UZH Joins European University Alliance Una Europa

Established in 2018, Una Europa was among the first alliances selected to receive European Commission funding under the prestigious European Universities initiative. The alliance has pioneered a Europe-wide living lab of over 20 innovative educational formats, with mobility for students, academics and university staff at the core.

Today, Una Europa is one of Europe’s leading university alliances comprising partner universities all over Europe: Freie Universität Berlin, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, University of Edinburgh, Helsingin yliopisto/Helsingfors universitet, Uniwersytet Jagielloński w Krakowie, Universiteit Leiden, KU Leuven, Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne.

On today’s Europe Day, the University of Zurich and University College Dublin will join the Una Europe network.

Shared values and goals

UZH’s president Michael Schaepman highlights the importance of being part of the European Universities initiative: “Geographically, Switzerland will always be part of Europe, although at this moment not associated to Horizon Europe. With its transitional measures, the Federal Council and Parliamant facilitate the participation of Swiss universities in European alliances. Excellence, interdisciplinarity and innovation can only be maintained with active participation in the European Higher Education and Research Area. UZH is therefore very proud to join Una Europa, a leading European alliance rethinking higher education. I am looking forward to this new partnership, where common values and goals are shared with leading universities, shaping the future for all of us.”

Matching focus areas

UZH’s strategic priorities are a very good match to the focus areas and activities of Una Europa. For example, both UZH and the alliance have a strong focus on One Health, sustainability and data science. Further, democracy studies, rule of law, human rights and cultural heritage are amongst the disciplines where UZH offers a wide range of excellence that can contribute to Una Europa’s focus on Europe and the world. “We are delighted and honored that the University of Zurich, as one of Europe’s great universities, has agreed to join Una Europa,” says James Smith, Chair of the Una Europa Board of Directors. “UZH’s great research strengths, commitment to outstanding student experience, and distinctive internationalism will make a major contribution to Una Europa, cementing our position as one of Europe’s leading university alliances.”

Established partnerships

With joining Una Europa, UZH builds on some trusted, long-term partnerships. Freie Universität Berlin, one of the founding members of Una Europa, has been a strategic partner of UZH since 2017.

With other alliance partners, namely Helsingin yliopisto/Helsingfors universitet, KU Leuven, UC Dublin, University of Edinburgh and Universiteit Leiden, UZH shares strong ties through the complementing memberships in the networks LERU (League of European Research Universities) and Universitas 21. Becoming a member of Una Europa aligned with UZH’s newly published Global Strategy 2030 and the goal to remain firmly embedded within the European Higher Education and Research Area.