“The winning team presented a project with a strong theme that will make a lasting impact at our university. They also came with a prototype that worked. The jury appreciated that they described their project from both the organisers' and participants' points of view and that their initiative involved people from different and multidisciplinary backgrounds, like students, teachers, researchers, IT developers and support organisations."

Represented by Perry Heymann (CI Office), Gaby Lutgens (EDLAB), Danielle Zijlstra, Nils Keesmekers and Sid Penders (in absentia) (MomentUM), the AppChallenge@UM 2023 team pitched their initiative during the third Lean & Agile Project Market on 7 December 2023.

Annually, the Lean-Agile Award recognises the most inspiring Lean or Agile initiative, illustrating the importance of collaboration, improvement, or innovation at Maastricht University. This year’s event focused on projects demonstrating 'Continuous Improvement and Innovation.'

Out of 29 projects, the AppChallenge@UM 2023 was listed as one of the 13 nominees for the award, in the Agile category. The AppChallenge@UM 2023 project called on the UM community to create an app enhancing the teaching or learning experience at Maastricht University.

On 22 November, Daniëlle Zijlstra, Nils Keesmekers, and Sid Penders emerged as the winners with their app proposal, MomentUM. Their smartphone app aims to assist students in working with SMART goals and provide tailored suggestions for resources at Maastricht University.

"This award recognises the strengths of innovation within UM. I am really proud of the achievement of all the AppChallenge@UM participants as well as the colleagues who have supported the organisation of this event. The UM Lean & Agile award is definitely a boost for the next step: bringing the prototype of the MomentUM app to the next level of a real working app," said Perry Heymann.

For an overview of the project, visit our AppChallenge@UM 2023 recap page!