The University of Georgia and the University of Leeds have signed a five-year collaboration agreement, following a two-day program in England in which representatives from UGA’s School of Medicine and Victoria Kay Ivester School of Nursing sought research and teaching partners abroad.

Through this partnership, both universities are committed to addressing global challenges, strengthening cooperation in research and teaching, and creating opportunities for students and staff through knowledge exchange, summer research programs and experiential learning.

The agreement followed a program in Leeds attended by a senior-level UGA delegation led by the Office of Global Engagement. The delegation included the founding deans of the School of Medicine and the Victoria Kay Ivester School of Nursing, the interim vice president for research, associate deans from the College of Public Health and the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and the director of the Center for Vaccines and Immunology.

“There is tremendous value in building these relationships early,” said Shelley Nuss, founding dean of UGA’s School of Medicine. “By starting these conversations now, we can identify meaningful ways for our students, faculty and researchers to collaborate. We are laying the groundwork for a partnership that can expand opportunities at both institutions for years to come.”

Leeds brings substantial experience in medical and healthcare education. Its medical school has trained doctors since 1831. University of Leeds medical students undertake training within Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, as well as in healthcare settings across the wider region. A member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities, Leeds placed ninth in the world for International Research Network in the 2027 QS World University Rankings, a measure of how widely an institution collaborates with researchers in other locations, and ranks among the top 100 universities globally.

Student collaboration between the universities is already underway. Healthcare Innovations: UK Edition, a UGA study away program developed with Leeds colleagues, ran for the first time in July 2026. Lindsey Harding, director of the Writing Intensive Program in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, and Eric Yip, a lecturer in the Division of Biological Sciences, taught the inaugural cohort of 25 students, and the program is aiming to enroll 50 in summer 2027.

UGA faculty interested in starting their own collaborations with Leeds partners will be able to do so through a joint seed grant and faculty mobility program, which will be announced later this month. The UGA-Leeds Collaboration Fund awards seed grants for joint research projects by researchers from both universities or initial visits to establish a partnership.