University of Tübingen: European University Alliance CIVIS adopts University of Glasgow
Integration of top Scottish universities strengthens relations with Great Britain after Brexit
The University of Glasgow is a new associated partner in the European university network CIVIS, which has been funded since 2019 as part of the “European Universities” initiative of the European Commission. In December, the commission approved a corresponding application from the eight founding partners of the network, which also includes the University of Tübingen. CIVIS is an association of leading universities from all over Europe that promote innovative teaching and research as well as civil society engagement and promote the exchange of students and employees. Connections to the Middle East and Africa are also to be established.
As a world-class top university, the University of Glasgow is an excellent complement to the CIVIS alliance. In addition, the collaboration with the Scottish university strengthens the relationships between the CIVIS partners in Great Britain and opens up new opportunities for collaboration even after Brexit.
“With the admission of the University of Glasgow, we are sending a signal that for us Great Britain still belongs to Europe,” says Professor Monique Scheer, Vice-Rector for International Affairs and Diversity at the University of Tübingen. Her counterpart in Glasgow, Rachel Sandison, shares this European self-image: “Even after Brexit, Glasgow continues to see itself as a proud European institution that can contribute a lot to and benefit from cooperation with European partners.”
According to the Times Higher Education Ranking and QS World University Ranking, the University of Glasgow is among the top 100 universities worldwide. For five years now, the University of Tübingen has been working with Glasgow and other European universities within the framework of “The Guild”, an association of leading research universities.
“The University of Glasgow is a trusted and proven partner for Tübingen,” explains Professor Scheer. “Such established partnerships are an important basis for the CIVIS alliance.” Within CIVIS, Tübingen is in charge of developing partnerships with universities in the Africa-Middle East region. “The strengths that Glasgow has in this area are an enormous asset for CIVIS,” said the Vice Rector.
With the addition of the University of Glasgow, the CIVIS alliance now includes a community of around 450,000 students and 65,000 employees, including more than 30,000 scientists. With their bundled expertise, the partners want to break new ground in higher education – locally rooted with good relationships in local society, but at the same time with the aim of tackling global challenges together.