A global university with links around the world

Held from 29 - 30 October, the Sydney Summit focused on how universities can be agents for change on campus and in the broader society.

University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor Dr Michael Spence opened the summit by discussing the need for universities to apply their research to their own campuses.

“We have all been doing research to make a difference in the world, now many of us are turning that thinking onto our own campuses. We are creating better institutions and, in our small way, a better world,” Dr Spence said.

"In 2016, we committed to signing on 20 priority partners. We’ve now reached that milestone and it is fantastic to have so many of our international partners here," Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement) at the University of Sydney, Professor Kathy Belov said.

"Collaborations with our international partners make us a better institution; we see that in key metrics including increased research funding, citations and student exchanges. But we also see it in the quality of research we do. We are working on solutions to address the grand challenges of our time; research that is transnational and requires a global community to be working on."

Partnering with Sorbonne University

During the summit, a university-wide partnership agreement was signed with Sorbonne University, making them the 20^th strategic partner for the University of Sydney. The agreement covers student exchange and research opportunities. Next year, the two universities will hold a joint workshop event where research project leaders will meet to transform the agreement into a concrete partnership.

“The shared vision illustrated during the discussion with colleagues from the University of Sydney confirms the value of developing a strategic partnership on focused topics,” said President of Sorbonne University, Jean Chambaz.

University of Sydney’s 20 international priority partners:

• 9 partners in Asia
• 4 partners in North America
• 7 partners in Europe