THE University of Glasgow has secured associate member status of Civis – a European university alliance.
The alliance aims to tackle the big social challenges of the 21st century, to carry out relevant research, and to work responsibly and sustainably with an eye to the future.
Rachel Sandison, vice principal of external relations at Glasgow University, said: “In this post-Brexit landscape, Glasgow continues to consider itself a proudly European institution with much to contribute to, and many benefits to be had from, collaboration with European partners.
“Civis includes partners from all types of higher education institutions and covers a broad geographic scope across Europe. This alliance will allow our students, academics and external partners to co-operate in inter-disciplinary teams to tackle some of the biggest issues facing us today, including climate change and the environment.”
The Civis Alliance is funded by the EU through the European University Initiative under the Erasmus+ program and it focuses specifically on five thematic areas: health; cities, territories and mobilities; climate, environment and energy; digital and technological transformation; and society, cultures and heritage.
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Professor Marian Preda, president of Civis, said: “The eight pioneer universities of Civis, one of the very first European universities, are positively delighted to welcome the University of Glasgow as an associate partner. The amount of talent, experience and reach of the University of Glasgow will significantly strengthen the alliance at a time when Civis is developing a range of ground-breaking initiatives in education, research, innovation, and links with society.
“Moreover, we find that welcoming a Scottish university into a European alliance at this particular time in European history is, by itself, utterly significant.”
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