The Babeș-Bolyai University (UBB), Romania, has been admitted as the twentieth member of The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities, effective from 1 June 2020. The Jagiellonian University is one of the main founding members of this prestigious university network.
The Guild’s General Assembly of University Presidents extended an invitation to the UBB after a rigorous assessment based on The Guild’s membership criteria. The UBB has consistently ranked as Romania’s top university internationally across the major rankings (2016-19). It has been the strongest comprehensive university in Romania involved in the seventh Framework Programme and Horizon 2020. The Guild Presidents have been impressed by the institution’s potential and trajectory as detailed in the new strategic plan of the UBB as a world-class oriented university.
“The UBB, by its academic tradition, has always been anchored in the richness and the excellence of the academic European area. We are honoured by the invitation of The Guild, which will be our new international ‘academic home’”, said the UBB’s Rector, Prof. Daniel David.
The UBB traces its origins to 1581 as Academia/Universitas Claudiopolitana (1581-1786, with teaching in Latin and German), followed by the Cluj Hungarian University in the nineteenth century and then by Cluj the Romanian University at the beginning of the twentieth century. In 1959, combining the existing Romanian and Hungarian universities in Cluj-Napoca, it emerged as the Babeș-Bolyai University (UBB), named after the Romanian biologist Victor Babeș and the Hungarian mathematician János Bolyai. The university continues to be multicultural and trilingual (Romanian, Hungarian and German) to this day. With around 45,000 students, it is the largest university in Romania.
Following The Guild’s creation in 2016 with 18 members, it admitted the University of Bern in 2017. Since its creation, The Guild has been dedicated to bringing together research excellence from some of the best universities from across the European continent. The Jagiellonian University took active part in initiating the network, with the JU Vice-Rector Prof. Stanisław Kistryn as one of its originators.
As The Guild’s 20th member, the Babeș-Bolyai University will bring an important perspective from South-Eastern Europe to The Guild’s internal discussions, its collaborations, and the positions it develops.
The full press release from the Guild and the UBB is available at the link below.
