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The First DecadeLERU - The League of European Research Universities
The First DecadeLERU - The League of European Research Universities
Joost van Asten
May 2012
5LERU The first decade
to facilitate the exchange of students. Over time, other net-
works were founded for different purposes. At the European
level, there are now some twenty-five university networks in
existence. Some networks are limited to one country, such as
the Russell Group in the UK, or to a specific subject, such
as the European Society for Engineering Education. Next to
the European University Association which unites over 800
universities, the Coimbra Group, the Compostela Group,
the Network of Universities from the Capitals of Europe
(UNiCA), the Santander Group and the Utrecht Network
are among the larger federations.
Outside Europe, university networks exist as well. Some,
for instance the Association of Commonwealth Universi-
ties or the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie, operate
worldwide. Others are limited to a specific region or (sub)
continent, such as the Associations of African, Arab or indian
Universities. Networks with goals similar to those of LERU
include C9 (PRC), the Group of Eight (Australia), and the
Association of Pacific Rim Universities.
in North America, a group of doctorate-granting institutions
founded the Association of American Universities (AAU)
already in 1900, long before anything similar existed in any
other part of the world. They had a good reason for joining
forces: unlike in Europe, HE in America was decentralised
and hardly regulated. institutions of dubious quality could
call themselves ‘universities’ and award doctoral degrees, so-
metimes without even requiring candidates to show up on
campus. This was obviously hurting the reputations of the
more demanding universities, so it was important for the lat-
ter to have some quality mark. Over time, the Association
grew from its 14 founding institutions to its present size of 59
US and 2 Canadian member universities.
The League of European Research Universities (LERU) is an
association of leading European research-intensive universi-
ties that share the values of high-quality teaching within an
environment of internationally competitive research. Foun-
ded in 2002, LERU advocates education through an aware-
ness of the frontiers of human understanding; the creation
of new knowledge through basic research, which is the ul-
timate source of innovation in society; and the promotion of
research across a broad front in partnership with industry and
society at large. This booklet, which gives a short overview of
LERU’s first decade and where it currently stands, is publis-
hed at the occasion of LERU’s 10th anniversary celebration in
Barcelona on 9-10 May 2012.
University networks
University networks are a relatively young phenomenon in
Europe. Academics from various universities have, of course,
always collaborated, but there were no institutional bonds
between them. This should not come as a surprise, because
until some 40 years ago most universities hardly existed as in-
stitutions: individual professors -and sometimes the faculties
they formed- were dominant, the authority of the Rector was
generally limited. But the role of universities gradually chan-
ged, from learned communities of staff and students to insti-
tutions of higher education (HEis). This change called for a
different form of university governance, with more power to
the Rector and his board. Over the years, universities became
more centrally led institutions, and these institutions sought
collaboration with others to attain certain goals.
One of these goals was student mobility; when the then Eu-
ropean Economic Community launched the Erasmus Pro-
gramme in 1987, universities began entering into agreements
The First Decade
FoUnding MeMbers oF LerU (2002)
University of Cambridge
University of Edinburgh
Université de Genève
Universität Heidelberg
Helsingin yliopisto (University of Helsinki)
Karolinska Institutet (Stockholm) (until 31-3-2011)
Universiteit Leiden
KU Leuven
Università degli Studi di Milano
Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München
University of Oxford
Université Louis Pasteur Strasbourg (since 1-1-2009: Université de Strasbourg)
6 2002 - 2012
7LERU The first decade
that time favoured the physical and life sciences and enginee-
ring, but also believed that in universities which were strong
in this area, the humanities and social sciences would be of a
high standard as well.
At the Leuven meeting in February 2002, it was decided in
principle to establish an organisation whose aim would be
to advocate the interests of fundamental research and of re-
search-intensive universities, and to stimulate mutual coope-
ration, e.g. by exchanging best practices. The presence at the
meeting of Mr Philippe Busquin, then EU Commissioner for
Research, laid the foundation for subsequent fruitful contacts
with the European Commission.
After some discussion, the participants at the Leuven meeting
adopted the name ‘League of European Research Universi-
ties’2. it was decided that the organisational structure should
be as simple as possible, with a prominent role for the Rec-
tors. The League was to appoint a Secretary-General and to
formulate a mission statement. From the beginning, it was
emphasised that the League was not only defending the in-
terests of its members, but of the other European universities
and their role in teaching and fundamental research as well.
On a purely voluntary basis, members wanted to harmonise
doctoral and postdoctoral programmes, starting with infor-
mation exchange.
How it started
On 22-24 April 2001, the AAU celebrated its 100th annivers-
ary in Washington, DC. A group of Rectors1 of leading Eu-
ropean universities were invited to attend. At this centennial
meeting, the idea to create a similar group in Europe, i.e. a
group of top-level universities, was informally discussed. its
primary aim, it was felt, should be advocating the interests of
fundamental research, which were believed to be threatened
by budget cuts and governments’ utilitarian views. At that
time, the Medical Deans of the universities of Cambridge,
Leiden, Leuven and Oxford and Karolinska institutet were
already exploring the options of bringing together top-notch
medical research and teaching facilities. This group had com-
missioned a bibliometric analysis to gauge the performance of
about forty European universities in various fields.
After the AAU centennial meeting, the Rectors of the said
universities met in Stockholm on 25 June 2001 and again in
London on 13 September of that year to elaborate the ideas
for a new network. informal visits were paid to the universi-
ties of Helsinki, Edinburgh and the Université Louis Pasteur
in Strasbourg. Some other institutions were addressed in wri-
ting and finally, on 13 and 14 February 2002, a meeting was
held in Leuven, attended by the universities that would be
the founding members of LERU and that had been selected
mainly on the basis of the results of the bibliometric analysis
mentioned above. At that time, it was decided that political or
geographical considerations should not play a role in the se-
lection of the group’s members, just quality. While it was ob-
vious from the onset that the European Commission was to
be an important target for lobbying, it was decided to include
the Université de Genève, although Switzerland was –and is–
not an EU member. The initiators realised that bibliometry at
1. in LERU circles, it is customary to refer to all university leaders as ‘Rectors’, although in fact they may have the title of Vice-Chancellor,
President, Principal etc.
2. Since it was adopted as the working language of the group, its name was defined in English only. in French speaking countries, it is some-
times referred to as ‘Ligue des universités européennes de recherche’.
8 2002 - 2012
André Oosterlinck
Rectors’ Assembly, Leiden, July 2002
Colin Lucas Douwe Breimer
9LERU The first decade
estabLisHing tHe organisation
On July 5th of that same year 2002, the Rectors met again
in Leiden. They adopted a mission statement, which has not
changed since, and signed a Letter of intent. Although it was
felt that strategy development would strictly remain a mat-
ter of the Rectors’ Assembly (RA), it was deemed necessary
to install a Coordinating Group (CG) or Executive Commit-
tee, consisting of a President and two Vice-Presidents, that
would be authorised to take decisions in urgent matters and
to determine the tactics ‘in tune’ with the RA. The CG would
also supervise the Secretary-General (SG), who would have a
high-standing position and would be driving the contact with
‘Brussels’. Since LERU was to employ people and to receive
and disperse money, it should have legal personality. The
KU Leuven generously offered to host the organisation, and
it was therefore decided that LERU would be shaped as a not-
for-profit foundation according to Belgian law. LERU is very
Letter of Intent
grateful to the KU Leuven for providing housing and other
support.
Awaiting a more permanent structure, the Vice-Chancellor
of the University of Oxford, (now Sir) Colin Lucas, and the
Rectors of the universities of Leiden and Leuven, Douwe
Breimer and André Oosterlinck, agreed to sit on the first
Coordinating Group of the League. To preserve its indepen-
dence, LERU did not seek financial support from the Euro-
pean Commission. This implied that a substantial contribu-
tion from the members would be needed to cover the salaries
and operations of the SG and a small staff; a fee of €20,000 per
year was agreed. To allow the organisation to develop on a
stable basis, it was agreed that LERU would not invite others
to become members for a period of at least two years.
10 2002 - 2012
LerU becoMes active
in the period 2002-2003 the organisation began to take con-
crete shape. The presidents of the AAU members meet twice
a year, and a similar rule was adopted for LERU. in fact, in
2002 the Rectors gathered three times: after the meetings in
Leuven and Leiden, they came together in Milan in Novem-
ber to discuss the ways LERU was going to pursue its aims.
By that time, much had happened already. The Coordinating
Group had met twice in search for a Secretary-General and
to draft the budget. Furthermore, two very successful mee-
tings with Commissioner Busquin had taken place. Last but
not least LERU had published its first position paper, The
European Higher Education and Research Areas and the Role
of Research-Intensive Universities, written by Geoffrey Boul-
ton, Vice-Principal of the University of Edinburgh, with the
support of Colin Lucas.
Meanwhile, Articles of Association had been drafted to es-
tablish LERU formally as a not-for-profit organisation. The
Coordinating Group then formally became the Board of Di-
rectors. A full list of the past and present Directors is to be
found on page 15.
A very important meeting took place on 24 and 25 May 2003
in Helsinki. On this occasion, the Articles of Association
were signed officially by all authorised representatives of the
member universities. With their publication in the Belgian
Official Gazette (Het Belgisch Staatsblad) on 10 July 2003,
LERU came into legal existence as a not-for-profit associati-
on under Belgian law. in Helsinki, the Rectors also appointed
LERU’s first Secretary-General, professor Herman Vanden
Berghe, for a period of a year and a half. One of the members
of Commissioner Busquin’s Cabinet, Kurt Vandenberghe,
attended part of the Assembly to discuss the relationship
between LERU and the European Commission.
The biannual Rectors’ Assemblies were and are the most im-
portant events in LERU’s calendar. At these meetings, topical
issues are discussed extensively and decisions are made about
the League’s strategy. Next to this formal part, however, there is
always plenty of opportunity for informal interactions. Many a
friendship between Rectors arose from these meetings, leading
to contacts on other occasions as well. As one of the results,
Herman Vanden Berghe Rectors’ Assembly, Cambridge, November 2008
11LERU The first decade
LerU oFFice
The increasing activities of LERU made it necessary to ex-
pand the Office. As of 1 October 2003, Joost van Asten, an
employee of Leiden University who from the onset had been
closely involved in the establishment of the organisation,
was seconded to LERU for two days per week as Managing
Director. On 1 February 2004, Katrien Maes took up a full-
time position as Executive Director at the Office, which then
moved from its location in the KU Leuven Rectorate in the
Naamsestraat to the St Jan Berchmanscollege in the Parijs-
straat. in 2004 the KU Leuven Research Coordination Office,
which acted as the administrative home for the Office and its
employees, moved from the Rectorate in the Krakenstraat to
House Bethlehem in the Schapenstraat. in 2005 LERU Office
rejoined the Research Coordination Office in House Bethle-
hem, which both still call home in 2012.
To relieve the Rectors of maintaining frequent contacts with
the Office for day-to-day matters, a network of Senior Of-
ficers was set up. These Officers, who were meant to be the
primary contact point between the Office and their univer-
sity, had their first meeting on 4 April 2004 in Leuven. Since
then, this group has played a pivotal role in the development
of LERU.
active networks of leading figures in the member universities
are now discussing all kinds of issues universities are confron-
ted with. These friendly ties are at the basis of LERU’s success.
Since 2004, the Rectors’ Assemblies were held in May and in
November or December of each year. At first, the dates were
set by mutual agreement, but since this was somewhat im-
practical, a schedule was agreed in Munich in May 2006 which
set the dates for the future meetings at, as a rule, the third
weekend in May and in November. Since it was otherwise dif-
ficult to accommodate the Rectors’ diaries, the meetings were
held on Saturday and Sunday until November 2010, when the
dates were moved to Fridays and Saturdays.
Meeting of the Senior Officers’ Network, Leuven,
October 2006Rectors’ Assembly, Lund, May 2008
12 2002 - 2012
expanding LerU
As the contacts with the European Commission and other go-
vernmental bodies intensified, it became evident that LERU
was too small to be considered truly representative. The or-
ganisation therefore wanted to invite new members, thus also
increasing its human and financial resources. The Membership
Committee, which had already formulated criteria for mem-
bership, set out to identify suitable candidates, using all avai-
lable information including the opinion of Rectors and Vice-
Rectors of the members. After ample discussion, the Rectors
agreed to invite a number of carefully selected institutions to
join LERU, and on 1 January 2006 LERU grew from 12 to 20
members.
Although LERU had made clear that membership could be
by invitation only, at regular intervals universities applied or
made enquiries about the possibility to become members. The
Rectors were reluctant to consider further expansion of the
group, for fear it might become less effective or would com-
promise its reputation of being a body of top-quality institu-
tions. it was agreed, however, that the network would benefit
from some diversification, as it consisted almost exclusively
of traditional comprehensive universities with a geographi-
cal bias towards North-West Europe. Finally, it was decided
to invite two high-ranking institutions, imperial College
LERU Office gradually grew with the level of LERU’s activi-
ties. in 2005, Annelies Leysen joined Katrien and Joost, partly
to support the LERU Kids’ University project. Els Volders
succeeded her for a few months in 2006. in 2007, Laura Keus-
termans (Policy Officer) took up a full-time position in the
Office. To assist the Policy Officers with their administrative
duties, Annick Wierinckx was appointed in 2008; she left the
Office a year later. Finally Bart Valkenaers (Communications
and Marketing Officer) and Veerle Van Kerckhove (Adminis-
trative Coordinator) joined the Office in 2009.
eMpLoyee FroM to
Joost van Asten beginning December 2010
Katrien Maes February 2004 present
Annelies Leysen August 2005 February 2006
Els Volders May 2006 October 2006
Laura Keustermans January 2007 present
Annick Wierinckx May 2008 April 2009
Bart Valkenaers May 2009 present
Veerle Van Kerckhove September 2009 present
Joost van Asten Katrien Maes LERU Office Staff 2010
13LERU The first decade
London to cover the technological area, and the Universitat
de Barcelona from the iberian Peninsula. Both accepted and
took up membership in January 2010. Much to everyone’s re-
gret Karolinska institutet, one of the founding members, de-
cided to leave the group in March 2011, which resulted in the
current membership of 21.
LERU selected its members primarily from the group of
comprehensive, research-intensive universities; top-quality
but more specialised institutions, however, were invited if it
was felt that their membership could add strategic value to the
organisation. LERU members are demonstrably excellent in
what they do, and they are also in a position to contribute to
the strategic goals of LERU, e.g. because they play a pivotal
role in some sub-type of institutions, because they are parti-
cularly influential in their own country, etc.
Future candidates for membership should be of sufficient size
Joined on 1 JanUary 2006
Universiteit van Amsterdam
Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
University College London
Lunds universitet
Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris
Université Paris-Sud 11
Universiteit Utrecht
Universität Zürich
Joined on 1 JanUary 2010
Universitat de Barcelona
Imperial College London
and produce a substantial research output. The research base
should be large enough to allow the university to respond
flexibly to changing research priorities, to provide research-
rich environments essential for research-informed teaching
and to cater for the needs of top-level students, in particular
master’s and PhD students. The research output should cover
several disciplines, and the base should be sufficiently broad
to allow cross-fertilisation among various research areas.
From the beginning, bibliometric analyses have played an im-
portant role in identifying potential members and partners of
LERU. Much of this work was done by the Centre for Sci-
ence and Technology Studies (CWTS) at Leiden University.
in preparation for the latest expansion, CWTS was commis-
sioned to perform a comparative analysis of 40 institutions in
Europe and the US, including the LERU members. LERU
intends to evaluate periodically whether its membership is
still in agreement with its mission and status.
14 2002 - 2012
Making it work
From the beginning, committees and working parties were
formed to cover a specific area or to tackle particular issues.
These included the Senior Officers’ Network, the Research
Working Group (later to become the Research Policy Com-
mittee), the Technology Transfer Officers, a working group
on doctoral studies and research career development, the
Deans of Medicine, the Membership Committee, the Social
and Behavioural Sciences Community, etc. Some of these
groups operated rather independently, some relied heavily on
the support of LERU Office. All of them had their own struc-
ture and methods of working.
The second Secretary-General, David Livesey, who took of-
fice in May 2005, set out to create a more transparent and uni-
form structure of the various groups within LERU. Partially
based on structures already existing in some of the groups,
he introduced ‘communities’ with a common model, self-
governing groups that in principle set their own agendas and
organise activities themselves. As a rule, a community has a
steering group of three or four people, who take the lead in
activity or policy development for the community. LERU
Office supports the communities in varying degrees, for
example by assisting in the organisation of meetings and by
giving policy advice especially with regard to European af-
fairs. Often, the Secretary-General or one of LERU’s Policy
Officers attends the meetings of the communities, to inform,
advise and ensure proper linkage to activities of other groups
or to LERU’s advocacy activities in Brussels.
By introducing this model as a standard and expanding the num-
ber of communities, the Secretary-General responded to a re-
commendation made in the Reichert report to involve a wider
group of people in LERU’s activities. Because in the beginning
LERU’s main objective was lobbying, few people within the
member universities were familiar with the organisation; only
the Rectors and small groups around them were active in the
network. Gradually, it became apparent that LERU couldn’t
afford to rely on the contributions of the Rectors alone; it nee-
ded to mobilise the support of more people within the network.
evaLUation
After the first five years, the Rectors wanted an independent
judgment about LERU’s performance. Were the achievements
indeed worth the efforts put in by them and their colleagues?
it was decided to ask Reichert Consulting, a bureau speciali-
sing in higher education policy and strategy that had worked
for the European Commission, the European University As-
sociation, several national governments and many universities,
to perform an assessment. Reichert Consulting produced a re-
port on LERU’s achievements that was presented at the RA
in Edinburgh in November 2007, together with a number of
recommendations. The Rectors were pleased with the report’s
conclusion, namely that LERU had performed well. The
Rectors furthermore decided that a limited expansion of the
network seemed desirable, and asked the Membership Com-
mittee to rethink the criteria for membership and to come up
with candidates, which resulted in inviting two universities to
join the League in 2009 (see page 12-13). LERU was to aim
at enhancing collaboration and strengthening ties between
the members, next to its lobbying activities. Moreover, an at-
tempt should be made to involve a wider community within
the member institutions than just the Rectors and a few col-
leagues, in order to strengthen LERU’s basis. The next section
of this paper describes how LERU negotiated this issue.
Kurt DeketelaereDavid Livesey
15LERU The first decade
This led to the foundation of communities of the Directors of
Communication (2007), the Vice-Rectors for Learning and Tea-
ching and the Vice-Rectors for Research (2008), the European
Research Project Managers and the Heads of Libraries (2009).
At the initiative of the third Secretary-General Kurt Deketelaere,
who took office in July 2009, LERU started to form expert groups
to combine and exploit the expertise available in the member uni-
versities in certain fields and to contribute to topical discussions
related to the EU agenda. Examples are the Expert Groups on
Biodiversity, on Social Security, and on Human Rights. LERU
has also a number of active working groups dealing with alumni
relations, student mobility, charitable funding, gender, humanities
and e-learning.
While LERU’s core activities have been carried out as detailed
above, occasionally there have been collaborative initiatives,
usually proposed by one and joined by many or all member
MeMbers oF tHe board oF directors
Colin Lucas (Oxford) (chair) July 2003 May 2004
André Oosterlinck (Leuven) July 2003 May 2005
Douwe Breimer (Leiden) July 2003 February 2007
Kari Raivio (Helsinki) (chair) May 2004 May 2008
John Hood (Oxford) May 2005 October 2009
Hans Weder (Zurich) February 2007 August 2008
Bernd Huber (LMU) (chair) May 2008 present
Hans Stoof (Utrecht) August 2008 March 2011
Malcolm Grant (UCL) October 2009 present
Alain Beretz (Strasbourg) March 2011 present
secretary-generaLs
Herman Vanden Berghe May 2003 May 2005
David Livesey May 2005 July 2009
Kurt Deketelaere July 2009 present
universities, such as the Bright conferences, LERU Kids’ Uni-
versity, the eLERU/EUREA projects and the Doctoral Sum-
mer Schools. These are described in the following paragraphs.
16 2002 - 2012
brigHt conFerences
in 2004, a group of Leiden students organised a conference
for 20 advanced students from each of LERU’s members. The
theme of the so-called Bright conference was ‘Challenges for
Europe’s future’, with a focus on European identity, Euro-
pean innovation and the Union on the world Stage. The con-
ference was addressed by some key public figures and was
concluded with a dinner which was attended by the LERU
Rectors, officials and invited guests from industry.
The originators had at first wanted the conference to be a year-
ly event in Leiden. LERU, however, preferred to let it rotate
through all member universities. in the following years, the
conference was held in Leuven (“The Credibility of the Eu-
ropean Project”), Heidelberg (“Why Europe?”), Stockholm
(“The Ageing Europe and the Ageing European”), Helsinki
(“Europe as a Knowledge Society”), Milan (“Food and Water:
an increasing Challenge”), Munich (“University Teaching in
Europe: Challenges and Perspectives”) and Lund (“Equal and
Sustainable infrastructures”). As this made it difficult for the
Leiden initiators to remain involved in the event, a different
model was adopted that gave the hosting university the lead in
organising the conference with support from the Office. The
ninth edition of the Bright conference is scheduled to take
place at the Universiteit van Amsterdam in August 2012.
LerU kids’ University
in 2004, the Universität Heidelberg applied for a European
Commission grant to organise a LERU Kids’ University wit-
hin the framework of the European Science Week 2005. The
aim was to promote public understanding of research and sci-
ence. The target group was made up of children aged 10 to 12
years and (indirectly) their parents. Children at each of the
ten participating member universities in eight EU countries
and Switzerland experienced exciting experiments and lectu-
res on physics (in its broadest sense) during the Science Week,
demonstrating the impact of science on everyday life. Female
tHe LerU cHairs
The Rectors’ Assembly is the highest authority in LERU, but
from the beginning, the Board of Directors, and in particular
its Chair, played an important role. The Directors are respon-
sible for the budget and the accounts, they oversee the prep-
aration of the RAs and set the meetings’ agendas, and they
recruit the Secretary-General. The Chair represents LERU at
important occasions, and contributes to its visibility by deliv-
ering speeches, giving interviews, etc.
Until now, LERU had three Chairpersons of the BoD. Co-
lin Lucas contributed greatly to the transformation of a good
idea –establishing an association of top-level universities in
Europe- into a functioning organisation. Kari Raivio under-
took successfully the difficult task of substantially expanding
LERU’s membership without losing any of its coherence and
effectiveness. Bernd Huber, who like the others was involved
in LERU from the beginning, is now consolidating LERU’s
position as an authoritative discussion partner in its field.
Bernd Huber Kari Raivio
17LERU The first decade
LERU Kids’ University
eight member universities participating, ran for two years and
aimed at jointly creating e-learning modules for students. The
goal was to construct extensive interoperable and multilingual
European multimedia databases of lectures in European uni-
versities in digital format (text and video) and other digital
university productions. The digital content compiled in this
way was to be distributed through an electronic publisher and
a European web-based television channel.
By and large, the results of the EUREA project were as in-
tended. A test repository had been set up, including materials
from several partners. To make this possible, agreements had
been reached on standards and procedures. A very useful re-
port had been written on the issues involved in the areas of co-
pyright and iP, and a realistic business model was developed.
Much effort was spent on the eLERU project, and valuable
experience was gained within the participating institutions.
The gap between the strategic goals and interests of the mem-
ber universities and the more operational goals and interests
of the teachers, however, made it difficult to reach the pro-
ject’s goals completely.
After a latent period, the eLERU network got a new impulse
in 2011, bringing together interested LERU universities for
mutual learning and exchange of good practice on the latest
e-learning technologies. To provide a suitable organisational
context, the group was brought under the aegis of the Com-
munity of Vice-Rectors of Teaching and Learning.
scientists were actively present as key members of the project
to show that the natural sciences are, of course, equally acces-
sible for women. in collaboration with media partners these
messages were also communicated to a broad public audience.
The project was concluded by a common event held in the
Museum for Natural Sciences in Brussels on 23 November
2005. The aim was to demonstrate in what ways science and
society could interact. in 2006, eight member universities par-
ticipated in a similar project on a somewhat smaller scale.
eLerU and eUrea
in 2004, the Université Louis Pasteur Strasbourg submitted
two proposals for projects in the area of iCT and teaching
within the framework of the European e-Content and e-Lear-
ning programmes to the European Commission. Both propo-
sals were accepted, and at the beginning of 2005 the projects
EUREA and eLERU started.
The EUREA project, in which nine member universities par-
ticipated, was a feasibility study to clarify the prerequisites
for a successful design of a repository of digital learning ob-
jects, varying from items like pictures to (parts) of courses.
Teachers were to be encouraged to share high-quality learning
materials with others.
The eLERU project, which started on 1 February 2005 with
18 2002 - 2012
coMMUnication
At an early stage already, it became obvious that LERU nee-
ded to be present on the internet. The first website develo-
ped in 2003 was replaced by a more comprehensive one in the
spring of 2005. This site in turn was completely redesigned
in 2010.
Vital for communication within the network is the Members’
Only area, which contains agendas, presentations, reports
and briefing documents related to meetings of the governing
bodies, the committees and the communities. it serves as an
archive for all involved in LERU’s activities.
spreading tHe word
Publishing policy papers has been a major activity for LERU
since its inception. By the end of 2010, LERU had published
twelve position papers, addressing such topics as the purpose
of universities and their evolving function in society, the role
of research-intensive universities in particular, innovation, the
development of the European Research Area and of the Eu-
ropean institute of innovation and Technology, the role of
doctoraL sUMMer scHooL
Since 2010, a very successful LERU Doctoral Summer School
is organised annually for about 35 PhD students. The first
Summer School was hosted by the universities of Utrecht and
Amsterdam. The topic was “Communicating about Acade-
mic Research”, and the activities were embedded in the theme
“Towards a sustainable future”. in 2011, the Summer School
was organised by University College London and focused on
Entrepreneurship, including essential enterprise skills for ear-
ly career researchers. The theme of the 2012 Summer School is
open scholarship/open access and is hosted by the Universitat
de Barcelona.
Geoffrey BoultonDoctoral Summer School, Utrecht, July 2010
19LERU The first decade
pers, one briefing paper and two notes, covering a wide range
of subjects like social security for researchers, open access,
biodiversity, academic freedom, research funding and grant
management, and academic health centres. By this diversity
of publications, LERU reaches a much wider audience and is
therefore even more effective in disseminating its views.
All LERU papers are authored by high level academics or to-
pic experts from the member universities, who work with the
support of a LERU Policy Officer. All papers go through an
internal review and approval process. They are usually intro-
duced at a launch event in Brussels to attract the attention of
policy makers and the media.
externaL reLations
To pursue its goals effectively, LERU needs to maintain con-
tacts with organisations that contribute to science policy ma-
king and research funding. These obviously include the bodies
of the European Union, the European Science Foundation,
the European University Association – of which all LERU
universities are members -, and the the European Round Ta-
ble of industrialists. LERU also liaises with other university
networks with similar objectives, such as the Association of
American Universities, the Group of Eight in Australia, the
C9 (Ji xiào Liánméng) in China. Possible ways of cooperation
with the iDEA League, i.e. imperial College London, Delft
University of Technology, ETH Zurich, RWTH Aachen and
the Paris institute of Technology, which in some respects is
complementary to LERU, have already been explored.
the European Research Council, doctoral studies, research
training and careers, and rankings. Many of these papers had
as their primary author Geoffrey Boulton, Vice-Principal of
the University of Edinburgh and Chair of the Research Po-
licy Committee (2006-2008). The papers were well received
by the target audience. At first LERU papers were little more
than neatly laid out word processor documents, but from
the fourth paper on they came from the hands of a profes-
sional designer/printer who is also responsible for LERU’s
house style. They have been disseminated widely and are read
throughout Europe and the world.
Although they have been very influential, position papers
are not the only way in which LERU spreads its views. Next
to position papers, LERU started to produce advice papers,
briefing papers and notes. Advice papers endeavour to provi-
de concrete recommendations for action to specific stakehol-
ders at European, national or other levels. Briefing papers are
often the result of meetings of senior academics and univer-
sity leaders of member universities, and take a closer look at
a discipline- or institution-based topic. LERU notes are short
statements providing specific advice in response to a pres-
sing issue related to European research and higher education
policies. At the initiative of Secretary-General Kurt Dekete-
laere, in 2010 and 2011 alone LERU issued nine advice pa-
LERU paper ‘What are Universities for’
pUbLications
LERUPositionPapers
2002 The European Higher Education and Research Areas and the Role of Research-Intensive Universities
2003 Research-Intensive Universities as Engines for The “Europe Of Knowledge”
2004 Unlocking Europe’s Intellectual Potential – Universities and a European Common Market for Research
2005 Growth, Research-Intensive Universities and the European Research Council
Competitiveness, Research and the Concept of a European Institute of Technology
2006 Purpose, Structure and Functions of a European Institute of Technology
Universities and Innovation: the Challenge for Europe
2007 Doctoral Studies in Europe: Excellence in Researcher Training
The Future of the European Research Area
2008 What are Universities for?
2010 Harvesting Talent: Strengthening Research Careers in Europe
Doctoral Degrees Beyond 2010: Training Talented Researchers for Society
LERUAdvicePapers
2010 Improving the Social Security of Internationally Mobile Researchers
Towards an Effective 8th Framework Programme for Research
University Rankings: Diversity, Excellence and the European Initiative
Challenges for Biodiversity Research in Europe
Universities, Research and the “Innovation Union”
Academic Freedom as a Fundamental Right
2011 Clear Choices for Europe: Smart Investment in Research and Innovation
The LERU Roadmap towards Open Access
The European Research Area: Priorities for Research Universities
2012 The TTO, a University Engine Transforming Science into Innovation
LERUBriefingPapers
2009 How Research Can Inform Policy
2011 Academic Health Centres in Research-Intensive Settings in Europe
LERUNotes
2009 Developing the European Research Area
2010 ERC Grant Management: Recommendations from LERU
2011 Research Funding - Best National Practices for Simplification
Administrative Costs for Managing Grants under the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7)
OtherLERUPublications
2005 Strengthening Europe’s Knowledge Base to Secure Its Future (Leuven Declaration)
2009 LERU Statement on the ERC
2010 LERU Model Code of Practice for Research Employment
LERU Letter on the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI)
2011 Getting to Grips with the Competitive Challenge
20 2002 - 2012
LERU The first decade 21
tHe reLevance oF FUndaMentaL researcH
The Framework Programmes are major European sources for
research funding; the seventh FP started in 2007 and will run
until 2013. The FPs have undoubtedly been successful, but
many still see room for improvement. in several publicati-
ons, LERU has identified issues and suggested solutions that
would make the Framework Programmes more effective, e.g.
by reducing the administrative burden of running projects; in
2011 e.g. a note was published on the administrative costs for
managing grants. in 2010 and 2011, LERU issued notes with
recommendations on ERC grant management and on best na-
tional practices for simplification of research funding.
From the very beginning LERU has actively contributed to
the debate on the next Framework Programme for Research,
Horizon 2020. Already in 2010, LERU’s views were publis-
hed in the advice paper Towards an Effective 8th Framework
Programme for Research. LERU will continue to work with
EU policy makers to assure that participating in Horizon
2020 is attractive to the best researchers and that excellent
basic research from all disciplines can fully contribute to the
whole of Horizon 2020
LERU strongly supports the European Research Council as
an autonomous body because of the Europe-wide competiti-
on it creates, and appreciates the ERC’s ability to support the
development of young researchers. LERU has expressed its
views on the ERC in two publications, a position paper pu-
blished in 2005 and a statement issued in 2009. LERU consi-
ders strong competition for research funding as a prerequisite
for optimising the quality of the research performance and
output. Already in 2004, in a position paper on the common
market for research, LERU expressed the view that only by
enhancing the internal competitive environment European
universities will be able to compete with the best globally. The
ERC clearly contributes to this competitive environment.
Although initially LERU was somewhat sceptical on the ad-
ded value of an European institute of innovation and Tech-
LerU’s Messages
Three main themes dominate LERU’s publications: the
importance of fundamental research with an emphasis on
competitive mechanisms, the development of the European
Research Area in connection with the European Higher Edu-
cation Area, and the modernisation of higher education to
meet the increasingly diverse needs of society. Next to pro-
ducing papers on these themes, LERU takes up topical issues.
The international year of biodiversity, 2010, informed the
advice paper Challenges for Biodiversity Research in Europe
LERU published in that year. The Charter of Fundamental
Rights of the European Union, which became binding in
2009, guarantees academic freedom; this inspired LERU to
produce a paper on this issue.
first, second and current LERU logo
22 2002 - 2012
deveLoping tHe era
The idea of creating a European Research Area dates back to
the 2000 Lisbon European Council when it was launched by
the European Commission. Since then, many programmes,
projects and other coordinated actions have been set up under
the umbrella of this general concept. Already in its first posi-
tion paper in 2002, LERU recognised the importance of the
ERA. it also pointed out that the ERA should be connected to
the European Higher Education Area with research-intensive
universities as important linking pins. in papers published in
2003 and 2004, LERU again emphasised the vital role research
universities play in the ERA.
LERU sees the primary functions of the ERA as creating the
processes and infrastructure that stimulate and enable creati-
vity in research, rather than a primary one of pushing towards
commercialisation and social adoption from the research base.
in 2007, LERU published The Future of the European Re-
search Area, expressing its views on the further development
of the ERA, followed in 2011 by the advice paper The Euro-
pean Research Area: Priorities for Research Universities.
LERU has paid special attention to doctoral training and
career opportunities for young researchers, as these are vital
to the development of the European research base.
Doctoraltraining
The modern doctorate is determined by an interplay between
professional research experience and personal development.
The most important outcome is an individual trained to have
a unique set of high level skills who is also excellently trained
for roles in the public, charitable and private sectors, where
deep rigorous analysis is required. A prerequisite for suc-
cessful doctoral studies is an environment which meets high
international standards of research quality, such as research-
intensive universities offer. in 2007, LERU published a paper
expressing its views on this subject, followed by another posi-
tion paper, Doctoral Degrees Beyond 2020: Training Talented
Researchers for Society, in 2010.
nology (EiT), it now recognises its potential to enhance
university-industry collaboration through the Knowledge
and innovation Centres (KiCs). Through these KiCs, the
EiT should be committed to young researchers’ programmes
who will be key agents of interaction with industry. LERU
expressed its views on the concept of an EiT in two early pa-
pers (2005 and 2006) and has commented on its recent deve-
lopment in the advice paper Clear choices for Europe: Smart
investment in research and innovation (2011).
Cross-disciplinary research and research in industry should
be encouraged and strengthened, and university-industry
collaboration should be developed and enhanced. industry-
science links are key in both innovation management and in-
novation policy. Therefore, universities around the globe have
created professional organisations to support and develop the
links between the two worlds. The Technology Transfer Or-
ganisation (TTO) can manage industry access to academia’s
discoveries, inventions and improvements. in The TTO, a
University Engine Transforming Science into Innovation, an
advice paper published in 2012, LERU elaborated on the role
of TTOs.
23LERU The first decade
Special attention should be given to the position of women
in academia, who are still less likely to reach senior positions.
LERU has been studying the main obstacles to women’s career
advancement and is planning to release an advice paper on the
subject in 2012.
Innovation
Europe is losing ground compared to its traditional and new
competitors because its investment in innovation is too low.
in response to the European Commission’s Green Paper and
Consultation, LERU has formulated five key principles for
the future European research and innovation framework in
its 2011 advice paper Clear Choices for Europe: Smart Invest-
ment in Research and Innovation.
Universities have a fundamental contribution to make to the
innovation process, but they are not its drivers. innovation is
dominantly a process of business engagement with markets.
Universities do, however, fertilise the environment that inno-
vation needs if it is to flourish. RiUs in particular are hubs
of creativity which attract research-intensive companies and
investment into a region and help to catalyse innovation in
local businesses through their technology transfer offices.
LERU has described the role of universities in the innovation
process in several publications, including Universities and In-
novation: the Challenge for Europe (2006), and Universities,
Research and the “Innovation Union” (2010).
Today, the medical and life sciences play a prominent role in
academic research and in innovation, which makes this area of
particular importance to LERU. Papers such as Challenges for
Biodiversity Research in Europe (2010) and the LERU Letter
on the Innovative Medicines Initiative (2010) are witness to
this. in 2009, LERU and Science|Business organised a sympo-
sium under the title “How long will you live?” with EU policy
makers and LERU experts to draw attention to two of society’s
grand challenges: health and ageing. The results were published
in the briefing paper How Research Can Inform Policy.
Researchcareers
in Harvesting Talent: Strengthening Research Careers in Eu-
rope, a paper published in 2010, LERU made recommenda-
tions for structuring research careers to develop a powerful
and creative cohort of researchers. Often, young researchers
are employed on a succession of short-term contracts, causing
a lack of a career perspective which creates difficulties with
discontinuous social security cover, obtaining mortgages, etc.
Researchers need to be provided with adequate support to ne-
gotiate the employment instability that is often an uncomfor-
table side-effect of research dynamism and competitiveness.
in 2010 the LERU Model Code of Practice for Research Em-
ployment, to which all members adhere, was published to set
standards for the employment of researchers.
Research posts should fit into a structure of opportunities in
the university sector, but also need to consider how the uni-
versity segment will articulate with non-university public and
private sector posts, both for those moving from university
into those sectors and for those moving from elsewhere into
universities.
international mobility and exposure to a variety of research
environments are essential to the development of a well-
rounded academic career. Europe should aim for greater le-
vels of mobility to enable researchers to gain international
perspectives and more interdisciplinary experience; obstacles
to the mobility of researchers, including the frontier between
university and industry, should be removed. This includes
improving the coordination of social security needs of inter-
nationally mobile researchers, ensuring that third country na-
tional researchers active in a member state enjoy fully equal
treatment compared to researchers who are EU citizens, and
allowing second and third pillar pensions to better absorb the
negative social security consequences of a typical research
career. LERU made recommendations on improving the so-
cial security of internationally mobile researchers in an advice
paper published in 2010.
24 2002 - 2012
Modernising HigHer edUcation
Themissionandnatureofuniversities
As past exercises have proved, the ideas, thoughts and tech-
nologies that tomorrow will need or that will forge tomor-
row can hardly be predicted. it is therefore important that
universities not just address and train for current needs, but
also develop the thinking and the mental and conceptual skills
and habits that equip their graduates to adapt to change and
even steer it.
Universities are not enterprises with standardised processes
leading to a defined product. in research, universities create
new possibilities; in teaching, they shape new people. The two
interact powerfully to generate emergent capacities that are
adapted to the needs of the times, embodying and creating
the potential for progress through the ideas and the people
that will both respond to and shape an as yet unknown future.
Universities are unique in the range of knowledge they en-
compass. This allows them rapidly to re-structure and re-
combine their skills in novel ways to address the many trans-
disciplinary issues that are becoming increasingly important,
and to explore new, unexpected avenues of understanding.
This gives them an invaluable advantage over specialised re-
search institutes.
What society expects from universities is not always based on
a full understanding of the role and function of universities.
LERU has attempted to clarify the nature of universities and
the various roles they play in the position paper What are
Universities for? This paper, which was written by Geoffrey
Boulton and Colin Lucas in 2008, met with great approval in
the academic community.
Rankings
LERU has used the results of bibliometric analyses when se-
lecting its members. it also advocates competitiveness as an
effective mechanism to enhance research quality, which ob-
Medical innovation requires a constant and close interaction
between researchers and health care professionals. Hospitals
with strong links to comprehensive universities therefore of-
fer the most suitable environments for innovation if the orga-
nisational structure and relationships are adequate. To illus-
trate the progress made in this area in recent years, LERU in
2011 published the briefing paper Academic Health Centres
in Research-Intensive Settings in Europe.
AcademicFreedom
To mark Human Rights Day 2010, LERU launched its paper
Academic Freedom as a Fundamental Right. Both in many
national constitutions and in a growing number of interna-
tional conventions, academic freedom appears as an indis-
pensable right for the proper functioning of modern univer-
sities. Yet, in recent years academics and academic research
have been brought under close scrutiny, both from public and
from judicial bodies. This points to the need for a clear under-
standing of academic freedom. LERU’s paper illustrates how
policy makers and legislators can and should take measures to
protect, facilitate, strengthen and optimise academic freedom.
OpenAccess
Two modes of Open Access exist. The ‘gold’ route implies
that the author pays a publisher to make his publication avai-
lable for free. Along the ‘green’ route, copies of peer-reviewed
research outputs are made freely available on the web along-
side any formal published versions.
LERU is a strong supporter of Open Access, in particular
through the green route, without denying the important role
publishers of academic papers have played and continue to
play in the process of knowledge production. in 2011, the Le-
ague published an advice paper entitled ‘The LERU Roadmap
to Open Access’ explaining its views and indicating the steps
it wants to take towards their realisation.
25LERU The first decade
10 years and coUnting
in its first decade, LERU has firmly established itself as a
network of top-level universities dedicated to fundamental
research. internally, it has built up an organisation that is fit
to deliver what LERU aims for. it has found ways to disse-
minate its message and gathered an audience. it now faces
the challenge of leading by example and delivering the com-
bined wisdom and experience of Europe’s leading research-
intensive universities with a sound vision of the future for
research universities in an ever more globally competitive
higher education market, with opportunities for mutual lear-
ning and enrichment, and with concrete and practical advice
to universities, its staff and students, and to those who inter-
act with them and want to thoroughly understand them - go-
vernments, businesses and others. For the next decade LERU
intends to keep pushing the frontiers.
viously implies comparing researchers and research groups.
While these are indeed comparable entities, entire universities
are not because of the diversity of their activities. it is absurd
to express the quality of such a complicated and diverse or-
ganisation as a university in a single number. More impor-
tantly, there are a multitude of methodological issues at stake,
partly as a consequence of the use of proxies to measure qua-
lity. LERU expressed its views in the advice paper University
Rankings: Diversity, Excellence and the European Initiative,
published in 2010.
Rectors’ Assembly, UPMC, May 2011
rectors oF MeMber Universities
Universiteit van Amsterdam Paul van der Heijden 01-01-2002 07-01-2007
Jaap Zwemmer (acting) 08-01-2007 30-09-2007
Dymph van den Boom 01-10-2007
Universitat de Barcelona Dídac Ramírez i Sarrió 01-11-2008
University of Cambridge Alec Broers 01-10-1996 30-09-2003
Alison Richard 01-10-2003 30-09-2010
Leszek Borysiewicz 01-10-2010
University of Edinburgh Stewart Sutherland 01-09-1994 30-09-2002
Timothy O’Shea 01-10-2002
Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg Wolfgang Jäger 01-01-1995 31-03-2008
Andreas Voßkuhle 01-04-2008 07-05-2008
Hans-Jochen Schiewer 01-10-2008
Université de Genève Maurice Bourquin 15-07-1999 14-07-2003
André Hurst 15-07-2003 31-08-2006
Jacques Weber 01-09-2006 14-07-2007
Jean-Dominique Vassalli 15-07-2007
Universität Heidelberg Peter Hommelhoff 01-10-2001 30-09-2007
Bernhard Eitel 01-10-2007
Helsingin yliopisto Kari Raivio 01-06-1997 31-05-2003
Ilkka Niiniluoto 01-08-2003 31-07-2008
Thomas Wilhelmsson 01-08-2008
Karolinska Institutet Hans Wigzell 01-07-1995 31-12-2003
Harriet Wallberg-Henriksson 01-01-2004
Universiteit Leiden Douwe Breimer 01-02-2001 31-01-2007
Paul van der Heijden 01-02-2007
KU Leuven André Oosterlinck 01-09-1995 31-07-2005
Marc Vervenne 01-08-2005 31-07-2009
Mark Waer 01-08-2009
Imperial College London Keith O’Nions 01-01-2010
26 2002 - 2012
27LERU The first decade
University College London Malcolm Grant 01-08-2003
Lunds universitet Göran Bexell 01-01-2003 31-12-2008
Per Eriksson 01-01-2009
Università degli Studi di Milano Enrico Decleva 01-09-2001
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Andreas Heldrich † 01-10-1994 30-09-2002
Bernd Huber 01-10-2002
University of Oxford Colin Lucas 01-05-1997 30-09-2004
John Hood 01-10-2004 30-09-2009
Andrew Hamilton 01-10-2009
Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris Jean-Charles Pomerol 04-03-2006 30-08-2011
Maurice Renard 01-09-2011 11-03-2012
Jean Chambaz 12-03-2012
Université Paris-Sud 11 Anita Bersellini 16-01-2004 15-01-2009
Guy Couarraze 16-01-2009
Université de Strasbourg Jean-Yves Mérindol 21-06-1997 20-06-2002
Bernard Carrière 21-06-2002 20-06-2007
Alain Beretz 21-06-2007
Universiteit Utrecht Willem Hendrik Gispen 01-04-2001 11-10-2007
Hans Stoof 12-10-2007 30-04-2011
Bert van der Zwaan 01-05-2011
Universität Zürich Hans Weder 01-03-2000 31-07-2008
Andreas Fischer 01-08-2008
28 2002 - 2012
Universiteit van Amsterdam
Universitat de Barcelona
University of Cambridge
University of Edinburgh
Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
Université de Genève
Universität Heidelberg
Helsingin yliopisto (University of Helsinki)
Universiteit Leiden
KU Leuven
imperial College London
University College London
Lunds universitet
Università degli Studi di Milano
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
University of Oxford
Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris
Université Paris-Sud 11
Université de Strasbourg
Universiteit Utrecht
Universität Zürich
©Photographs courtesy of LERU universities,
Phil Sayer, David Rose
Joost van Asten (1947) read Che-
mistry at Leiden University, with
Russian as a minor. He was a ju-
nior lecturer until 1976, when he
was appointed educational co-
ordinator and student counsellor
at the Department of Chemistry.
From 1989 to 1996 he worked at
the Main Office of the Faculty of
Science, initially dealing with budgetary affairs and since
1992 in the capacity of Secretary to the Board.
From 1993 he took a postgraduate course in Public Admi-
nistration at the Netherlands School of Government in The
Hague, where he graduated in 1995.
From 1996 until his retirement in 2011 he has been a policy
adviser to the Board of the University, in charge of inter-
national relations, educational matters, implementation of
legislation, etc. From 2001, he was involved in establishing
LERU, and he was seconded to LERU Office from 2003 to
2010 for two days per week.
“The First Decade” team:
Author: Joost van Asten
Editing and production: Kurt Deketelaere, Laura Keustermans,
Katrien Maes, Bart Valkenaers, Veerle Van Kerckhove
Design: Vaes Grafische Producties bvba
LERU Office
Huis Bethlehem
Schapenstraat 34
B-3000 Leuven
Belgium
tel +32 16 32 99 71
fax +32 16 32 99 68
www.leru.org
