Lärosäten Syd, the network of Universities in South Sweden, have a joint office in Brussels since August 2018. The Brussels office’s role is to increase the profile of the universities at EU level, to improve the monitoring and influencing of EU policy programmes and to support the building of closer international partnerships. An overall goal is to support an increased participation in the EU Framework Programme.
The Brussels office is a complement to the services provided by the research support offices at home at the universities. In Brussels the focus is on the things that are best done from Brussels.
Services of the Brussels office
- Monitoring EU research and innovation policy and programmes, in particular the upcoming EU framework programme Horizon Europe 2021-2027, as well as policy areas relevant to our research
- Targeted operational support on EU programme calls, such as background research and partnership search
- Identification of profiling opportunities for the universities and researchers
- Support with visiting programmes to Brussels in order to build capacity at home
- Support to management through horizon scanning
- Maintaining and building networks in Brussels, and support with participation
- Access to meeting rooms for up to 50 people, for researchers’ project meetings or policy events, as well as logistical support with event organisation
- Access to work space during visits to Brussels
Our networks
Lärosäten Syd is engaged in two Brussels networks to increase our profile and facilitate European partnerships:
- European Regions Research and Innovation Network (ERRIN)
- Universities Informal Liaison Offices Network (UnILiON)
- On behalf of Lund we also participate in the CESAER (Conference of European Schools for Advanced Engineering Education and Research) Task Force Competitive Funding
Individual universities are also members of the European University Association, LERU (League of European Research Universities), SGroup, Euroleague for Life Sciences among others.
Two of our universities are part of a European University: Lund University in EUGLOH – European University Alliance for Global Health, and Linnæus University in EUniWell – European University for Well-Being.
Together with the Brussels office of Region Skåne, we keep a calendar of interesting upcoming policy events in Brussels.
Directions to the office
Our office is situated in Nordic House, on the same floor as the regional representations of Skåne European Office and Småland Blekinge Halland South Sweden. You can find a link to a map with directions and hotel recommendations.
Contacts at the universities
The Brussels office is coordinated through a working group, made up of the EU policy officer and a representative of each university’s research services or grants office. Researchers from our universities can either contact the Brussels office directly, or the representative from your university.
- Eva-Lisa Ahnström, Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH)
- Lars Ola Nilsson, Halmstad University
- Martin Persson, Kristianstad University
- Kjärstin Hagman Boström, Linnæus University
- Anneli Wiklander, Lund University
- Rebecka Kucer Wallin, Malmö University
- Ulf Westerlund, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)