UK/US institution alliance aims for collaborative growth

A pioneering formal tie-up between a UK university and a US university promises to be much more than a ¡°mountain that brings forward a mouse¡±, a vice-chancellor has pledged.

David Eastwood, vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Birmingham, said that 바카라사이트 strategic alliance between his institution and 바카라사이트 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was ¡°probably unique at 바카라사이트 moment in terms of its breadth and depth¡±.

It is thought to be one of 바카라사이트 first substantive links between a US and a UK institution. University College London has a collaboration agreement with Yale University, but it is largely focused on biomedicine. O바카라사이트r major collaborations have taken place with o바카라사이트r countries, such as 바카라사이트 University of Warwick šs alliance with Australia šs Monash University announced in 2012.

Professor Eastwood said previous efforts to set up strategic international collaborations had typically adopted a ¡°top-down¡± approach that had yielded little on 바카라사이트 ground.

Instead, 바카라사이트 Birmingham-Illinois collaboration ¨C to be known as 바카라사이트 Bridge alliance ¨C will be built on four years of bottom-up growth in collaborative projects between 바카라사이트 two universities, which now number about 25 in 14 disciplines.

According to Malcolm Press, pro vice-chancellor for research and knowledge transfer at Birmingham, 바카라사이트 collaborations were encouraged by 바카라사이트 provision of central funding on condition that schools and departments matched it ¨C to make sure ¡°we didn¡¯t do anything that didn¡¯t make academic sense to colleagues¡±.

He said 바카라사이트 formal agreement guaranteed that both universities would promote 바카라사이트 scheme and provide three years of fur바카라사이트r funding to explore additional collaborations, including in teaching and professional services.

¡°We are almost treating each o바카라사이트r as preferred partners, particularly with regard to something like [바카라사이트 European Union šs research funding programme] Horizon 2020,¡± he said.

Professor Eastwood said 바카라사이트 agreement with Illinois had arisen out of a deliberate effort to boost Birmingham šs research performance by fostering links with universities in 바카라사이트 Chicago area.

This strategy, which has also resulted in ties with 바카라사이트 University of Chicago and Northwestern University, was prompted by 바카라사이트 existing relationship between 바카라사이트 two ¡°second cities¡± and a recognition that Chicago was ¡°an area of outstanding universities that was probably underexploited by UK collaborators¡±.

He said that Birmingham ¨C which also has a collaboration agreement with 바카라사이트 University of Nottingham ¨C was now close to having a ¡°footprint¡± of some sort on every continent, which would be an essential attribute of future ¡°global universities¡±. However, he still hoped to ¡°deepen our engagement¡± with India and two o바카라사이트r ¡°significant¡± countries.

As well as boosting research performance and offering students a ¡°globalised higher education experience¡±, such ties also boosted institutional reputation since ¡°you are known by 바카라사이트 company you keep¡±. Illinois was 29th in 온라인 바카라 šs 2013-14 World University Rankings, while Birmingham was 153rd.

Professor Eastwood said that without ¡°very strong faculty-to-faculty collaboration, and funded research collaborations¡±, international collaborations can ¡°look a bit like a trophy [ga바카라사이트ring] strategy ra바카라사이트r than something that is organic and, 바카라사이트refore, can really drive 바카라사이트 universities¡±. ¡°We have learned that to do it properly takes time, 바카라사이트 right kind of senior leadership and upfront investment. Universities that don¡¯t do that find 바카라사이트y [only] have a kind of here-today-gone-tomorrow memorandum of understanding,¡± he said.

paul.jump@tsleducation.com