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How an honours programme is staving off brain drain

In the KE@Work programme, students solve a complex, real-world problem while working at a local company. An honours track of the bachelor’s in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, KE@Work provides ambitious students with valuable work experience. Moreover, it contributes to keeping bright minds in the region.

According to the latest figures from the HBO Monitor by the Research Center for Education and the Labor Market (ROA) at Maastricht University, college graduates are in a strong position in the labor market. Barbara Belfi, project manager and researcher at ROA, mentions, "With an unemployment rate of 2.8% in 2023, the same as the previous year, the outlook for recent graduates remains positive." 

"We hope this will allow us to find effective ways to combat weight loss in people with cancer, so that both their survival and quality of life will improve".

Ylana Sour (19) already knew halfway through secondary school that she wanted to be a paediatrician when she grew up. “When I was three or four years old, I had a bad experience with a doctor myself. I hope that later on, when I’m a doctor, I can show that it can be done differently.” Ylana is now in the first year of her Medicine degree. She is also the first in her family to go to university. “If you think about it, that is quite special. ‘Finally, someone will become a doctor’, proclaims my mother almost daily. I have to laugh about that.”

Everything on Earth is interconnected and has an impact on everything else. Nothing is isolated. This insight prompted the emergence of the very transdisciplinary field of Earth System Science. The field is gaining a foothold at the Brightland Campus Greenport Venlo in the form of the research institute System Earth Science.  The institute's founders, Roy Erkens of the Maastricht Science Programme and Pim Martens of University College Venlo, discuss it.

In March, Dr. Konrad Kollnig was granted an AiNed Fellowship for his research project RegTech4AI. The project combines expertise in law and technology to develop regulatory technologies for citizens, enforcement agencies, and businesses in the domain of artificial intelligence (AI). This shall support them in the implementation of AI-relevant laws such as the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and the upcoming EU AI Act and, more generally, contribute to the global challenge of regulating AI technologies.

The coming years will see tens of thousands of homes in the Netherlands undergo extensive renovation and modernisation. While the main goal is to improve energy efficiency, researcher Juan Palacios is interested in understanding the impact of home renovations on residents’ health. He will spend the next three years working on this topic, supported by a prestigious Veni grant.

Studying in a language that is not your mother tongue can be challenging. That's why the Language Centre at Maastricht University is dedicated to breaking down language barriers. This centre of expertise provides tailored solutions for students facing language challenges, delivered by specialised and knowledgeable language teachers. The Language Centre offers a range of language training courses, including academic language skills and intercultural communication skills.