MSP years
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Fifteen years of science in Maastricht

Maastricht Science Programme · 2011 · 2026

One afternoon with the people who made it: alumni from every cohort, and the staff who taught, tested and tolerated them.

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The occasion

MSP opened its doors in 2011. Fifteen years and one unmistakable round logo later, we're getting the family back together for an afternoon at Tapijn: alumni of every year and staff old and new.

The timing is no accident. Maastricht University celebrates its 50th birthday this year, so consider this MSP's contribution to the party season.

One afternoon, six good reasons

Today's schedule.

15:00

Doors open

Coffee, tea and your name card at the door. Time to find the faces you haven't seen since graduation.

15:30

Welcome

A short welcome from the organisers and MSP, and fifteen years in a few minutes.

16:00

Alumni talks

Six alumni, ten minutes each, on where a science degree actually took them. The bar opens at 16:30, between the two rounds.

17:00

The quiz

In teams, on paper. Your team is on your name card: find the table with your element.

17:30

Borrel

Drinks, warm snacks from 18:15 and bittergarnituur at 19:00. The first two drinks are on us, the stories are on you.

19:30

The official end

The city centre is a ten minute stroll away. We suspect groups will form.

Fifteen years of hats in the air

Same ritual, different class.

The class of 2014 throwing their caps on the theatre stage
Peak of the 2015 toss, in black and white
Caps against the winter graduation screen, January 2016
The class of 2016 filling a gothic hall with caps
A winter toss on the church steps, February 2017
The class of 2017 outside Sint Janskerk in the summer sun
Caps in the church rafters, February 2018
The class of 2018 against a summer sky
The class of 2019 on the steps, caps everywhere
The 2021 cohort's group jump outside the faculty building
Caps in front of the MSP globe, class of 2022
The class of 2023 filling the auditorium with caps
A dense cloud of caps above the class of 2024
The mini-ceremony group's own toss, July 2024

Got a toss photo from your year? Send it in and we'll hang it here.

Remember this place?

The yellow and grey facade of MSP's first home
Where it began: the street name is hidden until the quiz. Photo: Romaine, CC0
The glass-roofed atrium with spiral staircase inside MSP's first home
Inside: the atrium, glass roof and all. Photo: Maastricht University
The white monumental building at Minderbroedersberg
Minderbroedersberg, borrowed for tutorials now and then. Photo: Otter, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Faculty of Science and Engineering building at Paul-Henri Spaaklaan
Home base today.

The full then-and-now gallery, fifteen years of MSP in pictures, lands here soon.

The practical bits

  • Where: Tapijn, Tapijnkazerne 20, 6211 ME Maastricht. Open in Google Maps
  • When: Saturday 10 October 2026, 15:00 to 19:30. Programme starts 15:30.
  • Cost: €5, and that includes snacks and your first two drinks. You pay after registering (we send the link); extra tokens at the bar, cards welcome.
  • Getting there: About twenty-five minutes on foot from Maastricht station, the last stretch through the city park; ten from the city centre. Limited parking nearby; the bike still wins. Full directions here.
  • Dress code: None. Fifteen years of MSP has taught us not to try.

Save your spot

Block the afternoon

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What else is going on

The university turns fifty this year as well, so there is more on that week. Both of these are free and open to everyone.

Sunday 11 October: a 5k with no watches

Pure Running at Sportpark Jekerdal, the morning after ours. Nobody wears a sports watch. You predict your own finish time when you sign up and the closest guess takes the title. The start is at 11:00, so there is time to recover.

Pure Running on the UM50 site

Wednesday 14 October: fifty years of the city

A guided walk past the monasteries, barracks and courthouses the university has turned into faculties and libraries since 1976. Ninety minutes, 15:45 to 17:15.

The city tour on the UM50 site

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