A LERU publication shows the rich artistic and cultural heritage of its universities

The document shows the important documentary and preservation role of the universities.
The document shows the important documentary and preservation role of the universities.
Institutional
(29/11/2022)

The European Day of Academic Heritage took place on 18 November, a day to commemorate the richness of Europeʼs cultural and artistic heritage. On the occasion of this ephemerid, the European League of Research Universities published a document that gathers the heritage treasures of the 23 universities that make up the network, the University of Barcelona being one of them. The initiative is part of the twentieth anniversary of the LERU, which is being celebrated in 2022.

The document shows the important documentary and preservation role of the universities.
The document shows the important documentary and preservation role of the universities.
Institutional
29/11/2022

The European Day of Academic Heritage took place on 18 November, a day to commemorate the richness of Europeʼs cultural and artistic heritage. On the occasion of this ephemerid, the European League of Research Universities published a document that gathers the heritage treasures of the 23 universities that make up the network, the University of Barcelona being one of them. The initiative is part of the twentieth anniversary of the LERU, which is being celebrated in 2022.

The document shows the important documentary and preservation role of the universities: its museums, libraries, galleries, and collections cover all fields of knowledge. The book goes beyond the exceptional value of the LERU universitiesʼ heritage, since it touches on other issues, such as the use of innovative technologies (3D printing or artificial intelligence, for instance), the growth of scientific communication among the collections, and sustainability and social responsibility. 

The chapter about the University of Barcelona has been carried out by the UB experts on culture Ramon Dilla, Pilar Mateo, Dolors Pulido and Oriol Silvestre, under the coordination of Agustí Alcoberro, vice-rector for Heritage and Cultural Activities. Alcoberro values the fact that, with this publication, the role of the UB collections is vindicated in the European framework, and he notes that they “have a very important heritage when it comes to buildings, libraries, scientific tools and arts, among others”. He concludes: “There is still a long way to go before reaching excellence: being among the top stimulates ambition, which is the first foundation for any improvement”.     

The book has been reviewed by three editors: Paul Ayris, vice-rector for Culture at the University College London; Katrien Maes, LERU ambassador of Special Initiatives, and Bart Raymaekers, lecturer of philosophy and ethics at KU Leuven.  

Rectorsʼ Assembly in Munich

The publication of this document coincided with the LERU Rectorʼs Assembly in Munich (Germany). In the meeting, the members approved of several draft papers about issues such as interdisciplinarity, academic freedom and doctoral supervision, and which will be soon published. The rectors took a stand, once again, in favour of the integration of Switzerland and the United Kingdom in the EU Horizon Europe programme, on research and innovation. They did so with the statement Strengthening Europeʼs economic growth, innovative strength and political stability: “We call upon European institutions, national governments and research funders to come together to support research and innovation in European universities, linking us together in a common mission to benefit people across the world”.