Research Universities’ first joint conference

The League of European Research Universities (LERU) and the Association of East Asia Research Universities (AEARU) have held their first joint meeting at the National Tsing Hua University (NTHU), Taiwan.

Founded in 1995, AEARU now comprises 17 member universities in China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. LERU is represented by its Chair and Secretary-General, Professor Bernd Huber and Professor Kurt Deketelaere, together with a delegation of LERU Rectors and Vice-Rectors.

Sepaking the event held last week, Deketelaere said: “Research universities can work together across borders to make far-reaching contributions to problem solving and innovation around the world.”

Future collaboration among the two networks and their universities was explored during the two-day visit. Topics on the agenda included global research issues with a special focus on new educational and research initiatives. A meeting with the Taiwanese Minister of Education also took place.

Furthermore, AEARU was invited to sign up to the Hefei Statement, a joint declaration on the characteristics of contemporary research universities. Four of the world’s leading research university associations (LERU, the Association of American Universities, the C9 League in China and the Group of Eight Australia), issued this statement at the 2013 annual meeting of the C9 universities in Hefei, China.

The four groups are keen to gather support for the research university characteristics by inviting comparable associations of research universities to sign on to the joint statement.