Our Networks and International Partners

Cross-border academic networks are becoming more and more important for universities when it comes to strengthening international ties, providing researchers with access to collaborative projects, sharing knowledge and resources, and acquiring third-party funding. In 2023, UZH continued to step up its activities in key international university networks.

UZH hosted the Rectors’ Assembly of the League of European Research Universities (LERU) in May 2023, bringing together the top brass from Europe’s leading research universities to address and strategize research across Europe. In addition, in December last year, the Vice President Research invited her peers to Zurich to discuss a European initiative on research assess­ment and other topics as part of the LERU Research Policy Group. Furthermore, the Senior Officers of LERU universities gathered at UZH in autumn 2023.

UZH’s invol­vement in LERU (since 2006) is a crucial part of our Global Strategy 2030. It enables us to work together with our partner universities to shape research policy discussions at a European level.

UZH’s membership in the Una Europa alliance since 2022 ensures that we remain a key cog in the European Research Area. Una Europa is a leading network of European univer­sities with 11 partner institutions that have com­mitted to close cooperation in research, teaching and governance. The goal is to establish a “University of the Future” together, offering joint inter­national study programs, main­taining a shared agenda for research and inno­vation activities, and developing a strategy on the joint use of resources and infra­structure, among other things. UZH researchers can get involved in long-term research and teaching collabo­rations supported with funds from the University Research Funding (UFO) and theUZH Teaching Fund (ULF). Joint acqui­sitions of third-party funding are high on the agenda, for example through Horizon Europe and Erasmus Plus.

There is tremendous potential for cooperation here, with many of UZH’s research strengths aligning with Une Europa’s six focus areas: Data Science and AI, Europe and the World, Cultural Heritage, Sustaina­bility, Future Materials, and One Health. The new One Health Institute at UZH, established in 2023, benefits from the alliance’s strategic focus, allowing UZH to integrate into one of the largest inter­national One Health networks.

Una Europa also main­tains ties that extend beyond Europe, as demon­strated by the partnership estab­lished in 2022 with eight African universities. This colla­boration includes the Una Europa Africa Partnership Seed Funding Call 2023/2024, which enables researchers to apply for funding for inter­national projects in the alliance’s focus areas. In addition, UZH is currently involved in setting up two joint Bachelor’s programs, one in European Studies (from 2025) and one in Sustaina­bility (from 2026). UZH also contributed several modules to the 2023 Una Europa One Health Summer School, which was aimed at PhD candidates and took place at KU Leuven.

Una Europa has been instru­mental in streng­thening UZH’s bilateral partnerships, including with Freie Univer­sität Berlin and KU Leuven, both of whom are founding members of the alliance. In May 2023, UZH further deepened its longstanding partnership with KU Leuven on all levels by signing a strategic partner­ship agreement. Thanks to our invol­vement in the LERU and U21 networks, we also maintain close ties with other alliance partners – namely the University of Helsinki, University College Dublin, the University of Edinburgh and Leiden University.

UZH’s active role in the Universitas 21 (U21) network since 2017 has been crucial in strengthening global research and academic collaborations with universities from all continents. The first-ever U21 Researcher Engagement Meeting in September 2023, hosted by UZH, addressed current challenges in research, such as the role of AI, and facilitated discussions on enhancing access to funding and mentoring PhD students.

In 2023, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), one of Indonesia’s oldest and largest universities, was welcomed into the U21 network, bringing the number of U21 members up to 29. A UGM delegation visited UZH in November 2023 to discuss plans to step up cooperation and strengthen existing collaborations. The already active partnership with UZH is rooted in the Department of Social Anthropology and Cultural Studies (ISEK) and UGM’s Department of Anthropology.

In addition to engaging in major international networks, UZH maintains strategic partnerships with select universities to address global challenges, create joint academic programs, foster dialogue with key stakeholders, and learn from each other at an institutional level. The strategic partnership with Kyoto University, for example, illustrates what can be achieved through strategic relationships. The partnership between the two institutions is rooted in more than 10 years of close cooperation between UZH’s Institute of Regenerative Medicine (IREM) and Kyoto University’s Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), both of which are leading in their field. In 2020, this cooperation was elevated to a dynamic strategic partnership at university level.

At the Kyoto Symposium in March 2023, organized jointly by both universities, researchers from both institutions shared their insights on data science and AI across various academic disciplines, including medicine, evolutionary biology and law. The symposium was followed by the Zurich-Tokyo Science Evening at the Swiss embassy in Tokyo, which facilitated discussions between UZH researchers and Japanese policymakers and experts, underlining the significance of this strategic partnership between UZH and Kyoto University.

Some of the initiatives that emerged from the symposium have already been awarded funding from UZH’s Global Strategy and Partnerships and Funding Scheme, including a collaborative project integrating AI technology and natural language processing in the field of radiology to develop new applications that can transform medical diagnostics and treatments. As a further outcome of the symposium, visiting fellow Kana Eguchi from Kyoto University held a presentation at UZH’s Healthy Longevity Center. She highlighted an approach called P4 Medicine, which focuses on prediction, prevention, personalization and active participation to promote healthier aging. This presentation laid the groundwork for future joint research initiatives in healthcare and healthy longevity.

In 2022, UZH introduced the Global Strategy and Partnerships Funding Scheme, which helps researchers establish international connections within existing networks. Its aim is to maximize the benefits of collaborative synergies and bolster UZH’s international network, thereby further strengthening UZH's international network and increasing the visibility of joint research and teaching efforts with key partner universities on the global stage. The scheme also offers seed funding across all research phases, enabling everything from preliminary coordination to full-scale project execution.

Projects supported by the Global Strategy and Partnerships Funding Scheme often involve joint research initiatives, where various partner institutions pool their expertise to address challenges that may be beyond the scope of any single institution. Examples of ongoing projects under the scheme include:

Plant sciences: Joint research with Kyoto University and the University of Tokyo has led to breakthrough advances in plant science. The collaboration supported by the Global Strategy and Partnerships Funding Scheme addresses global agricultural challenges by integrating genomics and machine learning. The goal is to develop resilient strains of wheat varieties capable of withstanding climate change, thereby enhancing global food security against environmental fluctuations.

Stem cells: The UZH Institute for Regenerative Medicine (IREM) and Kyoto University are pioneering research in stem cell aging and rejuvenation. This groundbreaking research aims to improve the health of aging populations and help reduce healthcare costs.

Digital transformation and politics: Policymakers are tasked with systematically leveraging the benefits of digital transformation while correctly assessing the risks and opportunities of new technologies. To support members of the Swiss parliament in this area, UZH’s Digital Society Initiative and the Verein Parldigi association launched the so-called Parldigi MasterClass project. Thanks to the support under the Global Strategy and Partnerships Funding Scheme, and in collaboration with the University of Geneva, a strategic partner of UZH, the program has now been extended to French-speaking Switzerland.

Rabies elimination: In partnership with Makerere University in Uganda and the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, UZH is involved in a research initiative to eliminate human rabies cases resulting from dog bites by 2030. The researchers have been involved in the initiative as part of the One Health Institute since 2023. The stated goal of the project is to largely eradicate rabies through vaccination and education campaigns, improved diagnostics, and case surveillance. The project is thus in line with the objectives of the World Health Organization (WHO), which is striving to end human deaths from rabies transmitted by dog bites by 2030.

Read more about UZH’s global networks, activities and impact here.