On 25 March 2026, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam hosted the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) for the International Common Indicators Initiative (ICII), marking the official start of a new international research collaboration.
The initiative brings together Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), and the Leibniz-Institut für Resilienzforschung (LIR) in Germany. It is established under JST’s Moonshot Goal 9 programme, which focuses on advancing the understanding of the human mind and promoting wellbeing.
The ICII aims to develop internationally shared indicators to better understand the human mind and resilience. The collaboration focuses on integrating psychological, physiological, neurobiological, and omics-based data, while aligning methods for data collection, processing, and analysis across institutions.
By creating harmonized datasets and common research standards, the initiative supports more comparable and scalable research at a global level.
Interdisciplinary research on mental health and resilience
At VU Amsterdam, this initiative is led by Prof. dr. Meike Bartels, University Research Professor in Genetics and Wellbeing, Full Professor in the Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, and Head of the Department of Biological Psychology, together with her research team. Through this collaboration, VU Amsterdam strengthens its role in interdisciplinary research on mental health and resilience. As a founding partner of ICII, VU contributes to the development of shared methodologies and participates in a growing international research network.
The signing of the MoC reflects a shared commitment to long-term collaboration and lays the foundation for future joint research activities. With this step, ICII moves forward, advancing research that connects science and society in the field of human wellbeing.