NEWS Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the EU is now both a major funder of research and a facilitator of student and staff exchanges. Umeå University will soon join the European Campus of City-Universities (EC2U), so there were many interested listeners when Minister for EU Affairs Jessica Rosencrantz visited the university.
Tora Holmberg, Vice-Chancellor at Umeå University, and Minister for EU Affairs, Jessica Rosencrantz
Image Mattias Pettersson"Every day, as researchers, we connect across the globe to jointly solve research problems and contribute to societal challenges. Every day, students travel to other countries to gain new experiences and better understand how others think. Although today's trends seem to be moving in the opposite direction, academia must uphold this important ideal. ‘When the world shrinks, universities must grow," said Umeå University Vice-Chancellor Tora Holmberg in her speech, which was also her first official appearance as Vice-Chancellor.
In this shrinking world, it seems right now that the US is weakening in its position as the world's foremost research nation due to the domestic political situation and the uncertainty surrounding the future of certain authorities in the country.
"I think everyone is reasoning that it would be good if Europe could step forward here and attract more researchers from other parts of the world. And of course we're looking at what's happening in the US, but I think we'll have to come back to exactly how. But I know that there are discussions going on, not least among the education and research ministers in the EU," said Minister for EU Affairs Jessica Rosencrantz.
"But everything is linked to the fact that we are at the forefront of research and innovation. The EU has a target, in terms of money, that each country should invest 3 per cent of GDP in research and innovation. Far too few countries are doing this. We are at 3.5 per cent, so Sweden is actually a role model here, along with a few other countries. So it's also about walking the talk. And I think that's important in contexts like this."
Part of the Minister for EU Affairs's purpose in visiting Umeå University, which also included a question and answer session moderated by Magnus Blomgren, Associate professor at Department of Political Science, is to get more students to realise that the EU is both a workplace and an internship.
"I would be delighted if more students would take the opportunity to do an internship either at the Government Offices or in Brussels at our Swedish representation there or in some part of the Commission. Or perhaps even better, apply for a job in the Commission after completing their studies. Sweden is the second least represented country, after Luxembourg, in the EU institutions, and especially in the Commission, where much of the work is done. So there is much to do here! I hope that Umeå University students will be curious about this so that more people apply for jobs in the EU administration in the future."
Read more about the European Campus of City-Universities (EC2U).