InclusU network

The University of Lille (ULille) is a young institution created from the merger of 3 universities on 1 January 2018. The rationale behind this merger was to boost the potential for excellent inter-disciplinary research, to broaden opportunities for students, and to consolidate the position of ULille among the universities of excellence at the heart of Europe. The merger has led to a dynamic, high-quality, multidisciplinary university of 70,000 students (including 9,500 international students), 6,700 employees, 62 research units and courses covering all subject areas.

ULille is a key player in the region for education, research and innovation and commitment to social issues. ULille is located in a region in transition, close to several major metropolitan areas and European capitals, with exceptional connections to extensive international-standard transport infrastructure. For many years, ULille has made European and international development central to teaching, research and governance. The university is expanding its sphere of influence across Europe and beyond, as evidenced by its high-level collaborations with more than 50 countries and its attractiveness for European and international students benefiting from excellent study conditions across the campuses.

ULille, one of France’s research-intensive universities, garnered funding via a national plan to finance excellence (I-SITE ULNE) in 2017 and has a strong research internationalisation strategy.

Malmö University (MaU is the youngest, urban, inclusive higher education institution in Sweden. MaU reflects the local and regional community, embraces diversity as a dimension of quality in education and research and educates and prepares students for lifelong learning so that they become agents of change with readiness to act for a sustainable global society. Broadening participation and social inclusiveness have been an integral part of the institution since it was founded in 1998. Today, two thirds of the students are first generation academics and one third were born outside Sweden.

MaU, with 24,000 students and 1900 staff, has 5 interdisciplinary faculties and 5 transdisciplinary research innovation centers that span fields in life sciences, humanities, education, health and technology. It plays a major role in identifying and defining the challenges and needs that society faces. The university provides high-quality education and conducts excellent research in collaboration with societal stakeholders in order to co-create, share and exploit knowledge that contributes to sustainable societal improvement both locally and globally.

The University of Minho (UMinho) is a comprehensive university, with 12 schools/institutes recognised for the quality of their academic and scientific activity, both nationally and internationally. UMinho’s 19,500 students are enrolled in one of 57 undergraduate or 150+ postgraduate degrees taught by 1300 academic staff and supported by 700 technical and administrative staff.

The University’s mission is to create, spread and put knowledge into application, with free thinking and pluralism as its core values. Its goals are to promote higher education and to contribute to shape a model of society based on humanistic principles, in which knowledge, creativity and innovation contribute towards growth, sustainable development, well-being and solidarity.

The University of Minho has a strong policy for internationalisation, which is reflected in its main lines of action - education, research and innovation, and interaction with the society.

Regarding education, through its interaction with more than 80 countries and 400 universities around the world, UMinho is very active in the recruitment of international students, in mobility programs, in the establishment of degrees in association, and in distance learning, vectors that allow for the internationalisation of its educational offer.

Universitatea Babeş-Bolyai (UBB) is the oldest, largest and, in many respects, the most prestigious university in Romania, with 44,000 students and 21 faculties. UBB is a four-star university in the QS Rankings and rated the best Romanian university according to the official meta-ranking. In 2018, UBB received the Human Resources Excellence Certificate, attesting to its full compliance with the European Codes of Research Conduct and Ethics. Two of the key values listed in UBB’s charter are equity and respect for diversity.

Our aim is to stimulate top quality research and to achieve excellence by creating favourable opportunities for all students and researchers. During the last decade, our focus on the inclusion of gifted students from less developed milieus (e.g., the 40% of Romanians living in rural areas, the 10% of the Romanian population that is Roma, the numerous Western African and Central Asian youth, etc.), so that they may fully develop their intellectual and social potential, has grown considerably. By doing this, we aim at becoming a world-class university. UBB has already established itself as a multicultural, plurilingual and inter-confessional university, yet the traditional system has often hindered the dynamism of the educational process. The fact that UBB has its study programmes organised in all three of the historical languages of Transylvania – Romanian, Hungarian and German – is proof of the university’s diverse cultural and linguistic character, as well as of the value placed on inclusiveness.

Furthermore, UBB has 12 branch campuses of its different faculties opened across the entire region of Transylvania so as to offer to as many as possible the opportunity to complete their studies. Since UBB places great emphasis on internationalisation at home as a means of reaching all actors involved in the intercultural environment, the professional development of its staff through inclusiveness is also a key aim.

The cultural and geographical location of University of Wrocław (UWr) on the Polish, German and Czech borders explains its aspiration to be an open, tolerant and world-oriented institution. The overall aim of its internationalisation strategy is to prepare students for a multicultural community and information society. UWr has a rich history of more than three centuries. Currently, it is one of the largest academic institutions in Poland, with 3500 employees and 26,000 students who are pursuing degrees at all levels, from Bachelor’s degrees to PhDs, in 70 areas of study offered by 10 faculties.

UWr endeavours to conduct top-quality research, modernise the educational system and influence sustainable social growth through the transfer of key solutions to the external environment. Participation in international projects is a condition sine qua non for the development of any academic centre, in terms of building up scientific as well as human capital. Through cooperation with local, national and international environments, UWr is a socially responsible institution, which, in the best traditions of academia and the modern understanding of democracy and human rights, takes a firm stand against exclusion based on gender, age, race, origin and cultural and economic capital.

The European University Viadrina (EUV) is a university of about 6000 students located on the German side of the German-Polish border, with a special focus on the social sciences and humanities. It has been consistently ranked by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) as one of the top 5 most international universities in Germany. Research is carried out within the three faculties a) Law; b) Social and Cultural Sciences; and c) Business Administration and Economics, as well as in cross-faculty research centres such as the Centre B/orders in Motion, the Centre for International Polish Studies and the Institute for Conflict Management.

Since the beginning of the 1990s the European University Viadrina has been involved in intense cooperation with the Adam-Mickiewicz-University Poznań in Poland that has resulted in the establishment of a joint research and education institution – The Collegium Polonicum – which is now also home to the European New School of Digital Studies, a new interdisciplinary unit for research and teaching on the digital transformation of European societies. Since its re-founding after German Reunification, the European University Viadrina has been dedicated to fostering European integration by building bridges and developing dialogue, with the primary focus on cooperation with the neighbouring country of Poland. In line with the concept of the Weimar triangle, cooperation with French universities is of special strategic importance. Over the years, EUV has extended its mission to other eastern and western European countries, including new regions in conflict at the Eurasian border as well as in the Mediterranean area.

Mykolas Romeris University (MRU) is a leading university in social sciences and interdisciplinary research in Lithuania. MRU cooperates closely with over 300 universities, both public and private institutions, and takes part in academic, professional and intersectorial networks. MRU currently enrolls approximately 7500 students and employs over 500 academic staff. The university offers more than 100 doctoral, master’s and bachelor’s study programmes, over 80% of which have international accreditation. MRU comprises the Mykolas Romeris School of Law, the Faculty of Economics and Business Management, the Faculty of Public Governance, the Academy of Public Security, the Institute of Psychology, the Institute of Education Science and Social Work, the Institute of Communication and the Institute of the Humanities.

MRU’s missions are to create a culture and society based on the principles of democracy, educate academic society, promote the sustainable progress of organisations and communities and lead each member of our community to individual and professional success. MRU’s duties include fostering civic organisations, aiding in personal development, uncovering and developing personal abilities, critical thinking, creativity, leadership and social responsibility and creating favourable conditions for all members of society to participate in lifelong learning and the application of knowledge. The university is committed to providing high-quality research-based education to its students from Lithuania, Europe and other parts of the globe, in order to empower and transform them into social and economic innovators and constructive, critical citizens.