Strengthening the African knowledge society

Since 2019, The Guild has developed a close partnership with the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) to support sustainable partnerships between African and European universities. The African Union and the European Union have a unique opportunity to develop their strategic partnership through investing in sustainable and equitable collaboration in research, innovation and higher education. To tackle the common challenges from public health to environmental change, ARUA and The Guild have emphasised the importance of strengthening the African knowledge society through enhancing African universities' capacities for excellent research.

ARUA-The Guild joint leaders’ statement: Transformative science relationships are indispensable to address common global challenges

At the ARUA-The Guild Summit, held at the University of Glasgow 14-17 June 2026, Vice-Chancellors and Presidents of 46 leading universities in Africa and Europe resolved to redouble their efforts to address humanity’s common challenges in health, digital transformation, environmental degradation, technological shifts, cultural tensions and geopolitical strife together.

Read the joint statement

Joint response to the Proposal for a Regulation establishing Global Europe

The Guild and the European Research Alliance for Sustainable Development (ERASuD) welcome the EU’s ambition for the Global Europe Instrument and urge EU institutions to fully unlock the potential for research, innovation and higher education in Europe’s international partnerships.

Read the joint response

Research communities must be involved to reach the AU-EU Joint Vision 2030

The Guild welcomes the AU-EU Summit’s commitment to collaboration in research and higher education, and stresses their importance in the AU-EU Joint Vision’s concrete implementation to ensure as both continents must address central challenges in health, climate, technology and the economy with maximum impact and sustainability.

Read the statement

Erasmus+ for a globally connected Europe: The Guild and ARUA’s recommendations

European citizens need to be well-connected with the knowledge, skills and competences necessary to thrive despite the uncertainty of a dynamically changing society. The international dimension of Erasmus+ plays a key role in building societies that are more resilient and based on mutual trust and intercultural understanding.

Read the joint recommendations
group of people sitting around a table

Universities and research institutions call for the EU to increase its strategic commitments as part of the Global Gateway

Prominent universities and research institutions from Africa and Europe are calling on the EU to enhance its strategic commitments to Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). They emphasize the importance of advancing research, innovation, and higher education collaborations as part of the Global Gateway's fifth investment priority.

Sign the call

Universities launch Africa-Europe Clusters of Research Excellence to pioneer new approach to equitable collaboration

At their June 2023 summit in Brussels, Vice-Chancellors and Presidents of ARUA and The Guild launched seventeen research clusters that aim to transform the nature of collaborative research, foregrounding equity as a precondition for excellent and impactful research to address our common societal challenges. The Africa-Europe Clusters of Research Excellence (CoRE) bring together distinguished researchers from universities and research institutes across both continents and beyond the two networks.

Read a recap of the launch event

Click here to access the Africa Europe Clusters of Research Excellence website

Universities and research organisations across Africa and Europe call for a new framework programme

In a joint effort to foster equitable research partnerships and realise the sustainable development of Africa and Europe, universities and research organisations from all parts of Africa and Europe urge the African Union and the European Union to embrace a comprehensive, long-term vision for the Global Gateway’s AU-EU Innovation Agenda and pilot an integrated Africa-EU Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Programme for the period 2023-2027.

Read the Call for Action

Reframing global science relations: ARUA and The Guild summit of university leaders meet in Cape Town

In a meeting first of its kind, university leaders across Europe and Africa laid the foundations for new types of partnerships, grounded on equity and inclusion. Meeting in Cape Town in November 2022, ARUA and The Guild university Presidents and Vice-Chancellors committed to creating long-term Clusters of Excellence. With these commitments our universities are at the forefront of turning into reality the AU-EU Innovation Agenda.

Read about the meeting

More publications

 

2020

Developing equal, mutually beneficial partnerships with African universities

In this insight paper, Professor Peter Maassen (University of Oslo) outlines in detail the particular need for investment in African research-intensive universities.

Read the insight paper

2020

Confronting our common challenges: a new approach to strengthening Africa's research, innovation and higher education capacity

ARUA and The Guild call for sustainable investment in African knowledge societies by creating Centres of Excellence (CoE) to confront common challenges for both continents.

Read the concept note

2020

Recommendations for strengthening African research universities

The Guild and ARUA outline key proposals and principles for a future EU-Africa partnership.

Read the position paper

2021

ARUA and The Guild call for the AU and the EU to act as levers for widespread and coordinated support for the African knowledge society

ARUA and The Guild emphasise the critical importance of strengthening African research universities, calling to action the AU and EU, national governments, public science bodies, universities and their communities.

Read the full statement

2022

ARUA and The Guild in full support of the proposed joint AU-EU Innovation Agenda

Through the proposed AU-EU Innovation Agenda, announced on 14 February ahead of the AU-EU summit, universities are assuming a central place in the development of AU-EU relations.

Read the statement

Past events

ARUA – The Guild panel: Universities as gateways between Africa and Europe

On 14 February 2022, just ahead of the EU-AU summit, The Guild and ARUA organised a panel discussion as part of the Africa-Europe Science Collaboration Platform's (AERAP) side events. The panel provided a timely outlook on what is needed to further strengthen African universities and African-European university collaborations in the long-term.

Read about the event

The Guild and ARUA contribute to AU-EU Innovation Agenda Stakeholder Event in Nairobi, Kenya

In November 2022, The Guild and ARUA contributed to a transcontinental dialogue to develop the draft AU-EU Innovation Agenda in Nairobi, Kenya, alongside their colleagues from the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA).

Read about the event

ARUA – The Guild conference: Strengthening the African knowledge society

On 22 November 2021, ARUA and The Guild brought together high-level speakers from Europe and Africa to discuss how to strengthen the African knowledge society and what role higher education and research should play in the AU-EU strategic relationship. Looking to the upcoming AU-EU summit, the participants and speakers shared their views on how to learn from the past to build up a stronger and more equal partnership.

Read about the event

Other voices