Lund University

Lund University Photo: Kenneth Rouna     Contact Information: Lund University Box 117 22100 Lund Sweden Tel: (+46) 46 222 0000 Web site: ww.lu.se/

Lund University has its natural place among the most distinguished universities of Europe. As Sweden's largest unit for higher education and research, the University pursues work covering a broad spectrum of subjects. The main part of the university is situated in Lund, but a number of departments for research and education are located in Malmö and Helsingborg. Lund University was founded in 1666, partly in order to knit the provinces, which had been ceded by Denmark in 1658, closer to Sweden. Since then, the University has developed into a modern international centre for research and higher education. Diversity and breadth characterise the activities of the University, which cover both traditional academic disciplines as well as the performing arts. At present, more than 34,000 students are enrolled at Lund University and altogether some 6,000 people are employed. The University is divided into faculties. These are Technology (Lund Institute of Technology, LTH), Science, Law, Social Sciences (including the School of Economics and Management), Medicine, Arts and Theology, and the Performing Arts (the Academies of Music, Art, and Theatre). There are also various centres that cross faculty and departmental boundaries. Lund University is working actively in the Øresund University, in collaboration with eleven universities and university colleges around the Øresund. It also co-operates with a great number of universities and research institutes all over the world. Extensive exchanges of teachers and researchers with universities in industrialised as well as developing countries make the university truly international. Through various agreements, the university sends out about 1,000 students annually and receives the same number. The University gives more than 200 courses and several master's programmes in English. On the basis of classical university ideals and with special emphasis on critical thinking, the University seeks to meet modern society's demands for knowledge. The University asserts the value of research for the development of society and is committed to the principles of free basic research, but it also carries on extensive applied research in close co-operation with industry and the public sector. Research is the driving force for renewal and reappraisal, and the University works to maintain and further strengthen those fields of research in which Lund occupies a leading position. The breadth of the University's activities offers unique opportunities for boundary-transcending research. A powerful focus on postgraduate education, on increased external financing, and the conscious recruitment of first rank staff are examples of strategies to intensify research at the University.