USN has joined the Young European Research Universities Network (YERUN), which is a network of young universities established after 1960. The network aims to strengthen and develop cooperation in research and education between young research universities in Europe. With todays’ expansion, the network counts 22 members, including the four new universities who joined in 2022.
– YERUN are proud to kick off the new year welcoming four new members, whose commitment to excellence in research and education did not go unnoticed. Their unique experiences, fresh ideas and praiseworthy achievements will bring a new dynamic to the Network, helping us to strengthen our collective intelligence and solidarity through institutional engagement, and to expand the space for freedom of thought and action, president of YERUN, professor Snježana Prijić-Samaržija says in the press release issued by YERUN today.
Stirling University, University of Potsdam and the University of Klagenfurt (Austria) have also joined the network along with USN.
In the press release, YERUN says; These four new memberships bring new perspectives, energies and expertise to YERUN, further strengthening the voice of young research universities in Europe.
Young and ambitious
Among the YERUN members there are a number of solid and highly ranked universities with high-quality research environments that could be interesting to USN’s researchers.
Rector Petter Aasen wants USN to use the membership actively to contribute to the development of USN in strategic areas, to increase the quality of education and research, to increase funding from European programmes and to facilitate more student exchange and increased internationalisation at USN.
– We are delighted to take part in this community of young, progressive universities that work to transform higher education in Europe. This network of universities is sharing our vision, mission, values, focus areas and priorities. Through collaboration in education and research the ambition is to benefit from, and contribute to YERUN's mission and strategy, says Aasen.
A voice in the European debate
The network has established several arenas for cooperation and the sharing of good practises. YERUN also represents the interests of young universities in European policy processes and in giving input to the European funding programmes.
The members cooperate on bringing new perspectives into the European debate, as well as being a unified and strong voice in the European arena.
The network cooperates both on research and educational initiatives, increased mobility and providing solutions to some of the societal challenges Europe faces.