Skip to McMaster Navigation Skip to Site Navigation Skip to main content
McMaster logo

Universitas 21 (U21)

About

What is Universitas 21? 

Universitas 21 is a leading global network of 30 research-intensive universities in 20 countries and 6 continents to collaborate on advancing higher education and international research. Together, they represent over 1 million students and 200,000 staff members. Between 2020 and 2025, the U21 network members collectively demonstrated a significant global research impact producing 1,294,704 publications indexed in Web of Science (WOS), representing 7.17% of total global publications. 

Founded on the belief that global challenges require global solutions, the network fosters partnerships that transcend national and disciplinary boundaries. Through joint research initiatives, academic exchange, and innovative teaching practices, Universitas 21 creates opportunities for students, faculty, and institutions to share expertise and resources in ways that strengthen the international reach and impact of higher education. 

U21 relevance to global higher education lies in its role as a platform for shaping the future of learning, research, and university engagement. By connecting universities with complementary strengths, Universitas 21 enables the exchange of ideas to develop global citizens and leaders of the future. To give an overview of U21, their programmatic networks offer a combination and online programs for students, faculty, and university staff. In doing so, it not only enriches the experiences of students and researchers but also helps universities play a more influential role in addressing the world’s social, economic, and environmental challenges. 

McMaster joined the U21 network in May 2018 and is currently the only Canadian University in the network. As a U21 member, McMaster actively engages in initiatives that promote educational innovation, student experience, and international research collaboration. The collaboration also opens doors to new connections with partners in diverse regions, further advancing McMaster’s global strategy and strengthening our international portfolio. Within the Universitas 21 network, McMaster currently has 24 active bilateral agreements with 16 of the member universities. 

Some of the U21 events McMaster has hosted or participated in:

From left to right: U21 delegates Catherine Lemon and Professor Jenny Dixon with McMaster senior leaders — President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Susan Tighe, Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Dr. Maureen J. MacDonald, and Vice-Provost (International) Dr. Bonny Ibhawoh — during the U21 delegation visit to McMaster in August 2025.

 

Experts spanning 13 countries and six continents gathered at McMaster University for the U21 Health Sciences Group (HSG) 2025 Annual Meeting. The four-day meeting was hosted at the David Braley Health Sciences Centre downtown Hamilton, beginning August 25. (Photo by Faculty of Health Sciences Communications)

 

U21 Annual Network Meeting and Presidential Symposium in 2025.

 

U21 Chief Operating Officer / Registrar Network Meeting in 2024.

 

U21 Senior Leaders Meeting in 2025.

 

Information Box Group

McMaster hosted three major U21 events between 2023-2025

McMaster welcomes U21 delegation for U21 Health Sciences Group 2025 Annual Meeting

U21 Chief Operating Officer / Registrar Network Meeting

The U21 Educational Innovation Symposium 

 

 

Read more about McMaster’s engagements

McMaster’s U21 Engagement: Highlights for the first half of 2025 

McMaster’s U21 Engagement in 2024  – McMaster Global 

U21 Publishes Annual Impact Report: McMaster’s Involvement and U21 News – McMaster Global  

Current U21 Members

U21 Members – Universitas 21

Opportunities for McMaster Faculty and Staff

The U21 network provides a trusted environment for its members to come together and collaborate, learn, and network. 

Information Box Group

The Early Career Researcher Workshop

The Early Career Researcher workshop enhances international networking and encourages the development of interdisciplinary collaborative research on an aspect of a UN Sustainable Development Goal for those in the early stages of their career.  

McMaster contact:  Vice-President, Research

Learn More

 

 

Mid-Career Researcher Program

During this 4-week online program, Mid-Career Researchers from across U21’s global membership network will convene to share knowledge, perspectives and ideas. This provides an opportunity to refocus and reset; to adopt the right mindset and identify the skills and attributes required to adapt and thrive within a creative and collaborative research culture.  

For: This program is for any Mid-Career Researchers. 

McMaster Contact:  Office of International Affairs via nominations from the Faculties

Learn More

Global Leadership Program

4-week online leadership development with global peers. An opportunity for emerging and high-potential leaders from academic and professional disciplines, specially selected from the world-leading universities in the U21 membership. 

McMaster Contact:  Office of International Affairs via nominations from the Faculties/ Departments

Learn More

 

U21 Awards- Colleagues

The U21 Awards celebrate the achievements of individuals or teams showing great impact in internationalization. This award is for staff or faculty whose work shows an impactful, evidence-based contribution to climate action across borders in the world of higher education, exceeding the usual expectations of their role or has furthered progress towards the Sustainable Development Goal 13 (Climate Action).  

McMaster Contact:  Nominations via Office of International Affairs

Learn More

The U21 Leaders of the Future Awards

An award to celebrate students and alumni with great impact in internationalization 

McMaster Contact:  Nominations via Office of International Affairs

Learn More

U21 Collaborative Seed Fund

Seed-funding opportunities available across the Universitas 21 network to support joint research, academic exchange, and strategic collaboration. 

Applications as per instructed in the U21 portal. 

Learn More

International Initiatives Micro Fund (IIMF)

Attention lead McMaster Researchers and Professional Librarians engaged in international initiatives related to their role at McMaster: The International Initiatives Micro-Fund (IIMF) offers small-scale seed funding to support global research collaborations and the development of international partnerships.

The Office of International Affairs (OIA) is pleased to announce that this year’s International Initiatives Micro Fund (IIMF) will be offered in collaboration with the Research Office for Administration, Development and Support (ROADS).

For 2025 – 2026, the IIMF will support seed funding for McMaster researchers to build partnerships and develop networks or consortia with researchers from European Union and Horizon Europe associated countries, with the goal of applying to Horizon Europe Pillar II calls for proposals.

Funding may be used for travel, networking, workshops, and other capacity-building activities that strengthen partnerships and improve preparedness for Horizon Europe Pillar II applications.

Applicants are encouraged to review the draft Horizon Europe 2026–2027 Work Programme to identify calls of interest and demonstrate how their proposed activities align with upcoming funding opportunities. This information should be reflected in the application form under “Alignment with Horizon Europe.”

Value: Funding requests through the IIMF Horizon Europe Seed Funding application stream are generally expected to be no more than C$10,000. However, in exceptional cases, requests exceeding this amount may be considered if sufficient justification is provided and funds are available.

Assessment Criteria:

  • Lead Applicant from McMaster University
  • Clarity and feasibility of the proposed activities and timeline
  • Alignment with relevant Horizon Europe 2026–2027 Work Programme Clusters/Themes
  • Appropriate and well-justified budget
  • Demonstrated potential to result in a future Horizon Europe Pillar II proposal

Application Requirements:

  • Completed Horizon Europe Seed funding Application Form
  • Attachment addressing the assessment criteria above
  • The applicant’s CV (SSHRC CV or NSERC Form 100 or equivalent)

Reporting: Award recipients must submit a one-page narrative report within one year of receiving the award. The report should detail the activities conducted, provide a breakdown of expenditures, and summarize the outcomes of the collaboration.

Application Form: The application form can be found here. Completed applications must be submitted by January 23, 2026.

After submission, the Horizon Europe Program Lead will request approval from the Department Chair (or their delegate) and the Faculty Dean (or their delegate) on behalf of the applicant.

Matching or supplementary funding contributions for IIMF Stream 2 applications are welcome.

For inquiries, please contact horizon.europe@mcmaster.ca

U21 Global Research and Senior Leaders’ Meeting

Theme: “Universities as Global Anchors: Trust, Value, and Equitable Progress.” This strategic gathering will bring together research leaders, graduate studies deans, and senior university executives to align priorities and explore solutions to shared global challenges. 

Learn More

U21 Annual Network Meeting & Leadership Summit

Theme: Held as part of Glasgow’s 575th anniversary celebrations, this expanded summit will convene university presidents, vice-chancellors, and senior leaders to discuss global engagement, leadership, and innovation in higher education.  

Learn More

U21 Global Education and Senior Leaders Meeting

Audience: Education Leaders, Senior Leaders, and representatives from the Global Education groups.

Learn More

U21 Annual Network Meeting & Presidential Symposium

This flagship event will continue the tradition of strategic dialogue and collaboration across the U21 network, focusing on future challenges and opportunities in global higher education. 

McMaster Contact: President’s Office

Learn More

 

Africa Universities Research Alliance

Universitas 21 has an ongoing partnership with the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) for effective collaboration and capacity building between the networks. As part of this partnership, five research projects for Early Career Researchers have been funded, developing relationships between U21 and ARUA academics and beyond. 

Learn More

Communities of Practice

The U21 Communities of Practice provide a route for all faculty and staff within the U21 network to gain new professional perspectives, share ideas and resources and make important international links by connecting with their counterparts and peers from across the world operating in particular disciplines/areas of work. Communities of Practice are self-managed, collaborative initiatives.  

Below is a list of existing U21 Community of Practice (CoP). For more information and interest in joining any of them, please email McMaster’s Office of International Affairs: oia@mcmaster.ca   

 

CoP Name  Description 
 

Technical Skills and Strategy 

  

This is a new CoP which is seeking representatives from across the network.  The CoP is focused on advancing understanding and support for technical professionals across global higher education. 
Disabilities 

 

 The CoP brings together stakeholders across the U21 network to help amplify the importance of disability inclusion. 
Director of Communications 

 

 This is a very new CoP which is comprised of a senior group of U21 members dedicated to maximizing the  awareness of the positive impact of global partnerships and internationalization through the U21 network, both internally within their institution and externally, across the network and beyond. The group will foster collaboration, knowledge sharing and support professional development among its members.  
 

FINE 

 

  

The Forum for International Networking in Education (FINE) connects postgraduate and early career researchers from U21 partner universities, fostering professional development, engagement, and research collaboration through webinars, social media, and collaborative projects. 
Deans of Education   

 

Established in 2000, the U21 Deans of Education group brings together Education Deans from Universitas 21 institutions to discuss shared challenges, foster collaboration, and advance educational initiatives. 

 
 

Data Sharing Supporting Strategy (DS³) Collaborative Group  

  

The DS3 collaborative group promotes and contributes to the sharing of expertise, performance indicators and measures and university-related intelligence across institutions, to support and inform strategic planning within and across the U21 network institutions.    
International Dementia Network 

 

  

The International Dementia Network Community of Practice aims to: 

Develop a platform where U21 researchers can share findings and tools to tackle current challenges in dementia research and practice; 

Exchange knowledge, expertise and technical ‘know-how’; 

Facilitate international collaborations; 

Promote high-quality research to generate impactful and significant outcomes. 
Health Research Exchange 

 

  

U21HREx Community of Practice is a knowledge translation and exchange network for students and early career researchers in Health and Social Care. Consisting of the University of Maryland, US (lead institution), University of Birmingham, UK, and University College Dublin (Ireland), it emphasizes diversity, inclusivity, and culturally sensitive evidence‐based research mentorship and professional development providing the opportunity to expand on local and international research, practice, and joint academic initiatives to train the next generation of researchers. 
 

Research Methodology Network 

  

This is a new CoP which is seeking representatives from across the network to provide a global community of practice for research-led staff, students and managers/administrators focused on innovation, excellence, pedagogy and partnerships in social research methodology 
Social Work   

 

The Social Work Community of Practice provides an international network to improve professional knowledge and practice through sharing research, education and scholarship. The CoP seeks to enables social work academics throughout their career to connect and learn from colleagues and collaborate around topics of shared interest. 
 

Sport 

 

 The Sport Community of Practice (CoP) previously united sport leadership across U21 partner institutions but has become inactive following a change in the group’s leadership. 

 

Opportunities for McMaster Students

As a global network of world-leading research-intensive universities, Universitas 21 (U21) provides student opportunities to foster internationalization, cultivate global citizenship, and prepare students for success in an interconnected world through the opportunities below.

Information Box Group

U21 Global Citizens

During this 3-week online program, students develop the skills needed to thrive in the 21st century whilst tackling some of the world’s most pressing problems, outlined in the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG). Participants will have the chance to meet with like-minded individuals to develop ideas for social change as well as connect, learn and discuss global issues with students around the world including social and environmental challenges. 

Testimonials of McMaster students that benefited from U21 Global Citizens program can be found here.

For: Current students, undergraduate and graduate

McMaster Contact: Student Success Centre

Learn More

Sustainable Mirco-Internships

During this 3-week online program, students work with fellow peers from across the globe to share knowledge and expertise whilst being tasked with providing a solution to a real-life Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) related challenge.  

For: Current students, undergraduate and graduate  

McMaster Contact: Student Success Centre

Learn More

RISE (Real Impact on Society and Environment)

RISE is U21’s international showcase of student achievement in sustainability and social innovation designed to accelerate the scale and impact of student-led projects. For students working with projects related to sustainability and environmental and societal development, the RISE Showcase Award is a chance to gain access to a global audience of potential supporters. Winning teams receive seed funding of $2,000 per team to further their project from the U21 network.  

For: Current students, undergraduate and graduate 

McMaster Contact:  Student Success Centre

Learn More

 

3 Minute Thesis Competition

The Three Minute Thesis competition (3MT) provides research students with the opportunity to develop their academic, presentation, and research communication skills by receiving international peer review, and gaining skills surrounding the presentation of their research to a wider international audience.  

For: Graduate students only  

McMaster contact:  School of Graduate Studies

Learn More

U21 Leaders of the Future Awards

The U21 Leaders of the Future Awards celebrate the achievements of either current students or recent alumni at U21 member universities who show great promise or impact in internationalization. Nominees may be current students or alumni. Nominations will open November 2025. 

For: current students or recent alumni at U21 member universities 

McMaster contact:  Student Success Centre

Learn More

 

U21 School for Sustainable Leadership

The U21 School for Sustainable Policy Leadership invites graduate students from diverse academic disciplines to an enriching experience focused on sustainability, leadership, and global impact.  

For: Current graduate students  

McMaster Contact:  Students Success Centre

Learn More