CIVIS, the pan-European network of 10 leading higher education institutions, of which the University of Glasgow is a founder member, has launched an ambitious partnership agreement to enhance cross-Mediterranean collaboration in higher education.

The partnership agreement involves the 10 members of CIVIS, together with six leading African universities. It promotes closer integration between CIVIS members and the African partner institutions, offering the chance for increased mobility (both physical and virtual) new opportunities to leverage shared capacities to seek external funding, and work with a positive social impact on our local communities.

CIVIS also issued a clear call for a European Universities Initiative (EUI) to further global partnership, publishing a position paper (.pdf) which outlines the vision. The is the EUI is the EU’s flagship policy in higher education.      

The agreement was signed on behalf of the University of Glasgow by Rachel Sandison, Deputy Vice Chancellor, External Engagement, at a ceremony in Marseilles last week. It came on final day of the three-day conference New Horizons for the European-African Partnership, co-hosted by CIVIS and its member university Aix-Marseille Université as part of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Council.

Rachel Sandison said: “There is clearly tremendous potential that we can unlock through fostering new and productive relationships between Europe and African higher education institutions.

“This landmark partnership agreement sets out clear commitments from the University of Glasgow and the CIVIS network to create closer collaborative links which benefit our institutions, the HE sector of our home continents as well as our societies at large.”

First published: 11 March 2022

<< 15 March 2022