Expanding cooperation

with WUN

The University of Bergen is a member of the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN). This is primarily a research network which has the objective of creating a global research base through the joint efforts of its member universities.

Universities in the USA, the UK and China make up the bulk of the membership of the network, which does not wish to grow to more than about 20 to 22 member institutions.

Valuable opportunities

Via its global exchange programme, of which the University of Bergen is a member, the WUN has provided exchange fellowships and travel funds for around 200 PhD and postdoctoral fellows at its member universities in the course of the past few years. Through the WUN network young researchers are given a valuable opportunity to study for periods of up to six months at some of the most prominent universities in the USA and the UK . In 2003, the Universities of Bergen, Oslo and Utrecht were the only three European universities to be offered membership of the WUN. This alliance will offer a wider range of possibilities of exchange visits for both university staff and students.

The aim of the WUN is “to develop a global research alliance and virtual graduate school in rapidly developing interdisciplinary areas of worldwide significance”.

Research of high quality

The network is particularly oriented towards the fields of globalization, bioinformatics, informatics, geographical information systems, oceanography and climate, geosciences, as well as social sciences and mediaeval studies, fields which match the University of Bergen ’s areas of special interest very well. However, the WUN does not set any limits on research cooperation, as long as the research involved is of high quality.

“It has been important for us to think in terms of networking in order to increase the volume of our exchange programmes,” says university director Kåre Rommetveit, who has long been working to bring the University into the network.

www.wun.ac.uk

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