Malmö University is part of the European university alliance UNIC, The European University of Cities in Post-Industrial Transition, together with nine other higher education institutions. Through UNIC, Malmö University has the opportunity to work with integrated internationalisation and promote increased student, teacher and researcher mobility.

UNIC offers a range of opportunities from physical and virtual mobility to educational collaboration and capacity building, for students, staff, teachers and researchers. The alliance also creates pathways for strategic engagement between the participating universities and the associated cities. 

For Malmö University, membership in UNIC represents an opportunity to deepen its partnership with the City of Malmö and work together to solve local challenges through socially engaged research and student participation.

UNIC strengthens Malmö University's international visibility and creates concrete opportunities to link research, education and social engagement. Students and researchers gain access to international learning environments and inclusive working methods.

Rathi Ramji, UNIC Chair.

European Universities initiative

The European Universities alliances are part of a flagship initiative of the European strategy for universities. They encompass 73 European University alliances with almost 650 higher education institutions of all types, from all across Europe. In Sweden, 26 higher education institutions participate in a European University.

European Commission about the European Universities initiative 

News and events

Linda Palla.

“I am deeply honoured to receive the UNIC Best Paper Award 2026. This recognition is especially meaningful as it affirms the importance of critically interrogating how early childhood education and care defines, identifies, and responds to children positioned as in need of special support. The article challenges the taken-for-granted assumption that speed, efficiency, and early identification are inherently beneficial. Instead, it highlights how such logics risk narrowing our understanding of children, positioning some as ‘deviant’ in ways that call for reflection rather than rapid categorisation."

UNIC's academic network

UNIC's academic network serves as a platform for collaboration within specific thematic areas. The goal is to strengthen networks of researchers and teachers who work together on post-industrial transitions and co-creative educational activities. The alliance has seven thematic areas:

  • Superdiversity
  • Sustainability and green cities
  • Urban resilience and smart cities
  • Justice, security, and institutions
  • Entrepreneurial learning for innovation
  • Health and well-being
  • Art, culture, and creativity

Joint activities, knowledge exchanges, and resources are developed to deepen collaboration between universities within these areas.

Each university within the alliance leads the work in a thematic area together with an alliance partner. Malmö University leads the thematic area “Sustainability and green cities” together with University College Cork.

Thematic line: Sustainability and green cities

All thematic lines within UNIC

UNIC alliance members

The member universities and cities of the UNIC alliance are all characterised by post-industrial transformations, where the transition from industry to services has led to a range of social, economic, cultural and demographic changes. The participating cities are: Oulu in Finland, Cork in Ireland, Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Lodz in Poland, Liege in Belgium, Bochum in Germany, Bilbao in Spain, Zagreb in Croatia, Istanbul in Turkey and Malmö in Sweden.

European alliance UNIC.

Student opportunities within UNIC

UNIC offers students mobility and exchange programmes, open online courses, international opportunities, workshops and other events.

Certificate of International Merits

Earn a diploma in global engagement! Gain international experience that you can showcase in your degree. The Certificate of...

Short-term and virtual international experiences

Find international short-term or virtual experiences open to students at Malmö University, such as annual summer schools,...

UNIC Students Engaged in Research Fund

Apply for UNIC funding to write your degree project abroad, participate in workshops or conferences, participate in research...

Structures for collaboration

Along with Oulu University and University College Cork, Malmö leads the Center for City Futures (CCF), a platform for collaboration on innovation and sustainable social development. City Labs is one of several methods for identifying new models for collaboration with cities, citizens, and other stakeholders. Within the CCF, the Re-imaginatorium method has been developed in close collaboration with the research centre Imagining and Co-creating Futures. The method involves researchers, teachers, students, citizens jointly exploring new ways of organising ourselves, collaborating and creating value around our lives and our communities.

People working together at a workshop.

UNIC's Teaching and Learning Centre promotes collaboration on teaching methods and didactics within the alliance. By developing virtual mobility solutions and a shared digital campus, opportunities for global engagement and joint courses are created. The centre offers professional development for teachers via InterTeach.

Presentation for a group of people at a meeting table.

The Capacity Building Centre is a central hub for capacity development, providing resources, tools and networking opportunities to empower individuals within the UNIC Alliance. Through collaborative work, the centre responds to the changing needs of partner institutions and facilitates necessary changes in mobility formats, partnerships and technical tools.

Facts UNIC

Funding

UNIC is funded by the European Union's Erasmus+ programme.

Associated local partners

Logo co-funded by EU.

Contact

unic@mau.se

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