International University Networks
The University of Freiburg is a member of three international university networks whose goal is to intensify academic and scientific cooperation in the areas of basic research, joint research projects, student exchange, conferences, and symposia:
AC21
The AC21 network (Academic Consortium 21) was founded in June 2002 at the first international forum at and by the University of Nagoya. Its members include reknowned institutions of higher education such as the Peking University, the University of Sydney, the University of Warwick, the North Carolina State University, the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, and many more. The main fields of activity of the AC21 network are the exchange of students, researchers, and administrative personell and the periodic organization of international forums. In 2004 the forum took place at the University of Sydney, and in July 2006 it was be held at the University of Warwick.
For further information on the network and its work, visit the AC21 homepage.
LERU
The University of Freiburg has been a member of the European university network LERU (League of European Research Universities) since the beginning of March 2006. The main areas of concentration of the network are cooperation in European higher education and (basic) research policy, especially as regards the growing competition from research institutions which are not affiliated with a university, as well as exchange programs for postgraduate students.
Universities may only become a member of LERU by way of invitation. The criteria which have a bearing on this invitation include volume of research, third-party funding and research budget, and the quality of the graduate programs at the university.
Current concepts are discussed at periodical committee meetings and conferences for rectors and senior officers. Further information on the network, its work, current activities, and its members may be found on the LERU homepage.
ASEA-Uninet
The University of Freiburg has been a member of the ASEA-UNINET network since 2002. This network, which was founded in 1994 by the University of Innsbruck and today includes 55 European and Southeast Asian universities, has the following goals:
- joint research projects
- exchange programs (visiting scholars, students, personell)
- graduate and postgraduate programs
- special training courses
The network serves as a platform for discussing and organizing collaborative projects, especially in Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam. The internet site of ASEA-Uninet offers an overview of the past activities of the network as well as more information on each of the participating universities.