The 'Coimbra Group' ('CG') is a network of
European universities that gathers 38 universities, some of which are among the oldest and most prestigious in Europe. It was founded in
1985 and formally constituted by charter in
1987.
The group took its name from the city of
Coimbra,
Portugal and the university located there, itself one of the oldest in Europe.
Mission
The Coimbra Group is:
Activities

Assembly of "CG" university leaders.
In pursuit of its Mission the Coimbra Group aims to:
★ Facilitate knowledge transfer between its constituent universities by means of staff and student interchange so that they can benefit from the added value given by membership of the Coimbra Group, whilst respecting the cultural and national identities of individual universities and their individual freedom in learning and research.
★ Work with
European Union (EU) institutions with a view to participating in or organizing EU
higher education and
research projects to the benefit of Coimbra Group members.
★ Contribute to the debate within Europe on quality in higher education and promote the adoption of quality assurance mechanisms within its member universities.
★ Become a driving force in the creation and further development of the
European Higher Education Area and promote the academic expertise of its members within this area and the
European Research Area.
★ Be recognized as an expert body, able to advise its members and EU institutions on various matters relating to higher education, such as
information technology (IT) as applied to new teaching methods and
lifelong learning.
★ Encourage co-operation in cultural, social and sporting activities between its members.
★ Promote the Coimbra Group worldwide as a source of academic excellence in Europe, with a view to attracting students to the universities in the Coimbra Group and encouraging academic collaboration and interchange with its members.
Members
'Austria'
★
University of Graz
'Belgium'
★
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Dutch-speaking)
★
Université catholique de Louvain (French-speaking)
'Czech Republic'
★
Charles University in Prague
'Denmark'
★
University of Aarhus
'Estonia'
★
University of Tartu
'Finland'
★
Ã…bo Akademi University
★
University of Turku
'France'
★
University of Lyon
★
University of Montpellier (Montpellier is treated as 3 institutions)
★
University of Poitiers
'Germany'
★
Georg-August University of Göttingen
★
University of Heidelberg
★
Friedrich Schiller University of Jena
★
University of Würzburg
'Greece'
★
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
'Hungary'
★
Eötvös Loránd University
'Ireland'
★
National University of Ireland, Galway
★
University of Dublin (
Trinity College Dublin, sole constituent college of the university)
'Italy'
★
University of Bologna
★
University of Padua
★
University of Pavia
★
University of Siena
'The Netherlands'
★
University of Groningen
★
Leiden University
'Norway'
★
University of Bergen
'Poland'
★
Jagiellonian University
'Portugal'
★
University of Coimbra
'Romania'
★
University of IaÅŸi
'Spain'
★
University of Barcelona
★
University of Granada
★
University of Salamanca
'Sweden'
★
Uppsala University
'Switzerland'
★
University of Geneva
'United Kingdom'
★
University of Bristol
★
University of Cambridge
★
University of Edinburgh
★
University of Oxford
See also
★
List of universities and colleges by country
★
League of European Research Universities (LERU; an association of top European research universities)
★
Ivy League (a group comprising some prestigious
US universities)
★
Group of Eight (Go8; a group of leading Australian universities)
★
Russell Group (a group of some of the top research-focused universities in the UK)
★
Group of Thirteen leading Canadian universities
★
IDEA League (a strategic alliance of five of Europe's leading technical universities)
★
Irish Universities Association (a group of leading Irish universities)
External link
★
Coimbra Group official site