UAEM is a global student-driven, volunteer-based organisation, which notched up its first success in 2001 when it helped achieve price cuts for HIC/AIDS drugs in sub-Sharan Africa. Since this initial victory, UAEM has grown into a worldwide student organisation with chapters at over 100 research universities in more than 20 countries. Its membership includes students of medicine, science, public health, economics, and many other areas.
 
This weekend’s UAEM conference in Maastricht was attended by 175 European students, who came together to share and discuss new ideas and projects. They were also keen to interact with experts and professionals from the access to medicines movement and learn from their stories. 
 
The discussions focused on ways to address health inequalities due to high drug prices. The conference examined how the situation can be improved by more transparency on drug research & development. It’s an issue Maastricht University is committed to. In December 2015, UM President Prof. dr. Martin Paul signed the Socially Responsible Research and Licensing Policy. Maastricht University was the first University of the Netherlands and one of the few in Europe to sign the SRRL policy.