New European Partnership Signals Shared Vision

Campus der Universität von Leeds (Foto: University of Leeds) — Campus of the University of Leeds (Photo: University of Leeds)

The University of Leeds in the UK and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany have signed a new partnership agreement, to strengthen future research and education opportunities. The alliance will develop research collaborations and exchange opportunities for undergraduate students, postgraduates and staff.

It builds on a long-standing collaboration between Leeds’ Institute for Climate and Atmospheric Science (ICAS) and KIT’s Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research, two of Europe’s renowned research institutes for atmospheric science. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed this week.

Professor Hai-Sui Yu, the University of Leeds’ Deputy Vice-Chancellor: International, said: “This MoU is a symbol of our strong commitment to international collaboration and of sharing and exchanging ideas, knowledge and opportunities. “Working with such outstanding international partners helps ensure our research and education makes a difference across the world.

“No matter how Brexit unfolds, such successful partnerships will remain critically important to us. We are bringing together two great institutions, with a shared vision of maintaining and building strong relationships between leading UK and European universities.”

KIT Vice President for Innovation and International Affairs, Professor Thomas Hirth, said: “The agreement is an example for the strategic alignment of KIT in the field of international cooperation. With his partners, KIT meets global challenges and problems. In doing so, we strive for sustainable collaborations.“

The next exchange visit is already planned for July 2019, when future research collaborations will be explored, focusing initially in the fields of climate change, AI and robotics, advanced materials, and data analytics.

The University of Leeds received more than €19m in funding from the prestigious European Research Council (ERC) during 2018. The figure places Leeds in the top 10 recipients of ERC funding among UK universities.

28.03.2019