Utrecht University now officially a full member of the Coimbra Group
15 December 2020
Coimbra Group Executive Board Chair Prof. Ludovic Thilly has officially welcomed Utrecht University as the 41st member of the Coimbra Group during a formal ceremony which took place exceptionally on-line on 14 December 2020.
Ludovic Thilly and Utrecht University’s Rector Magnificus Prof. Henk Kummeling have both signed the network membership certificate, thus implementing the decision unanimously voted by the General Assembly of the Coimbra Group in June 2020 to admit Utrecht University as a new member.
In his statement, Rector Magnificus Kummeling declared: “The Coimbra Group has been on our radar for a couple of years now. Several members of our CHARM-EU European University alliance, but also several other Dutch and European sister universities have indicated that the Coimbra Group has helped them shape their teaching and research agendas but also their societal agenda. The Coimbra Group has the reputation to be very innovative in these areas. And we are also very keen to learn Coimbra Group’s visions and views on open science, digitalisation, knowledge security and the role of universities in protecting academic freedom on a global level. But I am sure that Utrecht University has something to offer as well. We have invested strongly in educational innovation for several decades and we have shown great commitment to the development of interdisciplinary research and education. I am convinced that our experience and expertise will also be of value to the Combra Group members. We are very much looking forward to many inspirational debates and cooperation and really do things together.”
“You have been really awaited by the Coimbra Group ‘family’ and we are now looking forward to collaborating with you at all levels. One of the strengths, among many others, of our association is this complete transparency among our members to really exchange about what is working and also what is not working. The COVID-19 period has clearly shown such added-value with for instance the swift completion and release of a dense report on practices at Coimbra Group Universities in response to the crises”, commented Executive Board Chair Ludovic Thilly.
“The Coimbra Group is very pleased to have such a highly respected institution as Utrecht University on board. The Coimbra Group is a trusted family of different but also very similar institutions facing similar issues in Europe. This trust is the key success factor of our network”, added Prof. Elmer Sterken, Coimbra Group Executive Board liaison member for Utrecht University.