34 Healthy Living 2025 OUR DISTINCTIVE INFRASTRUCTURE Good research facilities are crucial for innovative care, research and education. Such facilities enable researchers and care professionals to generate new know-how using the latest technologies and to respond to needs from the healthcare sector and society. The shared use of this infrastructure by researchers, care professionals and students links care with research and education. Parts of our infrastructure are included in the National Roadmap for Large-Scale Research Facilities. RESEARCH PLATFORMS We raise the quality of our research by physically or virtually consolidating research equipment. This consolidation is carried out on the basis of technology and expertise on research platforms. We encourage collaboration and cross-disciplinary research, and make the research platforms available to all research groups. This demands a new organisational structure in which room is created for new career prospects, for both scientific and support staff. By setting up research platforms, we can guarantee the continuity of infrastructure. COHORTS At Maastricht UMC+ there are various longitudinal cohort studies in progress, which enable us to distinguish cause from effect and to analyse trends. Thanks to our excellent scientific knowledge in the area of data science, we are in a position to link new data sources to regular research data, while taking proper account of privacy and ethical and legal consequences. For example, we link biometric, physiological and psychological data to data relating to the societal and individual context. Using big data in this way offers unique new opportunities for health promotion and creating a healthier society. THE MAASTRICHT STUDY The Maastricht Study is a cohort study among the population of the province of South Limburg, focusing on the prevalence, causes and treatment of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and other chronic conditions. Extensive knowledge infrastructure has been created: a large data collection that lends itself to studying the emergence and development of chronic diseases, and offers myriad opportunities for collaboration with the business community (technological platform) and knowledge institutions (national and international). We document in great detail the health of every participant in the search for what is called the Limburg factor – the less positive health experiences in this region. The Maastricht Study is a genuine data gold mine, which has given us countless valuable insights. This is information that is important to science and to society. We have seen considerable interest in our results from around the world. This will appeal to talented researchers and contribute to the development of the knowledge-based economy in our region. Ultimately, nutrition and exercise are not the only things that matter: the entire social environment of individuals plays an important role.
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