Vice Chancellor and Warden, Professor Karen O'Brien hosted the annual executive board meeting of the Matariki Network this week (16-18 September).
Colleagues from universities across the world joined us this week to reconnect, deepen relationships and welcome new members to the Network.
International collaboration is central to enhancing global knowledge and developing global citizenship. Our continuing engagement with the Matariki Network partners is key to our excellence in teaching and research.
We also highlighted aspects of Durham University and the city of Durham which make it a unique place to live, work and study. We welcomed our colleagues with a tour of Durham Castle and a performance by the Durham University Staff Choir.
Delegates also took tours of our Oriental Museum and World Heritage Site locations Palace Green and Durham Cathedral.
The Matariki Network
The Network was founded in 2010 to build on the collective strengths of its member institutions to develop international excellence in research and education and to promote social responsibility locally and globally.
In 2022, the Network updated and defined its guiding principles to be: commitment to transnational dialogue; academic freedom and autonomy, freedom of expression; respect for diversity; critical friendship’ and purposeful collaboration for improving lives.
Matariki Network Seed Fund
In 2023, the Network launched a research fund to encourage multi-lateral research amongst Matariki partners. Projects we are involved with include:
Projecting Plausible Pasts and Pandemic Pathways (5P) with University of Otago and University of Tübingen and The SWAN Universe Project: Simulations for Wallaby and the Nearby Universe with Dartmouth College and Queen’s University Canada.
Undergraduate Research Exchange
We recently launched a Matariki Summer Research Programme with Queen’s University Canada.
Students from both institutions took part in the research opportunity of their choice at the host university. Two students from Queen's and two students from Durham took on research internships over summer 2025.
Matariki Engagement Grant
The Matariki Engagement Grant was established in 2024 to support international collaborations between Network professional services colleagues and to enhance personal and career development.
Some of our successful projects include an International Collaboration for Research Office Excellence (with Otago and Queen’s Universities) and Towards equitable and sustainable acquisitions practices in research libraries: A critical reflection on open futures and transformative models of academic journal e-content (with Queen’s University, Otago University, Tubingen University, Uppsala University, University of Western Australia and University of the Western Cape).
Advanced Study Collaboration
The Institute of Advanced Study at Durham University, The Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study, Uppsala University, and The College of Fellows, University of Tübingen, have an agreement to open their doors to any researchers from a Matariki university. Visiting researchers can engage with each institute’s communities and scholars to further their work.
Find out more
Learn more about The Matariki Network
Read about our other Global Networks
Find out more about the Matariki Undergraduate Research Exchange