The University is to enter its first large-scale European partnership with world-class Swedish institution Lund University. The partnership will cover research collaboration, student and staff exchanges, and joint undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.

Twelve senior staff from Lund University, in southern Sweden, visited Nottingham to discuss the collaboration with their opposite numbers and to sign a Memorandum of Understanding. Nottingham’s Vice-Chancellor Professor David Greenaway led the discussions.

Lund University was ranked 71st in the QS Worldwide University Rankings for 2011/12 and 82nd in the THE World University Rankings for 2012/13. It is also a member of the League of European Research Universities, which is made up of 21 research-intensive universities.

Professor Roger Woods, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor at The University of Nottingham, said: “This will be a large-scale and broad-ranging collaboration with an excellent university, and we are hoping that it will build into our first key partnership in Europe. Both universities will benefit from the international opportunities that will open up by pooling their expertise in key areas ranging from energy-efficient buildings and environmental policy to diabetes and cancer research.

“I drew up a specifically European Strategy for the University when I came back from my secondment as Provost of our China campus, and targeting a small number of high-ranking European universities to work with across a whole range of disciplines is at the heart of that strategy.”

Professor Woods said the two institutions have discussed  how they can strengthen their teaching and research by working together. He added: “I am grateful to all my Nottingham colleagues for doing their homework in preparation for the visit, and identifying the most promising areas for collaboration.”

Professor Woods is keen to develop further partnerships with strong European universities. He said:  “We are expecting this to be the first of a very small number of large-scale partnerships in Europe. In the age of internationalisation it is vital that we seek out the best universities to work with so that we continue to produce world-class research and give our students a truly international experience.”