In the summer of 2020, the EU approved an application to become a European University that was prepared within the European network Enlight, which stands for “European university Network to promote equitable quality of Life, sustainability and Global engagement through Higher education Transformation”. The network was founded by nine European higher education institutions in November 2019. The background was the EU’s call for applications to join the European Universities initiative.

Within the next three years, the higher education institutions forming Enlight will work to increase cooperation in education and ultimately strive for the free movement of students, researchers, teachers and staff between the nine regions so they can work and study at all of the higher education institutions. Enlight has identified five global societal challenges that the network will prioritise:

  1. Health and well-being
  2. Digitalisation
  3. Climate change
  4. Energy use and circular economy
  5. Equality 

Academic coordinators

17 November, the Vice-Chancellor appointed four academic coordinators to work with project manager Jonathan Schalk, Division for Internationalisation of University Administration, to ensure that the European University is incorporated into the activities of the departments. The four coordinators are:

  • Henrik Johansson, Senior Lecturer, Department of Neuroscience
  • Mikael Jonsson, Professor of Solid Mechanics, Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering
  • Martha Middlemiss Lé Mon, Researcher, Department of Theology, and Director of the Centre for Multidisciplinary Research on Religion and Society
  • Ola Winberg, Lecturer, Department of Education.

Steering group

The European University activities at Uppsala University will be led by a steering group appointed by the Vice-Chancellor on the 17th of November:

  • Steering Group Chair: Vice-Chancellor or a person appointed by the Vice-Chancellor
  • Matts Olovsson, Vice-Dean of Undergraduate Education, Faculty of Medicine
  • Marcus Lindahl, Vice-Dean of Collaboration, Faculty of Science and Technology
  • Mattias Martinson, Deputy Vice-Rector, Disciplinary Domain of Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Erika Dabhilkar, Head of Division, Division of Internationalisation
  • student appointed by the student unions.

Nine higher education institutions are part of the network

The Enlight network was established in November 2019 by nine European higher education institutions:

  • University of Groningen (Netherlands)
  • University of Göttingen (Germany)
  • Ghent University (Belgium)
  • University of Tartu (Estonia)
  • University of Bordeaux (France)
  • University of the Basque Country (Bilbao, Spain)
  • National University of Ireland (Ireland)
  • Comenius University (Bratislava, Slovakia)
  • Uppsala University