Upon the invitation of  RU11 Japan (and President Seike and Vice-President Makabe of Keio University in particular), the association of 11 leading research-intensive universities in Japan, the League of European Research Universities (LERU), the Association of East Asian Research Universities (AEARU), German U15 (Germany), the Group of Eight (Australia), the C9 (China) and the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities, discussed the challenges for, and the future of, research-intensive universities (RIU). More...

Today, the European Parliament (EP) has adopted in plenary its position on the EU budget for 2017. LERU is pleased to see that the EP sticks to its commitment to research and growth by suggesting to endow the EU with the appropriate funds to realise them. LERU particularly welcomes the EP´s confirmation of allocations for research contained in the EC´s initial proposal and its further increase, the reversal of all cuts suggested by the Finance Ministers (ECOFIN), and the full compensation of the European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI)-related cuts in Horizon 2020. More...

Today the European Commission opens its online consultation on the Horizon 2020 interim evaluation. The ‘LERU’s Interim Evaluation of Horizon 2020’ paper that will be officially launched in Brussels tomorrow is LERU’s response to this consultation and makes recommendations to a wide range of aspects related to Horizon 2020. More...

11 October saw the publication of the Commission’s High Level Expert Group on the European Science Cloud, which can be found here. The  Recommendations provide a solid starting point for further reflection and engagement of scientific user communities, research funders and Member States in the making of this global initiative. More...

Citizen science is experiencing an upsurge of interest. In a paper published today, the League of European Research Universities (LERU) analyses trends in citizen science, formulates actionable guidelines for scientists and gives recommendations for universities, policymakers and funders. More...

The research-intensive universities that are members of the League of European Research Universities (LERU) have been able to form a unique bond over the past fifteen years and have succeeded in successfully advocating the interests of research-intensive universities in Europe and beyond. More...

Three alumni of the University of Cambridge (a LERU university) were awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics for their pioneering work in the field of condensed matter physics.
David Thouless (Trinity Hall, 1952), Duncan Haldane (Christ’s, 1970) and Michael Kosterlitz (Gonville and Caius, 1962) discovered unexpected behaviours of solid materials - and devised a mathematical framework to explain their properties. Their discoveries have led to new materials with an array of unique properties. More...

Today, the European Commission has presented its legislative proposal to update the EU framework on copyright. LERU is very pleased to see that the EC has finally included the much needed mandatory exception for Text and Data Mining in the proposed Directive on copyright in the Digital Single Market. This exception will allow Europe to further develop its research potential so as to remain competitive in the global landscape. More...

14 September saw the International Association of STM publishers (STM) issue a response to the EC’s proposed Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market, which flies in the face of LERU’s views contained in its own Press Release. Amongst other things, STM is calling for the extension of ancillary copyright to cover academic publishing, implying that they will take legal action if this does not happen. The omission of scientific publishers from the scope of the Directive is labelled ‘disappointing, unwarranted and potentially discriminatory’. More...