The European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) is intensifying its international networking. It has just become the first university in Brandenburg to be accepted into two renowned global university associations.
The International Association of Universities (IAU) accepted Viadrina as the eleventh member from Germany and the first university from Brandenburg in December. The global association of around 600 universities and scientific institutions from 130 countries was founded in 1950 under the auspices of UNESCO.
Also in December, the European University Viadrina joined the group of signatories of the "Magna Charta Universitatum Observatory of Fundamental University Values and Rights". First signed by 388 universities in 1988, the declaration is a commitment to free science and research and actively promotes universities as places of tolerance and respect. Almost 1,000 universities are currently signatories to the declaration, including around 40 universities from Germany. Viadrina is the first university from Brandenburg to sign the Magna Charta.
"With our new membership in the International Association of Universities and as a signatory of the Magna Charta, we are intensifying our worldwide cooperation and increasing Viadrina's international visibility. This underlines our commitment to fact-based, free research and science and expands our opportunities for international networking. Studying and researching at Viadrina means becoming effective for society from a global perspective," says Viadrina President Prof. Dr. Eduard Mühle.
Background: The International Association of Universities (IAU) sees itself as a forum for exchange and the voice of universities and scientific institutions. With expertise for politics and civil society, the data network IAU Knowledge HUB, which provides key data on member organizations and the higher education landscapes of member countries, as well as regular conferences, the IAU is committed to strengthening the importance of universities and higher education, research and scientific knowledge for overcoming local and global social challenges, for international understanding and peace. It pools expertise on the topics of leadership, internationalization, sustainable development and digital transformation.
The IAU is an official partner of UNESCO and advises the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC).The "Magna Charta Universitatum Observatory of Fundamental University Values and Rights", first issued in 1988, is a commitment to university autonomy, to the unity of research and teaching, to academic and teaching freedom and to open, respectful dialogue. The signatory universities see themselves as places of tolerance, inclusion and respect, and are committed to actively combating discrimination. The occasion for the declaration was the 900th anniversary of the University of Bologna in 1988.