BUILDING EUROPE’S CAMPUS FOR GLOBAL HEALTH
The five original partner universities of EUGLOH (Paris-Saclay University, Lund University, University of Szeged, University of Porto and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) engaged in an institutional transformation agenda related to research and innovation actions through the EUGLOHRIA project: The European University Alliance for Global Health – Transformation through Joint Research and Innovation Action.
This project encompassed collective action focusing on three of the Horizon 2020 transformation modules: (1) developing a common research and innovation agenda and action plan; (2) sharing research infrastructures and other resources; and (3) reinforcing cooperation with non-academic actors, especially academia-business cooperation. The mission focused on the need to increase international and cross-sectoral collaboration in research and innovation in order to tackle health crises.
Thanks to the excellence and interdisciplinary expertise of our partners, EUGLOHRIA was able to launch a joint action plan for research on pandemics, build capacity by sharing access to 96 identified “Excellence Core Facilities” in Global Health and stimulate sustainable innovation and academia-business cooperation across its ecosystems.
EUGLOHRIA not only recognized the importance of scientific cooperation but also showcased a commitment to public engagement through initiatives like EUGLOHRIA Talks – on topics ranging from mobile health applications to host-parasite interactions – and 360°Virtual Tours through selected core facilities, enabling dialogue between researchers and wider society on global health topics while strengthening the image of the Alliance outside academia.
Researchers within the Alliance also benefited from the project’s seeding grants, which supported joint research efforts across EUGLOH on topics ranging from the treatment of respiratory infections in newborns to the challenges of using medical devices and mobile health apps during the pandemic.
The four “new” EUGLOH partner universities (University of Alcalá, University of Hamburg, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway and the University of Novi Sad) also took part in constructive discussions on commonly pursued objectives upon their joining the Alliance in 2023.
All of the results of the EUGLOHRIA project were presented in a three-day Final Conference on Pandemics and Global Health Crises at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, which also included the 4th EUGLOH Annual Student Research Conference.
Overall, EUGLOHRIA laid a strong foundation for the Alliance’s pursuit of a shared R&I structure to support transnational collaboration between our partner universities, ensuring it will continue to nourish joint R&I initiatives in the Alliance going forward.