Coimbra Group
Data
Established	1985
Members	39
Continent	Europe
Countries	mostly EU countries also Norway and Switzerland
Leader	Piero Tose, University of Siena, Italy
Address	119 Rue de Stassart 1050 Brussels Belgium
Acronym	CG
Homepage	http://www.coimbra-group.be

Founded in 1985 and formally constituted by Charter in 1987, the Coimbra Group is a network of European universities which gathers 39 of the older universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, Louvain, Montpellier, Uppsala, Göttingen, Heidelberg, Dublin, Bologna, Siena, Leiden, Coimbra, Barcelona and Granada.

The group took its name from one of the oldest universities in Europe, the University of Coimbra, Portugal. Coincidentally, the University of Coimbra celebrated its 700th anniversary that same year, 1985.

Mission

Quote from the Coimbra Group website (see below for link):

Founded in 1985 and formally constituted by Charter in 1987, the Coimbra Group is an association of long-established European multidisciplinary universities of high international standard committed to creating special academic and cultural ties in order to promote, for the benefit of its members, internationalisation, academic collaboration, excellence in learning and research, and service to society. It is also the purpose of the Group to influence European educational policy and to develop best practice through the mutual exchange of experience.

assembly of "CG" university leaders

Members

Austria

• University of Graz

Belgium

• Catholic University of Leuven (Dutch-speaking) *
• Catholic University of Louvain (French-speaking)

Czech Republic

• Charles University of Prague

Denmark

• University of Aarhus

Estonia

• University of Tartu

Finland

• Åbo Akademi University
• University of Turku

France

• University of Lyon
• University of Montpellier (Montpellier is treated as 3 institutions)
• University of Poitiers

Germany

• University of Göttingen
• University of Heidelberg *
• University of Jena
• University of Würzburg

Greece

• University of Thessaloniki

Hungary

• University of Budapest

Ireland

• National University of Ireland, Galway
• Trinity College, Dublin

Italy

• University of Bologna
• University of Padova
• University of Pavia
• University of Siena

The Netherlands

• University of Groningen
• University of Leiden *

Norway

• University of Bergen

Poland

• University of Kraków

Portugal

• University of Coimbra

Spain

• University of Barcelona
• University of Granada
• University of Salamanca

Sweden

• University of Uppsala

Switzerland

• University of Geneva *

United Kingdom

• University of Bristol
• University of Cambridge *
• University of Edinburgh *
• University of Oxford *

The 7 universities marked with an * are also members of the LERU (League of European Research Universities).

Discussion

Germany

In the case of Germany, the term "leading" is rather misleading. Universities like the ones in Heidelberg or Göttingen surely are among the better ones. However, when talking about above-average universities in Germany, one instantly also comes across institutions like the University of Tübingen, Humboldt University of Berlin or the University of Munich.

See also

• Ivy League (a group comprising the most prestigious universities in the USA)
• Ivy Plus
• Oxbridge (Oxford and Cambridge)
• Russell Group (leading UK universities)
• Seven Sisters Schools
• List of colleges and universities by country

External link

• Coimbra Group official site (http://www.coimbra-group.be)

Coimbra Group (of European research universities)
Aarhus | Bergen | Bologna | Bristol | Budapest | Cambridge | Coimbra | Dublin | Edinburgh | Galway | Geneva | Göttingen | Granada | Graz | Groningen | Heidelberg | Jena | Kraków | Leiden | Leuven | Louvain | Lyon | Montpellier | Oxford | Padua | Pavia | Poitiers | Prague | Salamanca | Siena | Tartu | Thessaloniki | Turku I | Turku II | Uppsala | Würzburg