U of I & KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm form alliance

The chief executive officers of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm have agreed upon a long-term strategic alliance designed to benefit students and faculty members at both institutions. The agreement on academic and research cooperation seeks to serve and engage the civic communities and economic interests of Sweden and the State of Illinois.

KTH and the University of Illinois are among the world’s pre-eminent public research universities. Faculty members and administrators from the two institutions have identified a broad range of common research areas and educational activities, as well as public engagement and corporate relations efforts.

U. of I. Interim Vice President and Chancellor Bob Easter and Peter Gudmundson, the president of KTH, envision a sustained partnership with substantial benefits for the two universities.

“Our emerging strategic partnership with KTH is a key component of our broader international engagement,” Easter said. “We’re also looking forward to leveraging KTH’s existing relationships and shared research initiatives with Stockholm University and Karolinska Institutet to broaden this alliance. This will create a consortium of outstanding institutions with considerable strengths over a wide range of academic disciplines.”

“This long-term cooperation with the renowned University of Illinois is an important cornerstone of KTH’s continuing international development,” Gudmundson said. “At the same time, the Stockholm region is one of the most technologically innovative in the world, and our extensive research and education network can help strengthen the U. of I.’s programs.”

The cooperation with KTH and engagement in Sweden compose the flagship project of the new Illinois Strategic International Partnerships initiative. The initiative seeks to develop a network of sustained, multidisciplinary linkages with peer institutions around the world to benefit the core missions of research, education, public service and economic development among all partners.

More information about the initiative and INSPIRE – the Illinois-Sweden Program for Educational and Research Exchange – may be found at http://ilint.illinois.edu/partnerships/ISIP.html and http://inspire.illinois.edu.
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Contact: Jeff Unger, News Bureau, 217/333-1085.