USI – Universities and Swedish Research Institutes in Cooperation for Internationalization – Is a cross-disciplinary network that promotes internationalization of Swedish research and education. USI gives advanced courses with field studies in Rome, Athens and Istanbul, as well as research seminars with invited participants from Sweden and the Mediterranean region.
The cooperation within the USI network is based on the individual institution’s commitment and interest. Participating parties:
And the Swedish Institutes in:
Organization
USI has a shared secretariat that is co-funded by participating universities. The University of Gothenburg is the chair and host of the secretariat from 2022 to 2026. Before the term expires, the steering group will make a decision on possible extension or rotation of the chairmanship and secretariat.
The chairperson is appointed by the rector of the responsible university. Åsa Arping, dean for the Faculty for Humanities at the University of Gothenburg, is the chair of USI since spring 2025. The chairperson convenes and leads steering group meetings and oversees the work of the steering group.
The steering group is the highest decision-making body in USI and consists of one representative from each party, appointed by the rector/director of their respective university or institute. The steering group meets approximately four times per year.
The secretariat is responsible for coordination and communication between the network’s parties, providing support to the chairperson, steering group and working groups, documentation, archiving, as well as the website. The office is co-funded by participating Swedish universities and is hosted by the University of Gothenburg from 2022 to 2026.
Contact persons at each university forms a group for administrative collaboration. Each party is responsible for communication within their respective university/institute.
Funding
The Swedish universities participating in USI co-fund a shared secretariat at the university holding the chairmanship. The amount of co-funding is determined by the steering group and decided by the rector of the responsible university. In addition to this, each university covers certain development costs for activities within USI.
Collaboration Universities in the Region
Over the years, USI has been in contact with, and cooperated with, several universities in the Mediterranean region. The universities have had participants in our research seminars, contributed with teachers for the courses and in some cases allowed students to study together with the Swedish students during parts of the field studies.
The collaboration universities include, among others:
- Alexandria University
- Ben Gurion University
- National Technical University of Athens
- Roma Tre University
- University of Athens
- University of Thessaly
- Yarmouk University
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The History of the USI Network
