12 May 2015

Worldwide Universities Network expands

Three new universities – in Europe, Africa, and the US – have joined the Worldwide Universities Network.

Leeds is a founding member of the WUN and supports collaborations with all its members.  The new members are:

  • University of Ghana
  • University of Massachusetts Amherst
  • University of Basel

 The University of Ghana is the oldest and largest of the six public universities in Ghana. As part of its vision to become a world class research intensive institution, it has identified four priority areas where the university will focus and promote international collaboration in research initiatives to enhance its research output. These research areas are:

  • malaria research
  • trans-disciplinary research into climate change adaptation
  • enhancing food production and processing
  • development policy and poverty monitoring and evaluation.

The University of Ghana has several research institutions and centres for learning and research, including:

  • Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIR)
  • Centre for Tropical, Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
  • Regional Institute for Population Studies
  • Institute for Environmental and Sanitation Studies
  • Institute for Statistical, Social and Economic Research.  

Leeds has existing links with the University of Ghana, particularly through public health research and in the social sciences, and we have alumni in Ghana working in the fields of public health, business and transport.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is one of the largest public research universities in the United States.  It is a leader in life sciences, ranking third in funding from the National Science Foundation among Massachusetts colleges and universities, behind only MIT and Harvard.  UMass Amherst also specialises in climate change research. In 2011, it was selected by the U.S. government to lead a consortium of seven universities and host a major new initiative, the Northeast Climate Science Center to study the effects of climate change on ecosystems, wildlife, water and other resources.  

Leeds has existing research links with Umass Amherst in the fields of medicine, physics and astronomy, social sciences and engineering.  We also have promising links across the Faculties of Arts and PVAC, particularly in relation to German, World Cinema, Medieval Studies, and the Public Understanding of Science.

The University of Basel is Switzerland’s oldest university.  It has an international reputation in life sciences and is a coordinating centre for the activities of several Swiss universities in international public health.  It is regarded as a leader in pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology.  It has identified five key areas of research focus:

  • life sciences
  • image studies
  • nanophysics and quantum physics
  • sustainability and energy
  • European and global studies

It works closely with distinguished research institutions such as the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI), the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH), Swisspeace and the Basel Institute on Governance—a think tank focusing on global, corporate and public governance. 

Leeds has existing links with the University of Basel in medicine and biochemistry.

Academics interested in establishing new international research collaborations with these universities, extending the footprint of national research, or accessing local equipment or facilities should contact Louise Heery (38799), International Networks and Collaborations Manager in RIS.

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