Networks
The University of Padua has joined several important international networks. The aim is to promote and implement international cooperation, stimulate dialogue among disciplines and develop joint projects in the field of education, foster cooperation among active groups with common interests, and encourage student, and teaching and technical-administrative staff exchanges.
Here are the networks the University of Padua has joined:
The University of Padova is one of the founding members of the European Alliance Arqus, which currently brings together nine prestigious universities: Granada (Spain), Graz (Austria), Leipzig (Germany), Lyon1 (France), Maynooth (Ireland), Minho (Portugal), Padova (Italy), Vilnius (Lithuania), Wroclaw (Poland). In addition, there are two associated partners: National University of Kyiv - Mohyla Academy (Ukraine) and Durham University (UK).
The Alliances are the key initiative of the Erasmus+ Programme and represent the highest form of strategic cooperation between higher education institutions at European level. The initiative aims to establish real European campuses, where students can move freely while building a truly international course of study, and defines a long-term strategy to achieve high levels of excellence in education, research and innovation thanks to increasingly deep and widespread synergies between universities. Currently, there are 73 active Alliances in Europe, comprising more than 650 universities.
Arqus started its activities in 2019, part of the first group of 17 funded Alliances. The University of Padova has actively contributed to the development of the Alliance since its inception, with a particular focus on the issues of inclusion and diversity, mobility and student involvement: our University has coordinated and currently has a role as co-lead of the Work Packages - Working Groups at Alliance level that deal with these issues. The participation in Arqus and the increasingly close collaboration between the partner universities, at all levels, have made it possible to overcome bureaucratic obstacles, experiment with innovative practices in many areas of activity, exchange good practices, internationalize the university's structures and staff, share tools, and develop joint strategies. The Alliance has also given great impetus to the establishment of Joint Programmes, an increasingly strategic area for our University.
The University of Padova is one of the founding universities, the alliance aims to strengthen ties and exchanges between Guangzhou's international twin cities and their local universities, and to provide a platform for member universities to share international academic resources, encourage education and scientific and technological cooperation, and promote urban development.
The Coimbra Group, formally established in 1987, is a network of European multidisciplinary universities of high international standing founded with the aim of creating academic and cultural links in order to promote internationalisation, academic collaboration and excellence in learning and research.
The Coimbra Group is divided into working groups dedicated to specific sectors within the three main pillars, identified in Research, Teaching and Higher Dissemination. The group also aims to influence European education and research policy and to develop best practices through the mutual exchange of experience and information.
ASEAN European Academic University Network is a network of European and Southeast Asian universities. Founded in 1994 by universities in Austria, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, it has progressively expanded to include other countries with the aim of promoting scientific collaboration between member institutions. In particular, within the network, joint research projects, joint research labs, scholarships for doctoral students and post-docs, seminars and conferences are promoted.
CUIA was founded in 2002 as a project for the internationalization of the Italian university system thanks to funding from the Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR). In 2004 the project became a "consortium" of 27 universities with the aim of fostering inter-university relations between Italy and Argentina.
CUIA aims to support joint research projects, to promote mobility for study, research and course unit, in particular at PhD level, to facilitate the recognition of qualifications at the various levels awarded by Italian and Argentine universities and to promote inter-university cooperation projects.
The CUCS (University Coordination for Development Cooperation) is the network of Italian Universities for Development Cooperation. It is promoted by the CRUI (Conference of Rectors of Italian Universities), to aggregate the reflections and actions of the university world related to cooperation for sustainable development.
The European University Association (EUA) was formed in 2001 by the merger between the Association of European Universities and the Confederation of European Union Rectors' Conferences EUA represents more than 800 Universities and Rectors' Conferences in more than 48 countries and plays a crucial role in influencing the European Union's higher education policies. research and innovation.
As an EUA member, the University of Padova has the opportunity to share best practices by participating in projects, events and other mutual learning activities involving a large number of universities.
The European University Foundation (EUF) is a network of 100 universities in 35 countries, committed to the modernisation of the European Higher Education Area. Focused on diversity and social equity, the network operates through five core pillars: Digitalisation of higher education; entrepreneurship and employability; policy innovation; active citizenship; Quality mobility for all. EUF contributes to the development of skills among academic and administrative staff, fosters policy dialogue and promotes high-quality student mobility as the main driver for the reform of the university system.
Founded in 1950, under the auspices of UNESCO, the International Association of Universities (IAU) is the world's leading association of higher education institutions and organizations from around the world.
As a global forum for leaders of institutions and associations, IAU brings together more than 650 members from more than 130 countries to identify, reflect and act on common priorities. It acts as the global voice of higher education for a wide range of international and intergovernmental organizations, most notably UNESCO.
The IAU aims to be the most representative and influential global association in higher education by fostering a dynamic leadership role for higher education in society.
It also promotes collaboration among its members by articulating the fundamental values and principles that underpin the pursuit, dissemination and application of knowledge. The Association supports higher education policies and practices that respect diverse perspectives and promote social responsibility. With a particular emphasis on values and leadership, and by serving as a forum for sharing and joint action, IAU encourages innovation, mutual learning, and cooperation between institutions.
Officially launched at the Ukraine Recovery Conference, held in Rome on 11 July 2025, the International Coalition for Science, Research and Innovation in Ukraine is a multilateral initiative promoted by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the Italian Ministry of University and Research, the European Commission and UNESCO, with the aim of supporting the reconstruction and relaunch of the research and innovation system Ukrainian.
International Coalition for Science, Research and Innovation in Ukraine
The T.I.M.E. Association is focused on engineering education and brings together 53 prestigious technical universities and engineering schools from 21 different countries. The members of the association are characterized by a strong international dimension in the field of research, course unit and relations with the world of industry and are engaged in international cooperation, student mobility and recognition of studies abroad.
One of the objectives of the T.I.M.E. Association is to offer, through bilateral agreements, opportunities for double degrees in engineering at the master's degree level.
Scholars at Risk (SAR) is an international network of universities founded in 1999 that promotes academic freedom and protects scholars whose lives are in danger or whose work is severely compromised. It also defends the rights of the academic community by offering temporary asylum, at member universities and colleges, to lecturers, researchers and scholars facing serious threats.
The University of Padova is part of SAR Italia, a partnership between Italian university institutions and research institutes established in order to support all academic staff who find themselves in situations where academic freedom is limited and research, course unit and training activities repressed. SAR Italia operates through the sharing of information, the exchange of good practices, collaboration in protection and advocacy activities and in the organization of awareness-raising events.
UniAdrion is a network of universities and research centers of the Adriatic-Ionian Region established in 2000 with the aim of establishing a permanent connection between these institutions. UniAdrion aims to promote collaboration between universities and research centres by strengthening international cooperation and fostering the development of culture, science and research. The association, composed of about 40 members, promotes the realization of joint educational initiatives such as mobility, research projects, seminars, face-to-face lessons, summer schools and post-graduate diplomas.
UNIMED - Union of Mediterranean Universities - is an association founded in 1991 that brings together 127 universities from 23 countries bordering the Mediterranean. It aims to promote university research and training by fostering scientific, cultural, social and economic cooperation.
UNIMED has developed numerous collaborations and partnerships in order to promote the internationalization of universities, mobility for study, research and course units and the enhancement and conservation of cultural heritage. Through the organization of conferences, seminars and debates at national and international level and the training of academic and administrative staff of universities, it has become a point of reference for international university cooperation.
Venice International University, founded in 1995 by Ca' Foscari University, is a consortium of 20 universities from around the world with an autonomous campus on the island of San Servolo, Venice, Italy. The mission of the VIU is to promote cooperation between institutions, offering students and teachers from all over the world training opportunities in an international context, while facilitating the exchange of knowledge and ideas, developing, promoting and organizing academic, research and training programs.
The VIU therefore contributes to and is an integral part of the internationalization strategies of the organizations that are part of it.
https://www.unipd.it/viu-venice-international-university
https://www.univiu.org
#UNIPDNetworks - Venice International University Webinar Recording & Presentation
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