Periodic Reporting for period 2 - LIMES (The Hardening and Softening of Borders: Challenges for Europe and the World)
Période du rapport: 2021-12-01 au 2025-06-30
The overall theme of LIMES – the hardening and softening of borders – is related to current societal challenges in Europe and the world. Borders – as reality and metaphor – exist not only on the edge of the territory of the nation-state or the European Union, but also within and beyond these geographical units, not least in the minds of people. Borders as a social construct are moveable and permeable, and may be hardened and softened over time – i.e. become more or less significant to structure the behaviour of individuals and collectives.
LIMES had three main objectives:
- Offer high profile PhD positions in the humanities and social sciences,
- Prepare the ESRs for the job market through an up-to-date training programme covering relevant skills in academic and non-academic work environments. This included a dedicated training on engagement with traditional and new media, and tailor-made secondments to promote intersectoral mobility and the employability of graduates beyond the academic world.
- Trigger interdisciplinary research across academic disciplines and faculties. The project brought together supervisors and PhD candidates from four faculties or schools of the University of Maastricht (UM): the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASoS), the School of Business and Economics (SBE), the University College Maastricht (UCM), and the Faculty of Law (LAW).
The societal relevance of LIMES was double: firstly, it delivered highly skilled ESRs in the humanities and social sciences trained in interdisciplinary, international and intersectoral research and learning. The LIMES researchers are able to comprehensively examine problems from different perspectives and to communicate their findings to different audiences. Secondly, the different PhD projects contributed to the understanding of the dynamics of borders in a broad range of policy areas at a moment where different groups in societies push for the hardening or softening of territorial and other borders.
LIMES had three main objectives:
- Offer high profile PhD positions in the humanities and social sciences,
- Prepare the ESRs for the job market through an up-to-date training programme covering relevant skills in academic and non-academic work environments. This included a dedicated training on engagement with traditional and new media, and tailor-made secondments to promote intersectoral mobility and the employability of graduates beyond the academic world.
- Trigger interdisciplinary research across academic disciplines and faculties. The project brought together supervisors and PhD candidates from four faculties or schools of the University of Maastricht (UM): the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASoS), the School of Business and Economics (SBE), the University College Maastricht (UCM), and the Faculty of Law (LAW).
The societal relevance of LIMES was double: firstly, it delivered highly skilled ESRs in the humanities and social sciences trained in interdisciplinary, international and intersectoral research and learning. The LIMES researchers are able to comprehensively examine problems from different perspectives and to communicate their findings to different audiences. Secondly, the different PhD projects contributed to the understanding of the dynamics of borders in a broad range of policy areas at a moment where different groups in societies push for the hardening or softening of territorial and other borders.
In the first year, LIMES set up its Executive Board, an Advisory Board (LAB) and two Cluster Committees (LCCs) charged with candidate selection. 13 PhD candidates were recruited. All projects obtained ethical clearance and adopted a Research Data Management plan.
Key activities throughout the LIMES project:
•Training: The ESRs followed four winter schools (on Interdisciplinarity, Internationality, Intersectorality, Beyond the PhD) and two summer schools (on Project Management and Ethics and on Dissemination). An important element was awareness of ethical standards in research and responsible behaviour in research. Dissemination and communication skills were trained in media teams under the supervision of a marketing and communication specialist. The media teams communicated on LIMES research and maintained the LIMES social media channels.
•Secondment: All researchers participated in a secondment programme. This allowed them to gain professional experiences outside the academic environment of UM. The secondments took place between September 2020 and January 2024.
•Management: The management bodies were the Programme Office (PO, housed at FASoS), the Executive Board (LEB) and the Advisory Board (LAB). The PO governed the daily business of LIMES and its finances. The LEB was the main decision-making body on issues such as the confirmation of candidate selection, allocation of funds or the training programme. The LAB provided advice on the overall direction of LIMES and connected the project to societal partners.
•Mid-term Review: The mid-term review was concluded in October 2021. The report by REA highlighted the ESR's satisfaction about the opportunities provided by LIMES, as well as the efficiency and professionalism of the selection process. Suggestions by the ESRs and recommendations by REA were implemented by the LIMES management.
•Communication and dissemination: the ESRs were featured both in internal UM communications and external channels. Their work was highlighted through media appearances, blog posts, and participation in policy and academic events. The ESRs presented at high-profile international conferences, contributed to institutional publications, engaged with policymakers, and shared their research via podcasts, radio shows, and online platforms.
•Events: At the LIMES Final Conference in October 2023, organized by the ESRs, the researchers presented the results of their work to academic, political, and cultural audiences. For the event, the ‘Limes booklet’ was produced in which the ESRs presented themselves and their research. Another important event was a workshop on the softening and hardening of borders in Europe in September 2022. It brought together the ESRs, experienced academics, and policy practitioners.
•PhD trajectories: By 30 June 2025, all PhD candidates, except one, were on track to submit and defend their thesis in the foreseeable future or had already defended (four of them). One PhD candidate accepted a job offer in the business sector at the end of the 4th year of her trajectory.
Key activities throughout the LIMES project:
•Training: The ESRs followed four winter schools (on Interdisciplinarity, Internationality, Intersectorality, Beyond the PhD) and two summer schools (on Project Management and Ethics and on Dissemination). An important element was awareness of ethical standards in research and responsible behaviour in research. Dissemination and communication skills were trained in media teams under the supervision of a marketing and communication specialist. The media teams communicated on LIMES research and maintained the LIMES social media channels.
•Secondment: All researchers participated in a secondment programme. This allowed them to gain professional experiences outside the academic environment of UM. The secondments took place between September 2020 and January 2024.
•Management: The management bodies were the Programme Office (PO, housed at FASoS), the Executive Board (LEB) and the Advisory Board (LAB). The PO governed the daily business of LIMES and its finances. The LEB was the main decision-making body on issues such as the confirmation of candidate selection, allocation of funds or the training programme. The LAB provided advice on the overall direction of LIMES and connected the project to societal partners.
•Mid-term Review: The mid-term review was concluded in October 2021. The report by REA highlighted the ESR's satisfaction about the opportunities provided by LIMES, as well as the efficiency and professionalism of the selection process. Suggestions by the ESRs and recommendations by REA were implemented by the LIMES management.
•Communication and dissemination: the ESRs were featured both in internal UM communications and external channels. Their work was highlighted through media appearances, blog posts, and participation in policy and academic events. The ESRs presented at high-profile international conferences, contributed to institutional publications, engaged with policymakers, and shared their research via podcasts, radio shows, and online platforms.
•Events: At the LIMES Final Conference in October 2023, organized by the ESRs, the researchers presented the results of their work to academic, political, and cultural audiences. For the event, the ‘Limes booklet’ was produced in which the ESRs presented themselves and their research. Another important event was a workshop on the softening and hardening of borders in Europe in September 2022. It brought together the ESRs, experienced academics, and policy practitioners.
•PhD trajectories: By 30 June 2025, all PhD candidates, except one, were on track to submit and defend their thesis in the foreseeable future or had already defended (four of them). One PhD candidate accepted a job offer in the business sector at the end of the 4th year of her trajectory.
LIMES had an impact in different ways:
-The individual projects have advanced academic research. They contributed to disciplinary discussions in their fields and were enriched by LIMES’ transdisciplinary setup and the connecting theme of the softening and hardening of borders. LIMES aimed to continually engage the ESRs in discussions beyond their own disciplines. The wide range of LIMES publications disseminated the findings to both academic and societal audiences.
-LIMES offered an innovative training programme, complementing the disciplinary training by faculty graduate schools. The secondments at partner institutions provided intersectoral exposure for the ESRs. All LIMES researchers who defended their PhD have easily found jobs, both in and outside of academia. One researcher prematurely left the project for a position in business. We expect the remaining ESRs to find adequate employment after the end of the PhD trajectories.
-The project influenced the internal selection processes at UM. LIMES enabled the exchange of best practices across faculties. The expertise gained while issuing calls, reviewing applications and involving external partners in selection committees informed HR practice at UM and raised its profile as an employer. The cooperation between UM faculties stimulated cross-disciplinary informal networks of professors and researchers and the understanding of different recruitment and selection procedures.
-The individual projects have advanced academic research. They contributed to disciplinary discussions in their fields and were enriched by LIMES’ transdisciplinary setup and the connecting theme of the softening and hardening of borders. LIMES aimed to continually engage the ESRs in discussions beyond their own disciplines. The wide range of LIMES publications disseminated the findings to both academic and societal audiences.
-LIMES offered an innovative training programme, complementing the disciplinary training by faculty graduate schools. The secondments at partner institutions provided intersectoral exposure for the ESRs. All LIMES researchers who defended their PhD have easily found jobs, both in and outside of academia. One researcher prematurely left the project for a position in business. We expect the remaining ESRs to find adequate employment after the end of the PhD trajectories.
-The project influenced the internal selection processes at UM. LIMES enabled the exchange of best practices across faculties. The expertise gained while issuing calls, reviewing applications and involving external partners in selection committees informed HR practice at UM and raised its profile as an employer. The cooperation between UM faculties stimulated cross-disciplinary informal networks of professors and researchers and the understanding of different recruitment and selection procedures.