It is now eighteen months since the people of the United Kingdom voted for Brexit on 23 June, and an equal amount of time is remaining until the United Kingdom officially leaves the EU on 29 March 2019. Negotiations on the execution of Brexit are well underway, and there is a great deal of pressure to continue the university cooperation unaltered after this date.

As a member of the Guild – the European network of 19 universities pursuing intensive research – Aarhus University is a co-signatory of a statement specifying that the future and welfare of Europe require more investments and more cooperation across national borders. In this regard, it is essential to protect the international scientific cooperation when negotiating the general separation of the United Kingdom from the EU.

Vice-Chancellor Brian Bech Nielsen is a co-signatory of the statement on behalf of Aarhus University.

"Brexit must not slow opportunities for researchers, students and graduates to continue to cooperate and work unimpeded across national borders in the future. Research and innovation know no bounds, and there is a need for more cooperation, not less, if we are to succeed in resolving a number of the major global challenges we face," says Brian Bech Nielsen, who also hopes to be able to maintain the excellent cooperation with British universities traditionally enjoyed by Aarhus University.

At Aarhus University, provisional exchange figures for the Erasmus programme show that more than 55 British students have submitted applications to AU for the 2017/2018 autumn and spring semesters, while during the same period more than 100 AU students have chosen to go on exchanges to one of the more than 40 British universities with which AU has cooperation agreements. Moreover, Aarhus University currently has just under 70 British students on entire programmes, while around 100 academic employees with British citizenship are affiliated with AU.

the Guild statement emphasises factors such as the positive financial effects of exchange agreements, the significance of researcher mobility for the citation index, and the importance of universities for innovation in European industry.

The Guild’s statement was published on Monday 13 November and has the support of bodies such as the Russell Group, which represents the 24 leading universities in the United Kingdom.

Main points in the Guild's statement on Brexit: 

• There must be continued investment in student mobility – including between the EU and the United Kingdom.
• Investments must be made in EU framework programmes in order to maintain and enhance the quality of research in Europe, including in the United Kingdom.
• The free circulation of ideas must be assured through the free movement of researchers, students and their families.
• There must be emphasis on continued long-term funding for innovation across borders, with students and researchers playing a key role in European competitiveness – British universities must not be undermined in this regard.

Read the entire statement