Global Relations at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign facilitated 86 new or renewed institutional agreements in 35 countries during the 2021-2022 academic year.
This is just one of the many things Global Relations accomplished that was shared in the Annual Engagement Report released on Feb. 15.
Dr. Sammer Jones, the director of Global Relations, said in the report that UIUC has a proud history of collaborating with world-class institutions around the globe.
This is done to create an environment where innovation can move freely across geopolitical, cultural, disciplinary, and academic borders.
Additionally, Dr. Jones said Global Relations works closely with campus partners to facilitate and support successful collaborations.
That is the case with a new collaboration opportunity that was explored during the previous academic year with Panama for Grainger College of Engineering and College of Education.
Another highlight from the past year includes 12 scholars from UIUC earning Fulbright awards making the university the top doctoral institution in terms of numbers of scholars offered grants.
Global Relations has also managed over 400 active institutional agreements with 53 countries (that’s including the 86 new and renewed institutional agreements in 35 of those countries); welcomed visitors from 10 countries since international travel resumed; and hosted a joint online lecture titled Racism and Apartheid in South Africa and the United States between the Departments of History at Illinois and the University of Johannesburg.
Vision 2030 Update
A key priority of Vision 2030, the global strategy for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is prioritizing just, equitable, inclusive, and sustainable engagement for impact in the Global South.
Keeping with the Vision 2030 strategy, the University of Illinois System opened its first office in Mexico City, on the campus of Autonomous National University of Mexico.
This is part of the University of Illinois System Mexican & Mexican American Students initiative and designed to strengthen ties to Mexican higher education, industry, and government to explore areas for greater cooperation.
The University of Illinois Board of Trustees also approved the plan to establish a system liaison office in New Delhi, India, and a branch office in Bengaluru (Bangalore) to further develop relationships with academic and corporate partners and alumni, as well as support student recruitment.
Strategic Partnership Updates from 2021-2022
- Kyushu University, Japan
- One hundred thousand matching seed grants were established to support and promote the partnerships in the following areas:
◦ Smart Grid and Sustainable Energy
◦ Environmental Economics
◦ Data Science/Data Management and Curation (includes Mathematics)
◦ Humanities
◦ Library Science
- BRIDGE Strategic Partnership with the University of Birmingham (UoB), United Kingdom
- A new BRIDGE Water Fellowship was established during the academic year, and it marked the first year UIUC hosted the Research Leaders Program visiting delegation from UoB since 2019.
- BRIDGE Seed Funding also resumed and 13 faculty on each campus received the award.
- National Taiwan University (NTU), Taiwan
- The strategic partnership between MOU and NTU was renewed, and planning for an incoming delegation from NTU led by the Associate Vice Chancellor for International Affairs has begun.
- Zhejiang University, China
- UIUC and ZJU celebrated 20 years of partnership virtually in April 2022.
- The second cohort of the ZJUI students graduated in 2022.
- INSPIRE: Illinois–Sweden Program for Educational and Research Exchange with KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm University and Karolinska Institute, Sweden
- During the 2021-2022 academic year, Global Relations met with a delegation from KTH Royal Institute of Technology. That delegation was led by the Vice President for Global Relations that visited campus to explore collaborations in Engineering.