In 1996 the University of Amsterdam engaged in a project aiming at ‘internationalization’ of its teaching programs. ‘Internationalization’ should stimulate students to carry out part of their studies at universities abroad, with the aim to become more aware of the increasingly important international environment. As medical informatics then was a relatively young program, it was decided to seek collaboration with older and more established medical informatics schools. Soon contact with the medical informatics program in Heidelberg/Heilbronn, Germany was established. Students and teachers from Amsterdam and Heidelberg travelled to one another’s university and participated in educational activities. One of the other first activities was an international Master Class. The aim of this Master Class was to expose selected, excellent students of medical informatics to an international environment at a truly academic level.

The first Master Class was held in Rolduc, a convent in the southern province of Limburg in the Netherlands, in 1999. This proved to be successful.