According to its mission statement, the League of European Research Universities (LERU) is "a group of European research-intensive universities committed to the values of high quality teaching within an environment of internationally competitive research."

Founded in 2002, as a partnership among 12 of Europe's top research universities, in 2006 it expanded its membership to include 6 new universities. It is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium. The 18 member universities as of 2006 are:

Belgium

• Catholic University of Leuven (Dutch-speaking)

Finland

• University of Helsinki

France

• Louis Pasteur University of Strasbourg
• University of Paris-Sud

Germany

• Ruprecht Karls University of Heidelberg
• Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich

Italy

• University of Milan

The Netherlands

• University of Amsterdam
• University of Leiden ,
• University of Utrecht

Sweden

• Karolinska Institute, Stockholm
• University of Lund

Switzerland

• University of Geneva
• University of Zürich

United Kingdom

• University College London
• University of Cambridge
• University of Edinburgh
• University of Oxford ,

Footnotes

1. These universities also belong to the Coimbra Group, another (larger) alliance of European universities.
2. These universities also belong to Europaeum, yet another European university network.
3. These universities joined the League as new members on January 17, 2006.

External links

• LERU website

University organizations | Lists of universities and colleges | ヨーロッパ研究大学連盟 | LERU