King’s is a member of the Circle U. European University Alliance, a network of nine universities who share a commitment to developing knowledge in service to society and addressing global challenges. Together with our partners in Oslo, Aarhus, Berlin, Belgrade, Louvain, Paris, Pisa and Vienna, we are building an inclusive, research-intensive, and interdisciplinary European University which provides a multi-cultural and multi-lingual student and staff experience.
Circle U.’s priorities are to enable and facilitate mobility of students and staff, promote collaboration between education, research, and community partners, increase student engagement and support the professional development of early-career researchers.
European University Alliances are funded by the European Commission; the pilot phase of Circle U. ended in October 2023. Circle U. has secured an additional grant from the European Commission for the period 2024-2027. Although no longer recipient of European funds, King’s commitment to the alliance continues with a focus on research collaborations, innovative programmes for our students and opportunities for exchanges.
What has Circle U. achieved so far?
- A network of about 60 Academic Chairs across nine universities working across all platforms
- A multilateral mobility agreement for students and staff exchange
- A number of frameworks and policies to facilitate governance of the alliance: including mobility, digitalisation and communication
- Opportunities for PhD students and Early Career Researchers, including workshops, joint funding calls and prizes to promote interdisciplinary collaboration
- Summer School Programmes in Global Health, Climate and Democracy for Circle U. students
- Additional student opportunities, including blended language modules, Circle U. Model United Nation events, student-led workshops, challange-based learning opportunities
The Circle U. 2030 ecosystem
Circle U. has built a variety of platforms to scale up and build on the initiatives delivered in the pilot phase:
A network of Academic Chairs across our partner universities have been appointed to each of the platforms to deliver the relevant work programme and initiatives. Please see below the list of academics at King's involved in the Circle U. platforms.