What does it cost for clients to be involved in PREMIUM?

– For an organisation, participation in PREMIUM is, in principle, free of charge. PREMIUM is an educational programme, with clear learning objectives for the students. Therefore, projects need to provide students with enough freedom to come up with innovative and out-of-the-box ideas and results. However, results are not guaranteed. We ask your guidance throughout the project, and if you request our students to travel due to your project, we request that you cover their travel expenses. After completing the programme and experiencing its value, we invite organisations to consider making a voluntary donation to a dedicated PREMIUM fund. We want to stress that such a donation is by no means a requirement, we do not select organisations based on these donations, nor do we specify the exact amount. These donations allow us to sustainably develop and strengthen the PREMIUM programme (from supporting high-quality interdisciplinary projects and expert guidance, to expanding opportunities for talented students and deepening our impact within the region). In this way, your contribution directly supports the development of future professionals and helps us continue building a strong connection between academia and society.  We share this in advance so you can potentially take this into account in your planning and budgeting. Donations are made through the University Fund Limburg. The Fund is the charity foundation of Maastricht University and recognised as a Public Benefit Organisation (Dutch: Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling, ANBI). This means that organisations can make tax-efficient donations, with their contributions being fully or partially tax-deductible. At the same time, it offers a meaningful way to contribute to education, innovation, and societal impact, and to position your organisation as an active partner in shaping future talent.

How much time commitment is requested of me?

-There are two types of clients: A formal client provides an assignment and perceives the team of students as consultants doing a job for them. The formal client provides guidance and supports the team with feedback, but is not actively involved in project execution.
A co-creator client might join the team for brainstorm sessions, meetings, and preparatory sessions. The co-creator is more actively involved in/during the project execution. Both roles are fine, but each of them comes with a different time investment pending on your own preference and project aim.

Who has intellectual property of the project?

– Intellectual property lies with the client and our students are made aware of this.

How about confidentiality?

-We can work with a NDA that the University signs on behalf of the students. Students and Project Mentor are made aware of the stipulations in the NDA.

What makes for a good PREMIUM project?

-We select projects that are current, relevant, interesting for different disciplines, and that allow students to create impact. We look for Projects that provide students with enough freedom to negotiate the final scope and deliverable in close consultation with the client. Projects that have a very narrow defined problem statement, and also already indicate a solution and even implementation are not suitable PREMIUM projects since students learn the most from truly investigating the problem and then define their own potential best solution.

When will I know if my project is selected?

– Around mid-October we do the first selection of projects. In December however, we can give all selected projects a final confirmation that there are enough students selected among the students that applied for PREMIUM, that have showed preliminary interest in their project.