisted for the Award were (i) Mr Abhijit Banerji of Finish Society India...

Why and how do some female child carers in Lesotho manage to stay in school despite being responsible for running a household? This was the question that researcher Brenda Yamba, originally from Zambia, wanted to answer. She defended her PhD at Maastricht University last June. “Brenda was what you m...

Being so close to the borders of both Belgium and Germany gives Maastricht University a truly international character – and this is one of our best marketing tools. Maastricht is the most international university in the Netherlands and, without scientific proof, I dare say that our institute is the ...

The Dead Sea, Jordan – the lowest point on Earth, where three thousand delegates at the World Science Forum are sharing the highest of aspirations: to make sure science brings ‘real change’, and perhaps even peace. A gathering of researchers and policymakers under the patronage of Irina Bokova, Dire...

When people ask me where I’m from, I tell them, 'Texas', rather than the United States. We Texans are notoriously prideful of our beloved state and its heritage, and as far from home as I may be, I am no exception to this rule. However, it’s been over three years since Texas was actually home; meanw...