Universitas 21 - U21

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What is Universitas 21 and who is it for?

What are the benefits for Lund University in being a member of U21?

Opportunities for staff and doctoral candidates

Current collaborations between LU and U21 members

What is Universitas 21 and who is it for?

Universitas 21 (U21) is a leading global network of research-intensive universities that encourages its members to share excellence and to collaborate across borders. The network consists of 29 member universities and Lund University is the only member university in Sweden. U21 provides a range of different opportunities for students, researchers as well as senior academic and professional staff.

What are the benefits for Lund University in being a member of U21?

U21 connects 1 million students and 200,000 staff and Lund University aims to leverage the strengths of this network to not only be inspired, but to also inspire others. Being a part of U21 has numerous benefits for Lund University, such as being able to participate in education and research initiatives, and to enhance students’ engagement, mobility, and employability through internationally focused opportunities.

Opportunities for staff and doctoral candidates

For Lecturers and Researchers

As a lecturer and researcher, you can use the U21 network to generate contacts with colleagues at universities within U21 to collaborate on the realisation of ideas on projects or workshops, for example. Collaborations within U21 usually take the form of a project. The network has established Collaborative Groups composed of representatives from the member universities.

For Young Researchers

Early Career Researchers (ECR) workshops are an activity within the U21 network aimed at young researchers at the start of their careers. The theme varies, but the idea is to allow researchers in many different fields to take part. The ECR workshops provide good opportunities for network building and career development. LU supports participation for two or three researchers through a travel grant suitable for the location of the workshop.

Read more about ECR and other past workshops on the U21 website

Current collaborations between LU and U21 members

Collaborative Groups

U21 Health Sciences Group 

The Faculty of Medicine at LU is an active member in the U21 Health Sciences Group that organises various activities each year, such as the annual Student Conference on the SDGs; and the 2018 U21 Health Sciences Summer School (hosted by LU) on the topic of “Climate Change and Global Health”. In September 2023, LU hosted the Annual Health Science Group meeting on the topic Climate Change and Health.

Link to the U21 Health Sciences Group’s website

Link to the 2018 U21 Health Sciences Summer School

U21 International Fire Safety Consortium 

LU is one of five members in the U21 International Fire Safety Consortium which focuses on research, education, and partnerships in the following areas: fire safety in the developing world; social inequality and fire safety; community resilience; and wildfires and wildland-urban interface.

Link to the U21 International Fire Safety Consortium 

Initiatives for collaboration with individual U21 partners

Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (Chile)

ACCESS – Academic Collaboration Chile Sweden is a platform aiming to encourage collaboration within higher education. ACCESS consists of 17 Swedish and Chilean universities.

Read more about ACCESS on the page about Latin America/Collaborations

University of Maryland (USA)

Among the projects carried out is the 2018 Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility funding for faculty and administrative staff visits. Furthermore, the research collaboration between START (National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism), and also, a research project within the Department of Economic History which looks at how countries can build resilience against economic shrinking.

University of Johannesburg (South Africa)

A Linnaeus-Palme project to promote student mobility from South Africa; digital education cooperation within radiology nursing education; and doctoral student mobility within water resources education.

Read more on forms of collaboration within the network on the U21 website