The network of young European research universities (YERUN, Young European Research Universities Network) was founded today in Brussels with the aim of promoting joint initiatives in the field of research and teaching, as well as encouraging research and teaching mobility. This network is special as it is made up of young European universities, -under fifty years- with accredited presence in the various rankings of international prestige (Times Higher Education, QS, and Shanghai).

The agreement signed today by the rectors reflects their desire to cooperate towards    increasing the influence of the youngest universities on research policies promoted by the European Union. Beyond this strategic action, the agreement also provides for promoting collaborative research in areas and projects with a high social impact in addition to encouraging academic exchange programmes for students, teachers and administrative and service staff, and establishing joint programmes at degree, master's and doctorate levels. The agreement, which comes after an initial meeting of rectors held in Madrid in October 2014, included the presentation by professor Peter van der Hijden, an independent expert on higher education and science policy.

The YERUN network consists of the following universities: Konstanz and Ulm (Germany); Antwerp (Belgium); Southern Denmark (Denmark); Autonomous University of Barcelona, Autonomous University of Madrid, Carlos III of Madrid and Pompeu Fabra (Spain); Eastern Finland (Finland); Paris Dauphine (France); Dublin City University (Ireland); Tor Vergata University of Rome (Italy); Maastricht (Netherlands); Nova de Lisboa (Portugal); Brunel and Essex (UK); Linköping (Sweden).