The Guild – a strong voice in Brussels for universities

“The Guild was formed out of the need for a stronger voice in Brussels for research universities, and to be able to share best practice by following developments and discussing the EU’s policies in different areas. An example is the EU’s open science policy, i.e. making the scientific process more open and accessible,” says Johannes Jarlebring.

The Guild’s secretariat in Brussels employs ten full-time staff. Their tasks include supporting The Guild’s working groups, writing agendas, and engaging speakers, often from the European Commission.

What is your role, Johannes Jarlebring?
“My role as an EU strategist is to follow developments in policy questions, inform the University about these developments internally, and help to strengthen Uppsala University’s voice,” says Johannes Jarlebring. “My most important task is to support the Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor in their roles in The Guild and assist them in navigating the EU’s decision-making processes. I also ensure that the working groups have representatives, and I introduce new representatives.”

Johannes Jarlebring is also the University’s representative in the Research and Innovation Policy working group which, like most of the working groups, develops The Guild’s standpoints on the EU’s next framework programme for research and innovation.

What can Uppsala University gain from being part of this network?
“In the network, we can learn about what’s happening in Brussels that will affect Uppsala University. But we also get the opportunity to express our views,” says Johannes Jarlebring. “In addition, there are more university networks that we want to pair up with for collaborations. Our voices combined carry more weight in relation to the European Commission and other EU institutions such as the European Parliament and the Council than we would have alone,” he explains.

Defending basic research

Johannes Jarlebring argues that if you want to be a leading European research university, you should be a member of one of these networks. The EU has the world’s biggest innovation and research funding programmes and sets the standard on major questions, such as security issues.

“By participating, we are doing our part to defend basic research,” he says. “And The Guild recently established an annual lecture series in Brussels on academic freedom.”

Although the main focus of participation in The Guild for universities is to follow developments and influence EU policies, The Guild’s work also has an operational side. Johannes Jarlebring mentions its collaboration with ARUA, the African Research Universities Alliance, as an example.

“The aim is to be able to go beyond ad hoc projects and create bigger and more enduring collaborations,” says Johannes Jarlebring. “In this regard, Uppsala University is leading four Guild clusters.”

Following developments

How does one get involved in The Guild network as an employee at Uppsala University?

“There aren’t a lot of opportunities to get involved in the work itself; you can’t just say ‘I want to participate’,” according to Johannes Jarlebring. “But you can follow developments by subscribing to The Guild’s newsletter. That will give you good updates on what The Guild is doing. You can also contact a working group representative for more information. Or me,” he says.

It is the Vice-Chancellor who decides on Uppsala University’s representatives in The Guild’s working groups following nominations from the disciplinary domains.

Ulrika Hurtig