THINK Magazine - The research magazine of the University of Malta

UM’s First SEA-EU Blended Intensive Programme

In February 2025, the University of Malta hosted its first Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) on tourism sustainability in conjunction with the International Office and SEA-EU Office. THINK Editor Rebekah Zammit caught up with Dr John Ebejer from UM’s Department of Tourism Management to ask a few questions about the BIP.

Editorial

History of THINK

How much do you know about the history of THINK? If you’re a THINK superfan, then you know that the first edition wasn’t called THINK. Read on to learn more about how THINK evolved over the last decade.

Students

Can Your Genes Influence Addiction Risk?

Why do some people develop addiction while others do not, even when exposed to similar life experiences or substances? While environment, trauma, stress, and social circumstances are all major contributors, new research increasingly suggests that biology also plays an important role.

Students

The Itch That Won’t Quit: What’s Really Happening in Eczema

The skin barrier normally acts like a brick wall, keeping moisture inside and harmful substances out. In eczema, some of the ‘bricks’ are missing, making the wall weaker and more permeable to irritants. Under the supervision of Prof. Renald Blundell, Amber Baldacchino tells THINK about the reality of dealing with eczema.

Science

A Blood Test That Could Follow Cancer in Real Time

A pioneering collaboration between Omnigene Medical Technologies Ltd and the University of Malta is developing a liquid biopsy platform that could transform how cancer is monitored. Called M3Profiler, the technology analyses tumour-derived exosomes – tiny vesicles released into the bloodstream by cancer cells – to generate detailed molecular profiles from just a small blood sample.

Arts

Malta and Uzbekistan: A Tale of Two Countries

A joint effort between UM’s Department of Translation, Terminology and Interpreting Studies and Prof. Gulnoza Odilova, who heads the Department of Theory and Practice of Translation at Kimyo International University of Tashkent, has led to the production of Rakkonti mill-Bogħod, Stejjer Qosra mill-Użbekistan, published by Kite Group in March 2025. Funded by the 2024 Malta Book Fund, Prof. Sergio Portelli and Dr Claudine Borg edited the translation of ten classic stories of Uzbek heritage and folklore into Maltese.

Science

Xjenza Malta and TÜBİTAK Support Five New Transnational R&I Projects

A kick-off meeting, organised by Xjenza Malta on 28 July 2026, marked the launch of five new research and innovation (R&I) projects that foster greater collaboration between Malta-based researchers and partners in Türkiye. The projects, awarded funding under the fifth Xjenza Malta–TÜBİTAK Joint Call for Research and Innovation R&I Proposals (2025), cover a range of research areas, including aviation, health, water management, and farming systems.

Society, Students

Should Universities Cross-Pollinate Subjects in an Uncertain World?

Technology is seeping into research and academic writing, and the shift towards labour-market facilitation rather than academic curation is changing the knowledge and learning landscape. Such shifts, however, are set against cultural biases in subjects and traditional, outdated academic structures, even as universities try to evolve.

Arts

I Will Continue to Follow the Ship

Curated by Elyse Tonna with artist Dr Matthew Attard, ‘The Ship (Unseen)’ delivers the same brilliance and deep artistic intent which Attard, Tonna, and the rest of the team had been praised for during the 60th Venice Biennale. In 2025, the two sought to continue building on the themes of connection, identity, and memory established in ‘I Will Follow the Ship’, making use once again of that iconic, ever-moving, web-like linework.

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