Maynooth University joins the Arqus Alliance’s efforts to build a forward-looking, open, integrated and research-driven European University, establishing transformative excellence and worldclass research opportunities.
The Alliance officially welcomed Maynooth University on 20th January with a visit to Ireland. The Maynooth University becomes the ninth full member of the Alliance, completing its enlargement strategy initiated in 2021. Maynooth University not only brings a dynamic, rapidly-growing, research-led and engaged institution to the Alliance, but also makes Arqus more diverse thanks to incorporating new languages and a new culture.
Universities within the Arqus Alliance work together to create opportunities for partnership among their institutions, strengthening ties across the European higher education sector. Already, Arqus has established initiatives such as joint Master’s programmes, summer and winter schools, staff professional development, and public policy papers. The alliances also provide member universities with increased access to European research funding for collaborative research projects.
After the incorporation of the University of Minho and the University of Wroclaw a year ago, Maynooth University now becomes the ninth member of the Arqus Alliance, joining Granada, Graz, Leipzig, Lyon 1, Padua, Vilnius.
Maynooth University is an internationally recognised institution located 25 kilometres outside of Dublin, Ireland, and is the nation’s fastest growing university. Maynooth University is ranked #1 in Ireland in the latest Times Higher Education (THE) Young University Rankings 2022.
Maynooth University’s leadership in the field of digital transformation and data, climate change and sustainability, and European integration, were identified by the Alliance as priority research areas. Additionally, as host to Scholars at Risk Europe, and in driving Ireland’s sectoral response to helping Ukrainian students and researchers access the Irish higher education system, Maynooth University has demonstrated its commitment to widening participation and inclusivity.
On 16 June 2022, Maynooth University celebrated its 25th birthday, having been formally established as an autonomous university in 1997. Yet, it traces its origins to the foundation of the oldest seat of learning in Ireland, the Royal College of St Patrick in 1795, drawing inspiration from a heritage that includes over 200 years of education and scholarship.
Today, Maynooth University is a place of lively contrasts–a modern institution, dynamic, rapidly-growing, research-led and engaged, yet grounded in historic academic strengths and scholarly traditions.
With over 15,000 students from more than 100 countries, Maynooth offers a range of programmes at undergraduate, Master’s and PhD level in the humanities, science and engineering, and social sciences including business, law, and education. The University also offers a range of international programmes and partnerships.
Maynooth University shares extensive experience with Arqus’ eight other partners in pursuing collaborative projects and a common profile as an internationalised institution engaged in comprehensive research, with deep regional engagement.
By joining the Alliance, Maynooth University joins more than 320,000 students, 24,000 academics and researchers, and 17,000 professional staff in the mission of working on the transformation of European higher education, research and innovation through deep cooperation and progressive integration, in pursuit of an equitable and sustainable future by together:
- Educating critical and socially engaged European citizens, equipped for lifelong learning, leaving no-one behind.
- Generating excellent, open, challenge-driven, innovative, and reflective knowledge.
- Acting as a committed multi-level societal and global player. Bringing down barriers to effective cooperation
In 2021, the Alliance adopted an enlargement strategy to incorporate new members with a view to strengthening its pan-European nature, to help fulfil the Arqus mission of bringing about inclusive systemic impact, building on the added-value brought by new institutions of a similar profile in new geographical, cultural and linguistic regions.
President of Maynooth University, Professor Eeva Leinonen, said: “Partnering across disciplines, borders and cultures will be critical to solving the problems we face as a global society. The European University Alliance provides us with this opportunity, and we are delighted to find such common cause within the Arqus Alliance. We look forward to working with such an esteemed group of colleague institutions and, more importantly, to the benefits the Alliance envisions for students, staff and across European society.”
Arqus is looking forward to making feel Maynooth colleagues at home in this new stage of the Alliance. As the Irish proverb says “Ní neart go cur le chéile”, which means “There is strength in unity” or “we are better together”.
Further information about the Arqus Alliance at https://arqus-alliance.eu/
