Umeå University has now officially joined the EC2U Alliance! The recent EC2U Forum in Coimbra marked an important milestone in this new collaboration. It provided the opportunity for Umeå colleagues to meet in person with representatives from the other Partner Universities, discover the activities already underway, and start identifying areas for joint action. The closing ceremony of the Forum gave the floor to Tora Holmberg, Rector of Umeå University, who warmly expressed her joy at seeing her institution become a full member of the EC2U Alliance and at having had the opportunity to meet and begin collaborating with EC2U colleagues at this 2025 edition of the Forum in Coimbra. Watch the replay here.

As for the next steps, colleagues from Umea University will soon start their “Fast Track To Integration”: over the coming months, they will visit EC2U universities and meet with local stakeholders. Their first stop will be Poitiers, France, at the end of June 2025.

With over 38,000 students, a vibrant campus life, and deep connections with local institutions, Umeå University shares many characteristics with its EC2U partners. It brings valuable expertise in fields that align with EC2U’s priorities – including sustainability, public health, digital transformation, and inclusive education – reinforcing the Alliance’s capacity to address complex societal challenges together and strengthen the collective impact of EC2U on the European higher education landscape.

“In times of great unrest and crises both in the world and in Europe’s immediate neighbourhood, it is particularly important that we collaborate between universities and that we strengthen and support each other” – Tora Holmberg, Rector of Umeå University