University of Birmingham

EUniWell – the European University for Well-Being – is among the consortia selected for funding in the second “European Universities” call for proposals which is part of the ERASMUS+ programme of the European Commission.

The European Commission’s Directorate General for Education and Culture has selected 24 European University Alliances, which will obtain funding for their projects to become the ‘European Universities’ of the future.

EUniWell unites seven European universities from across diverse European regions. The Universities of Birmingham, Cologne, Florence, Leiden, Linnaeus, Nantes, and Semmelweis (Budapest) form the “European University for Well-Being”.

Through top-level education and research and its wide range of diverse institutional profiles, this alliance will help to drive transformation to support individual, social and environmental well-being in a global setting.

EUniWell unites 244,000 students and 36,500 staff members. In coming together at this scale and reach, the seven partner universities of EUniWell recognise their responsibilities for training the next generation of Europeans, enabling scientific breakthroughs and ensuring successful knowledge transfer to benefit society as a whole.As Europe’s next generation, students are the core of the alliance and are involved in all its aspects including governance. 

EUniWell has established a network with 102 associated partners including the seven city councils as well as numerous academic institutions, educational, cultural, and health organizations and companies who support EUniWell’s vision and mission.

EUniWell has identified four key areas for research and teaching, closely linked to UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in which the partner universities have strong expertise and which, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, have gained additional urgency:

• Well-Being & Health (SDG 3, Good Health & Well-Being)
• Individual & Social Well-Being (SDG 16, Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions)
• Environment, Urbanity & Well-Being (SDG 11, Sustainable Cities & Communities)
• Teacher Education (SDG 4, Quality Education)

Following the funding decision, the leaders of EUniWell commented that “the selection for funding as a European University will enable us to accelerate working towards our mission and deepen our collaboration. As a ‘European University’, we are committed to sharing our experience and best practices as we build a multi-campus European University together, supported by our network of associated partners.”

EUniWell leaders:

• Professor Sir David Eastwood, Vice-Chancellor and Principal, University of Birmingham, UK
• Professor Axel Freimuth, Rector, Universität zu Köln, Germany
• Professor Luigi Dei, Rector, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy
• Professor Carel Stolker, Rector Magnificus & President, Universiteit Leiden, Netherlands
• Professor Peter Aronsson, Vice-Chancellor, Linnéuniversitetet, Sweden
• Professor Carine Bernault, President, Université de Nantes, France
• Professor Béla Merkely, Rector, Semmelweis University, Hungary

EUniWell Steering Committee:

• Professor Robin Mason, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International), University of Birmingham
• Professor Beatrix Busse, Vice-Rector Teaching & Studies, Universität zu Köln, Germany
• Professor Heinz-Peter Mansel, Vice-Rector International Affairs, Universität zu Köln, Germany
• Professor Giorgia Giovannetti, Vice-Rector for International Relations, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy
• Professor Hester Bijl, Vice Rector Magnificus, Universiteit Leiden, Netherlands
• Professor Ann-Charlotte Larsson, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Linnéuniversitetet, Sweden
• Professor Gwenaele Proutiere-Maulion, Vice-President for European Affairs and International Relations, Université de Nantes, France
• Professor Olivier Grasset, Vice-President for Research, Université de Nantes, France
• Professor Péter Ferdinandy, Vice-Rector for Science and Innovations, Semmelweis University, Hungary
• Judith Barth, EUniWell Chief Student Officer

• For more information, please contact Tony Moran, International Communications Manager, University of Birmingham, +44 (0)782 783 2312. For out-of-hours enquiries, please call +44 (0) 7789 921 165. 
• The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions and is a member of the UK’s Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham: leading researchers and teachers and more than 8,500 international students from over 150 countries.
• The University of Cologne is one of the top comprehensive research universities in Germany and a member of the GermanU15 group. Cologne’s students come from 180 countries. Its 6 Faculties and 16 cross-Faculty research and teaching centres ensure the high reputation of Cologne’s graduates for both research and the wider market. Among Cologne’s many internationally renowned research units are four Clusters of Excellence on Aging-associated Diseases, Public Policy and Markets, Plant Sciences and Matter and Light for Quantum Computing funded within the German Excellence Strategy.
• The University of Florence is one of the most important Italian public comprehensive universities with a strong international vocation and a large number of “departments of excellence”. It is a top destination in Europe for Erasmus and has a particularly high number of enrolled international students. Unifi has over 400 cooperation agreements with universities and research centres in 89 different countries and a unique cooperation with the study abroad programme of Stanford, NYU, Syracuse and many of the other 43 US programmes in Florence.
• Leiden University is one of Europe’s leading international research universities. It has seven faculties in the arts, humanities and sciences, spread over locations in Leiden and The Hague including the largest bio-science park in the Netherlands with a unique innovative ecosystem. Leiden University is ranked amongst the top 100 universities and listed 38 in THEs most international universities ranking. Leiden University is member of the League of European Research Universities – LERU.
• Linnaeus University is Sweden’s sixth largest university in terms of number of students, with some 600 partner universities in more than 80 countries. Its nationally and internationally prominent research covers a wide range of disciplines with a number of cutting-edge research environments from ecology and evolution to discrimination and integration, postcolonialism, intermediality, bioscience, and big data.
• The University of Nantes is a comprehensive and multi-disciplinary university with 20 faculties in technology, humanities and sciences. It has a strong focus on excellence in teaching and research and two fields of priority in health and industry of the future. Nantes University is ranked amongst the top 200 universities that contribute the most actively to sustainable development objectives addressed by the United Nations (THE university impact rankings) and amongst the top 100 Reuters ranking for Europe most innovative universities.

• Semmelweis University is a leading biomedical institution of higher education in Hungary and Central Europe. Education, research & innovation, and healthcare comprise the University’s three-pillar mission. Its educational programmes in English, German and Hungarian attract students from more than 70 different countries. The international student body accounts for nearly a third of the almost 11,000 students studying at the university’s six faculties. Semmelweis University is the largest healthcare provider in Hungary and a regional centre of excellence in research and innovation in the field of life sciences.