UMD: A Globally Connected University

Universitas 21 Programs

Universitas 21 Programs

UMD student Natasha Westheimer presenting at the 2013 U21 conference in Amsterdam. Photo courtesy of Nita de Groot.

“International education is undergoing fundamental change, and U21 helps keep UMD at the forefront.  In our increasingly interconnected world, bilateral relationships are no longer adequate.  Multilateral programs with institutions from many countries give everyone in the network a much greater reach. Membership in U21 allows UMD to connect with many of the best universities in the world at once, advancing our mission of bringing the world to the campus and projecting the University on to the world stage.”

—UMD’s Associate Vice President for International Affairs Ross Lewin

For Undergraduate Students

  • RISE Showcase helps students to take a social enterprise or innovation idea beyond small-scale, local implementation, into something bigger. RISE aids students in realizing global goals for their projects by giving them access to a worldwide audience of potential supporters. U21 ensures that each project receives expert support as well as international exposure, working to attract pledges for the different projects from our global partners in industry and academia.

Watch UMD alum, Cedric Nwafor explain his RISE award-winning project, Roots Africa

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For Graduate Students

  • Three-Minute Thesis Competition (3MT) provides research students with the opportunity to develop their academic, presentation, and research communication skills by explaining their research to an intelligent but non-specialist audience. Each U21 member university is invited to run their own internal competitions and nominate their winner for 3MT participation.
  • Graduate Collaborative Research Awards are designed to be flexible and encourage doctoral candidates, with the support of their supervisors/advisors, to think innovatively about how their research could benefit from engagement with other members of the U21 network.
  • U21 PwC Global Ingenuity Challenge offers grad students the chance to showcase critical thinking and share ideas with PwC and their clients. Winners get exclusive, world-class training and professional development opportunities.
  • Researcher Resilience post-COVID Fund (applications due June 22, 2020) supports the development of the network’s PhD and early career researchers. This fund is designed to develop researchers' capability and capacity to work digitally or virtually in order to adapt to life as a researcher post-COVID-19.

For Faculty and Staff

  • Global Education Enhancement Fund (applications due May 11, 2020) supports U21 members in delivering and enhancing higher education for a rapidly changing and uncertain future. Partnerships of two or more U21 member universities can apply for this fund, working together to design better solutions for online teaching, learning and assessment, which can be subsequently shared as resources within the U21 network.
  • Researcher Resilience post-COVID Fund (applications due June 22, 2020) supports the development of the network’s PhD and early career researchers. This fund is designed to develop researchers' capability and capacity to work digitally or virtually in order to adapt to life as a researcher post-COVID-19.
  • U21 Early Career Researcher Workshops is a series committed to enhancing international networking and encouraging collaborative research for those in the early stages of their career. The Early Career Researcher workshops are the genesis of the Research Leaders' Group, which strives to use the U21 network for the benefit of U21's young researchers.

 

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