UT was invited to partner the most renowned research universities in Europe
The University of Tartu has got an invitation to join two important international cooperation networks – the GUILD, established this summer, and the Eastern and Central European partnership programme of the League of European Research Universities (LERU).
Rector Volli Kalm said that both GUILD and LERU comprise the top research universities. “These invitations are a recognition of what people working for our university have achieved. That is also reflected in different international rankings, as well as the success in Horizon 2020 funding proposals,” Kalm said. “Both networks share the opinion that the stronger the fundamental research and the universities and institutes are, the more possibilities there are to find solutions to practical problems,” he added.
LERU, which comprises 21 leading universities in Europe, invited seven universities from Eastern and Central Europe to collaborate in research policies and research. The university of Tartu was the only one invited from the Baltic countries. Read more at LERU website.
Cooperation with LERU demands involvement and active participation. We have the possibility to participate in different cooperation projects, like for example the seminar on preservation of native languages in the context of internationalisation, held in Tartu in September and organised jointly by the Catholic University of Leuven (a member of LERU) and the University of Tartu. The LERU universities have also offered us seminars on writing grant applications for the European Science Foundation.
GUILD is a newly established organisation of European research-intensive universities, which will be formally launched on 21 and 22 November in Brussels. The goals of the GUILD include increasing the funding directed into research policy, enhancing the role of the humanities and social sciences besides science and technology, as well as developing business relations and innovation. Founders of the GUILD include 14 carefully selected universities from European countries.
According to Kristi Kerge, head of the International Cooperation Unit, this proves the high level of the University of Tartu as a research-intensive university and allows us to stand out as the partners of the world’s top universities. “While at first it is important for us to just belong to the organisation, in future this partnership is likely to give us opportunities to participate in larger and more significant research projects and bring more research funding to the university,” Kerge explained.
“We want to take more initiative in GUILD, as it is a new, just starting organisation. Our opinion is important and it is taken into account. For example, a GUILD conference is planned to be held in Brussels on 1–2 June, to which we have already proposed our presentations and speakers,” Kerge said.
Additional information:
Kristi Kerge, Head of International Cooperation, 737 6123, kristi.kerge [ät] ut.ee