Campus Brussels’ Renewed Strategy
Campus Brussels is renewing its strategy, and it has some questions for you!
Please give us your views on how you think the university's representation in Brussels can give added value to the UM community (staff and students), and which services it might provide.
Can you spare a few minutes to fill out our questionnaire?
To help you answer the questions, you can find out more about what Campus Brussels does in the video and text below.
Maastricht University (UM) Campus Brussels is UM’s very own representation in the capital of the European Union (EU). It functions as an inter-faculty hub for education, research, and networking activities in the framework of UM’s internationalisation strategy. Campus Brussels is available to use for all UM staff and students. Non-commercial activities related to education, research and knowledge transfer of UM can make use of Campus Brussels free of charge. To find out more on the possibilities at the Campus please click here.
Campus Brussels’ facilities comprise three equipped meeting rooms – one for ca. 60 and two for ca. 25 people, which are there to be used for events by the UM community. It also provides staff support when organising online and on-site activities, from event planning and implementation (e.g. programme design, speaker search, registration management, coordination with local suppliers, etc.) to monitoring EU policy issues of interest. UM staff and students can also make use of the Academic Coworking Space at the Campus to meet and network with colleagues when in Brussels.
Below is a written overview of the main functions of Campus Brussels. Please also visit the Campus Brussels website and, for illustrations of previous events, have a read of the latest annual activity report.
![UMCB team see you in Brussels](/sites/default/files/2023-03/umcb_team_see_you_in_brussels_0.jpg)
The Campus has four staff members that, among other tasks, help carry out these activities: two events officers, a communications manager, and a policy officer. Around 150 events are hosted at Campus Brussels on a yearly basis.
Teaching & Training
The Campus hosts executive education and PhD trainings for professionals as well as summer schools and other short courses organised by UM faculties. It also offers the opportunity to deliver remote education by Belgium-based staff and guest lecturers as well as hosts and organises field trips for students to gain professional insights in their EU policy field of interest.
Research Community Hub
Campus Brussels also serves as a venue for UM researchers to organise activities and events in the framework of (EU-funded) research projects. These can be, for example, meetings to build international consortia; kick-off, mid-term, and dissemination conferences; policy dialogues; events to discuss progress ahead of a publication, etc. The logistical coordination of these events is taken care of by Campus Brussels staff. In addition, it offers working space for researchers to use while in Brussels – whether it is to carry out interviews or to wind down in a quiet space in between meetings.
UM Embassy
The Campus is also UM’s EU liaison office. It takes advantage of the myriad of EU institutions and stakeholders represented in Brussels to expand UM’s network as well as monitor EU policy developments and to position UM on key issues relevant to the university.
An important part of this function is engaging with selected European networks. Campus Brussels represents the UM in the Young European Research Universities Network (YERUN) EU Policy Working Group, and is an active member of UM’s European Alliance for Social Sciences and Humanity’s (EASSH) Working Group. Currently, it also co-manages the network of university EU liaison offices (UnILiON). These networks are the platforms through which the Campus gathers information (e.g. early-stage information on upcoming funding proposals ahead of publication) as well as lobbies for UM’s interests (e.g. by contributing to the networks’ position papers on key policy issues).
Campus Brussels also places great importance on alumni relations. In this spirit, it regularly hosts and organises events for UM alumni to meet up, ensuring that both old and new UM graduates continue to keep in contact both with UM and among themselves – providing a valuable network of professional contacts.
UM Campus Brussels and COVID-19
Due to the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Maastricht University Campus Brussels adapted its premises to stricter hygiene measures and safety standards. The Campus has new video conferencing equipment in meeting rooms for remote participation (hybrid events). The duration of the event will have to be limited in order for disinfection protocols to take place in each of the rooms before and after the meetings. Organisers will be asked to air out the room manually for now by opening the windows and having a break whilst this takes place (mechanical ventilation is being looked into). Please note that each event request will be treated independently as to ensure all corona regulations are met.
If you have any questions on how to best organise a meeting or conference at our venue please contact us at campusbrussels@maastrichtuniversity.nl or download the brochure here.
*All corona regulations are subject to change and are in line with the BE and NL authorities.