Cooperation and Partnerships
Background
The Guild and ARUA
The University of Bern has recognised expertise in research on Africa and many years' experience of working with African partners. Joining The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities was an opportunity to further strengthen this commitment, as this network works closely with the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA).
As experts in international research collaboration, ARUA and The Guild launched the Cluster of Research Excellence (CoRE) initiative, whose aim is to create, through clusters, a new model of collaborative research that emphasises equal opportunities as a prerequisite for effective research excellence. At the same time, clusters should make significant contributions to global science in the key areas of the African Union (AU)-European Union (EU) Innovation Agenda, including public health, green transition, innovation and technology, and capacities for science. In 2023, ARUA and The Guild launched 20 Africa-Europe CoRE.
The Africa-Europe CoREs are jointly coordinated by a member of The Guild and a member of ARUA, and are characterised by a long-term vision. In addition to joint research projects, the focus is on promoting young researchers, for example, by establishing a joint doctoral program.
Two of these Africa-Europe CoREs are led by strategic centres of the University of Bern together with African partners. The Multidisciplinary Center for Infectious Diseases (MCID) leads a CoRE with a focus on medical genomics and another on advanced infectious diseases; the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) leads a CoRE on sustainable water and land management. The Institute of Plant Sciences is a Core Partner in a project on sustainable food systems, and the Bern University Hospital is a partner on the CoRE focusing on non-communicable diseases and multimorbidity. See more information about the 5 CoREs in the "Africa-Europe Clusters of Research Excellence (CoRE)" section.
The Guild was founded in 2016 and counts among its members 23 of Europe's top research-intensive universities from 17 countries. It is committed to strengthening the voice of academic institutions, research teams and the student body. The Guild is committed to the pursuit of excellence, the recognition of truth and the establishment of trust as the basis of public life. The Guild is also committed to creating new knowledge that will benefit society, culture, and economic growth. The University of Bern has been a member of The Guild since 2017.
African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA)
ARUA was inaugurated in Dakar in March 2015 and brings together 23 of Africa's leading universities. It aims to become a pan-African network that, by developing strong research universities, will advance academic excellence across the continent to find solutions to Africa's development challenges. It aims to enhance research and graduate training in member universities through a number of channels, including the setting up of Centres of Excellence (CoEs) to be hosted by member universities.