The Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) today announced that the University of Basel has joined its global research network, raising membership to 18 universities.
Founded in 1460, the University of Basel is Switzerland’s oldest university and is among the world’s top ten German-speaking institutions.
Executive Director John Hearn said WUN is proud to partner with an institution that shares its vision of creating opportunities in international research and graduate education.
“The University of Basel has cultivated a strong international identity by recruiting talented young researchers from around the world. This aligns with our mission to foster the next generation of researchers through initiatives like the Research Mobility Programme, which gives PhD students and early-career researchers an opportunity to gain international experience and expand their professional networks,” said Professor Hearn.
Dr Max Price, Chair of the WUN Partnership Board said: “The University of Basel brings significant strengths to the network and we look forward to their engagement in many of the 109 research programs of WUN.”
Rector Professor Dr Antonio Loprieno said the partnership will help to further position the University of Basel as one that is both regionally integrated and internationally-oriented.
“WUN is a very active network that is aimed at very specific forms of cooperation in teaching and research. It does not only keep up a dialogue between university administrators but also promotes bottom-up projects. Furthermore, WUN is particularly present in the Anglo-Saxon world which is in line with our internationalization strategy.”
The University of Basel is particularly strong in the area of life sciences, and is regarded as a center of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. Other key focal areas include nanophysics and quantum physics, chemistry, computational sciences, and research into new materials and energy forms. 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. Through its European and Global Studiesfocal area, it is also beginning to expand its expertise to include a focus on emerging regions in Africa and East Asia.
