At Malmö University, collaboration is an integral part of research and education. The aim of collaboration is to create mutual added value for the University, participating parties, and society. For the University, this means increased quality and relevance in research and education; our partners get access to research-based knowledge, which favours sustainable development in both business and society.

Local collaboration

At the local level, the University collaborates with a range of municipalities and
other public sector actors, companies from different areas, civil society and individual citizens. Collaboration with civil society takes place both with local organisations and national or international organisations that work locally, such as Save the Children and the Red Cross. Collaboration with civil society can be seen as a complementary way of including individual citizens' perspectives.

The University also has an initiative on cultural collaboration, to make visible and strengthen collaboration with cultural life.

Collaboration agreement with the city of Malmö

A key example of local collaboration is the University's partnership agreement with the City of Malmö. Sustainable urban development, equal welfare, skills supply and Malmö's attractiveness are the four areas that are the focus of the partnership agreement. The overall aim is to strengthen the conditions for sustainable social development that benefits everyone.

Two people in front of a blackboard.

Muvah is a knowledge alliance between the City of Malmö and Malmö University modelled after the University of East London. The goal is, among other things, to increase the entry of Malmö youth into the labour market and to get more young people from underrepresented groups to choose higher education.

Malmö Live och tornhuset i Malmö.

The Institute for Studies in Malmö's History (IMH) is a centre for urban history research. It researches the role of cities in history, changes in city life, and how their identities are produced and spread. An important part of our activities is to create historical dialogues in different places in Malmö.

Regional collaboration

At a regional level, the University collaborates with the business and public sectors, such as Region Skåne, and other regions and municipalities. This includes collaboration with school principals and healthcare providers. Collaboration with public dental care organisations in southern Sweden takes place, for example, through Clinical Odontological Research in Southern Sweden.

The University is also part of the Research and Innovation Council in Skåne, together with the business and public sectors. Within Open Lab Skåne, collaboration takes place with industry in areas such as life science and materials science. Regional and local collaboration also takes place through representation on boards and membership of networks and cluster organisations that represent the business community.

Collaboration agreement with Region Skåne

Malmö University and Region Skåne create significant added value by working together to increase their joint ability to take initiatives and identify solutions to complex societal issues. Collaboration is an important prerequisite for both parties to be able to fulfil their respective social missions and contribute to the development of their own activities.

The Research and Innovation Council of Skåne (FIRS) is a collaboration between stakeholders that are willing and able to drive the development of innovation in Skåne. The aim is to act quickly and intelligently to benefit from arising opportunities and address joint challenges. FIRS acts to make Skåne a world-leading knowledge and innovation region that drives sustainable growth.

The Sustainable Business Hub is a membership network that provides a platform where innovation, development and business for sustainable solutions can be realised. With members from business, municipalities and academia, the network encourages contact and collaboration.

In the OpenTech network, Malmö University collaborates with, among others, Ericsson, Sony Mobile, Telia as well as Lund and Blekinge universities. The aim is to promote innovation and growth in the areas of Connected Health and Connected cities.

Medicon Valley Alliance is an umbrella organisation within Life Science with the aim of strengthening cooperation between universities, businesses and regions in Sweden and Denmark.

Together with a number of organisations, the University promotes innovation and growth in the digitalisation industry in southern Sweden.

National collaboration

At a national level, there is collaboration with companies that are active on both the national and international markets. There is also collaboration with the public sector and various school principals within the Education, Learning, Research forum.

Forum for Social Innovation Sweden is a national knowledge and collaboration platform for social innovation that actively follows what is happening in the field – in Sweden and internationally – and ensures that knowledge and experiences is developed, shared and utilised.

Forum for Social Innovation Sweden

International collaboration

At an international level, collaboration takes place with the business community and through alliances and networks. The University is a partner in, among others:

  • European University of Cities in Post-Industrial Transition (UNIC)
  • European Network of Innovative Higher Education Institutions (ENIHEI)
  • The EU initiative New European Bauhaus (NEB)

The University also has international student interaction through internships in companies, embassies, non-governmental organisations, EU institutions, and the UN.

Utsikt över Bassängkajen vid skymning.

UNIC is an alliance of ten universities in post-industrial cities. It is part of European Universities, an EU initiative to create new collaborations for higher education institutions and exchange opportunities for staff and students. The membership gives Malmö University the opportunity to strengthen international collaboration in research and education and to deepen its collaboration with the City of Malmö.

Två personer cycklar fram i Malmömiljö mot kameran.

As part of the UNIC alliance, the University contributes to the development of the UNIC Centre for City Futures, an infrastructure for collaboration and co-creation. The idea is to create a sustainable connection between the University and surrounding society, and to enable researchers, citizens and experts to collectively shape the cities of the future.

Malmö University represents Sweden in a network for the most innovative higher education institutions in Europe, the European Network of Innovative Higher Education Institutions (ENIHEI). The mission includes contributing ideas on how higher education can lead to increased innovation, and being a pioneer in implementing the EU's new innovation agenda.

The New European Bauhaus is a creative and interdisciplinary initiative to highlight the importance of aesthetic and social and cultural values in the green transition of society that will contribute to the EU's climate goals of a climate-neutral union by 2050. It is based on the values: sustainability, aesthetics, and inclusion.

The vision is that the assessment of research, researchers and research organisations recognises the diverse outputs, practices and activities that maximise the quality and impact of research. This requires basing assessment primarily on qualitative judgement, for which peer review is central, supported by responsible use of quantitative indicators.

Cities Changing Diabetes is a global partnership programme initiated by Novo Nordisk (a global healthcare company) in response to the dramatic increase in diabetes worldwide. Malmö is the first Swedish city to join the global co-operation project to find local solutions to the problems of increasing overweight, obesity and diabetes.

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