The University of Luxembourg and the Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER) today announced they will be working together to create and fund four joint professorships.

These four professorships will be established in the fields of social policy, labour economics, urban development and mobility, as a result of the plan for the shared recruitment of top academics and close co-operation of the two establishments.  In their recent meetings a few days ago, the Supervisory Boards of the two institutions gave the green light for a "Memorandum of Understanding" to this effect.

The University and the Institute will each be covering half the costs of the newly-established professorships and the appointments, based on a jointly written job description, will be made in accordance with the regulations of both institutions. The academics who are recruited will have the status of a professor at the University of Luxembourg and will play a role in research, teaching and administration there whilst simultaneously maintaining clearly-defined responsibilities in the areas in which LISER works. Any research results and copyright will also belong to both institutions.

Academics from the university and LISER have collaborated in a number of instances, and the partnership represents a plan to increase the number of joint events, research projects and doctoral students supervied.  

"The agreement will now formalise this partnership. I am very pleased about that," declared Rainer Klump, President of the University, who added that the university's partnership with LISER could also serve as a blueprint for cooperating with other research institutions in Luxembourg on appointing staff.

"This agreement serves as a pilot project in the development of Luxembourg as a centre for science," commented Hilmar Schneider, CEO of LISER. "For us, this partnership marks a decisive step towards closer networking of the research institutions in Belval from which all sides can benefit enormously." The partnership, intended for a long-term commitment, will begin with a five-year pilot phase. A joint steering committee will monitor all the activities of the new partnership.

 

Photo by University of Luxembourg.