About the CEUS

The Cluster for European Research (CEUS) emerged at the beginning of 2021 from the Collegium Europaeum Universitatis Saraviensis (Europa-Kolleg CEUS), which was founded in December 2012. The Europa-Kolleg was founded to further intensify the connections between numerous institutions that have existed at Saarland University for decades. Within this newly created network (but also in cooperation with other surrounding institutions with a European orientation), the Europa-Kolleg was to initiate and coordinate teaching activities addressing European issues (European Studies) and collaborative research activities ('Europe as a research topic'). The further development of the Europa-Kolleg and its transformation into a Cluster for European Research has contributed to the consolidation and extension of the university's European focus. 

Since its foundation - it was established in 1948 as a Franco-Saarland initiative - and due to its special location in the border region to France, Luxembourg and Belgium, Saarland University has always had a distinctive European and French identity that plays a key role in all its teaching and research activities and remains a defining feature of the university. In his inaugural speech in 1950, Rector Angelloz affirmed: 'Europe! This is the word we choose as our motto and slogan, declaring our institution to be a European university.' Additionally, the European founding spirit was and remains reflected in the broad international line-up of the chair holders.

There are currently four French-speaking sections at Saarland University, two in law at the Centre Juridique Franco-Allemand, where a German-French degree can be obtained, and two in literature at the Faculty of Humanities. In addition, Saarland University offers an extraordinarily wide range of international degree programmes that lead to the award of a bi- or trinational degree and international flagship programmes such as the European visiting professorship, the Master’s programme in European and International Law (LL.M.) at the Europa-Institut, a Jean Monnet Chair and the 'Europaicum' certificate. Numerous Europe-related institutions complement the university's European profile.

Saarland University collaborates closely with its numerous international partners. Networking in the border region has been institutionalized in the University of the Greater Region (UniGR) with the partner universities of Kaiserslautern and Trier, the Université du Luxembourg, the Université de Lorraine and the Université de Liège. In the UniGR key area 'Border Studies', the partner universities collaborate closely in research and teaching. Milestones of the key area’s development were the foundation of the Interreg-supported UniGR Center for Border Studies and the introduction of a trinational Master's programme. In addition, the cross-border doctoral network LOGOS provides a networking scheme for doctoral students.

Furthermore, Saarland University has been recognized as a 'European University' and has secured the corresponding funding for the university alliance Transform4Europe in the second call of the European Commission. The Transform4Europe alliance unites seven partners: alongside Saarland University, these are the University of Alicante (Spain), the Estonian Academy of Arts in Tallinn (Estonia), the Silesian University in Katowice (Poland), the University of St. Kliment Ohridski in Sofia (Bulgaria), the University of Trieste (Italy) and the Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas (Lithuania). By implementing innovative measures at all partner universities, the project will contribute significantly to the further development of Saarland University’s European profile.