The Global Engagement Hub has been working with the Faculties and Strategic Investment Area (SIA) Steering groups on developing new relationships and partnerships with a range of institutions worldwide.

The University of Copenhagen and the University of Helsinki both feature on BU’s international priority partner institutions list. The expertise of these institutions spans across all strategic investment areas:

• Animation, Simulation and Visualisation
• Assistive Technology
• Medical Science
• Sustainability and Low Carbon Technology

The University of Copenhagen is ranked # 84 in the 2021 Times Higher Education World University Rankings and the University of Helsinki is ranked # 98.

An analysis of Scival data has shown that both institutions are in the top 10 European Universities with which BU collaborates. There are 47 co-authored publications between BU academics and academics at the University of Copenhagen and 33 co-authored publications between BU academics and academics at the University of Helsinki between 2017-2020.

Below are some of the research activity between BU and these institutions:

Professor Ann Hemingway, Professor Katherine Appleton and Professor Heather Hartwell collaborated with Professor Federico Perez-Cueto at the University of Copenhagen on the EU-funded research project VeggiEAT. Building on the successful collaboration, with the Department of Food Science at the University of Copenhagen, Professor Hartwell was successful in securing further EU-funding for the project FoodSMART. This project also involved Professor Katherine Appleton, Professor Lorraine Brown,  Dr Jeff Bray, Dr Gernot Liebchen, Dr Nan Jiang, Professor Vasilis Katos and Dr Sarah Price. Both of these projects have been successfully completed.

Associate Professor Tom Wainwright from the Orthopaedic Research Institute (ORI) is collaborating with Professor Henrik Kehlet from the University of Copenhagen on the adoption to Enhanced Recovery Surgery pathways, leading to joint publications.

RESONATE -RESilient fOrest value chains – enhancing resilience through NATural and socio-Economic responses is a current EU-funded project between Dr Elena Cantarello and academics at the University of Copenhagen and the University of Helsinki. This research project has started in 2021 and is due to be completed in 2025.

A further project that FHSS currently have with the University of Helsinki is CO-LAB: Improving collaborative practice between correctional and mental health services. This research aims to improve collaborations between criminal justice and welfare services. Dr Sarah Hean, Professor Jonathan Parker, Professor Sara Ashencaen Crabtree, Dr Jaqui Hewitt-Taylor, Dr Vanessa Heaslip and Dr Angela Turner-Wilson are collaborating with colleagues at the University of Helsinki. The project is due to be completed this year.

In terms of recent publications, Professor Edwin van Teijlingen has a published a chapter: Birth Systems across the World: Variations in maternity policy and services across countries in the renowned series of books: FIGO Continuous Textbook of Women’s Medicine. This chapter was co-authored with Prof Sipra Wrede and Doctoral Researcher Johanna Sarlio-Nieminen from the University of Helsinki and Dr Anastasia Novkunskaya from the European University at St. Petersburg.

The Institute for the Modelling of Socio-Environmental Transitions (IMSET) has expressed interest in collaborating with colleagues at the University of Helsinki and the Global Engagement Hub have facilitated introductions to academics at the University of Helsinki.

We are currently in the process of developing a partnership with the University of Copenhagen for Erasmus+ staff mobility. This will allow BU staff to undertake a teaching or training mobility at the University of Copenhagen, funded through Erasmus+. The Global Engagement Hub have funds to support staff mobility through Erasmus+ until May 2023. This partnership would also allow staff from the University of Copenhagen to come to BU for teaching once travel is possible and the relevant restrictions lifted.

If you have any links to these strategic partner universities or would like to collaborate with colleagues at these institutions, please email GlobalBU@bournemouth.ac.uk.