RWTH Steps up its Cooperation with Canada
Contact
Coordinator for Strategic Partnerships
RWTH Aachen University and University of Alberta are expanding upon their partnership
RWTH Aachen University and the University of Alberta (UofA) in Edmonton, Canada, are expanding their Strategic Partnership, which has been in place since 2017, and intensifying the exchange of knowledge and personnel. The University of Alberta is one of Canada's universities of excellence and one of RWTH's three strategic partners worldwide. Both universities are characterized by many common research focuses. Current core topics are energy/smart grids, biofuels, medical technology and data science. Intensive cooperation exists within the framework of the Aachen Clusters of Excellence The Fuel Science Center and Internet of Production.
Within the strategic partnership, a total of 47 people have been funded with more than 130,000 euros from RWTH's own funds since 2019. The goal: to accelerate the research exchange between Aachen and Alberta. With the IRS Alberta program line 2020, Aachen excellence funds and so-called matched fundings on the part of Alberta were also invested. By expanding the partnership, more scholarship places can be made available for RWTH students for a research internship at the UofA. Joint teaching on sustainability topics and the transfer between the respective administrations and students will also receive targeted support. For example, a lecture series on Liveable Cities will be held jointly with the UofA in the summer semester and will also serve as a blueprint for the introduction of microcredentials - compact educational courses - at RWTH. Furthermore, RWTH is supporting its Canadian partner in the competition for the establishment of a Canadian national center of excellence on energy transition, resilience and climate change.
Professor Ute Habel, RWTH's Vice-Rector for International Affairs, is convinced of the stronger focus on transatlantic cooperation with the University of Alberta: "The UofA is a great university that fits us very well in many respects and we can complement each other very well in our work together. We have similar research interests and focuses. The mutual visits have once again intensified our contacts and shown us many further possibilities for cooperation. We are very happy to have such a committed and reliable partner in UofA." Most recently, UofA President Bill Flanagan and Vice President for Research Professor Aminah Robinson-Fayek were at RWTH in May 2022 and, among other things, attended the visit of the Charlemagne Prize winners to the university.
Strategic Partnerships
RWTH enters into Strategic Partnerships with renowned partners of similar profile. They are characterized by close cooperation at all institutional levels - in teaching, research and administration. Joint structures and innovative teaching programs are developed, research alliances are established and synergetic cooperation formats are consolidated. The core objective of the Strategic Partnership is to jointly develop innovative approaches and cutting-edge technologies in order to meet global challenges.