Freie Universität Berlin Joins Europaeum University Network
Under leadership of Oxford University, 16 universities promote young talent and European values
№ 104/2019 from Apr 17, 2019
Freie Universität Berlin has become the newest member of the Europaeum – A Network of Leading European Universities. The association includes 16 outstanding European universities led by the University of Oxford. The Europaeum is committed to promoting young talent and advocating European integration.
Prof. Dr. Verena Blechinger-Talcott, the vice president responsible for international matters at Freie Universität, pointed out that membership in this association will help the university provide opportunities for doctoral candidates to participate in joint programs, where they can establish their own networks important for their academic careers. At a workshop of the European scholars network, Prof. Blechinger-Talcott met with Prof. Dr. Hartmut Mayer, the acting director of the Europaeum, to talk about future cooperation. Membership in the association is expected to facilitate two goals that are important to Freie Universität, support for students and junior scholars and internationalization. In this time of political uncertainty, the membership sends out a strong signal in support of European cohesion.
The Europaeum is an association of leading European universities, which was founded in 1992. The association encourages excellence and cooperation in research and teaching among the partner institutions. It aims to develop a European academic network and to promote the future leaders of Europe. To achieve these goals, the members organize joint summer schools and international conferences, among other things. European values are also promoted through publications, joint classes, and scholarships. Since 2018, the Europaeum has been funding doctoral candidates over a two-year period through workshops and opportunities to establish networks with a focus on themes such as inclusion, sustainability, and growth and development. In the future, these programs will also be open to young researchers at Freie Universität Berlin.
Dr. Andrew Graham, Executive Chair of the Europaeum, commented, “The Europaeum was founded when the idea of Europe was in its heyday. However, the current strains and stresses showing across Europe make it even more important today to bring outstanding young people together to learn to work collaboratively and to become the problem solvers for the twenty first century.”
The Europaeum is composed of member universities from 13 European countries. In Germany, Freie Universität Berlin and LMU Munich are members. Important international partner universities of Freie Universität are also members of the Europaeum.
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More Information
Britta Piel, Deputy Director, Center for International Cooperation, Freie Universität Berlin, Tel.: +49 30 838-73943, Email: britta.piel@fu-berlin.de