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This year, CHARM-EU, supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, makes financial resources available for projects with the topic of educational innovation within Utrecht University. In collaboration with the Centre for Academic Teaching and Learning a call was published around the theme “Crossing borders”. In total, thirteen projects were submitted, of which, with the available budget, three were granted. A new call might follow in 2026.

Connecting biomedical education with the medical humanities to advance translational medicine

It was already the third edition of the interdisciplinary Health Challenge within the Faculty of Medicine: more than 400 bachelor's students in Medicine and Biomedical Sciences competed against each other to come up with the best and most innovative solution for a relevant and complex healthcare problem. This time, the theme was neuromuscular diseases, with a special focus on SMA.

Dual targeting of CD155/ TIGIT and PD-L1/ PD-1 immune checkpoints potentiates NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity in medulloblastoma

Chimeric antigen receptor-macrophages: Emerging next-generation cell therapy for brain cancer

Preparing for the healthcare of tomorrow. At UMC Utrecht, we achieve this by focusing on educational innovations and activities within six key themes of our education strategy, The New Utrecht School. One of these themes is interprofessional and interdisciplinary learning. Colleagues Annet van Royen-Kerkhof and Niels Bovenschen are ambassadors for this theme and share their insights.

A group of 16 Biomedical Sciences bachelor students, together with researchers from the biotech company Genmab, conducted research into potential new forms of cancer therapy. This challenge-based learning took place in the Biomedical Research Lab (BRL) course at the Biomedicine Student Research Hub at UMC Utrecht.

Undergraduate education as catalyst for public-private partnership in biotechnology

Global health challenges require innovative and collaborative solutions. With its first edition, CHARM-EU offers a unique elective module that enables master’s students to work across disciplines and cultures to address urgent health issues. “I’ve learned a lot beyond science, including international communication and the importance of speaking up when things aren’t right” said Dann, one of the students of this module.

Biomedical science-based PhDs are often research-focused, designed to hone a candidate’s expertise in a specific field. However, subsequent careers in university settings frequently entail substantial teaching responsibilities, with PhD graduates unprepared for the dual roles of researcher and educator. Hybrid PhDs aim to better equip graduates for academic careers by integrating highly specialised scientific knowledge with educational research. PhD candidate Michael Y Schakelaar of University Medical Center Utrecht (Utrecht University), The Netherlands, provides an outstanding example of how this can be achieved.

‘Creating synergy is crucial’
Utrecht University firmly believes that education and business can strengthen each other. Recently, there was a valuable collaboration between bachelor students of Biomedical Sciences and the biotech company Genmab. It not only yielded promising insights into therapeutic targets for cancer, but also formed the basis for a new “Student Research Hub network”.

Honours students from complementary scientific disciplines collaborated to improve immunotherapy for brain cancer. In the first edition of this 20-week interdisciplinary student-led project, cutting-edge research was performed at the Biomedicine and Biotechnology Student Research Hubs, all at the medicine and beta sciences faculties on the Utrecht Science Park.

Preparing for tomorrow's healthcare. We do this at UMC Utrecht by focusing on educational innovations and activities within six current themes of our educational strategy 'The New Utrecht School'. One theme is Translational Medicine & Life Sciences. Colleague Marco van Brussel, Medical Physiologist and Associate Professor of Medical Education, is an ambassador* of this theme and explains.

Coming up with a solution for the rare heart disease SCAD. And then actually implement your idea to help women with this disease. The students were allowed to do this in the Women's Heart Challenge. They presented their findings in the presence of patients, researchers, physicians, and family members of the students. (text in Dutch)

Niels and Noor talk about the health challenge: woman's heart. Click the link below to go to the video and skip to 22 minutes and 49 seconds

Person-centred care. How do we give substance to this in the cycle of 'understanding together, deciding together, looking back together and improving together'? This was the subject of the sixth symposium on Patient Participation together with patients and healthcare professionals. During the symposium, outgoing chairman Margriet Schneider was put in the spotlight. "If anyone has done a lot for patient participation, it's you."

A new concept of public-private partnerships. This is the collaboration between a group of bachelor's students of Biomedical Sciences and biotechnology company Genmab. Together, they conduct research into new therapeutic targets for cancer. It is so promising that Top Sector Life Sciences & Health (Health~Holland), together with UMC Utrecht and Genmab, is funding more than 120,000 euros for this research. The final presentation of the bachelor's students took place on 2 February.

During the Teaching and Learning Inspiration Days on July 4th, the very first UU Team Award was presented. The winning team was CHARM-EU, for the project focused on the CHARM-EU Master’s program in Global Challenges for Sustainability.

In October 2022, more than 400 students of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences were challenged with the Long COVID challenge. The goal: to take research into the causes of Long-COVID a step further. At the time – and still today – there was insufficient biomedical research into the causes of Long COVID. The best idea is now being implemented in the Bachelor Research Hub of UMC Utrecht by sixteen students. Watch the video about the challenge and watch the item about it in the Executive Board webinar update of 8 June.

By stimulating Medicine and Biomedical Sciences students to work together on scientific research early in their education, we can better address complex social problems. That is what Professor Niels Bovenschen stated in his inaugural lecture, which he gave yesterday in Utrecht University's Academy Building. Read more about his educational model in this interview. Your lecture is titled: Synergy between education, research and society. Why is that synergy important?