Durham Reaffirms Commitment to Matariki Network

Professor Karen O'Brien, our Vice-Chancellor, signed the MoU on behalf of Durham University.

All six international member institutions committed to a further five years of collaboration in research, teaching, leadership, and social responsibility.

Durham is a founding member of the Matariki Network of Universities (MNU). Other members include Queen's University in Canada; Uppsala University in Sweden; University of the Western Cape in South Africa; University of Tübingen in Germany; and University of Otago in New Zealand.

'Matariki' is the Māori name for the Pleiades star cluster (also known as the 'Seven Sisters'). The rising of the cluster in the late June / early July sky heralds Māori New Year, a time of renewal, remembrance, and respecting the land we reside on. The Matariki Network draws on these meanings, referencing its seven founding members, and its membership institutions' significant contributions to their environs and communities.

Joint initiatives between partners of the MNU include international exchange opportunities for students, the Matariki Research Seed Fund for researchers, and the Matariki Engagement Grant for professional services staff.

The newly signed MoU is a reaffirmation of the Matariki mission to work collectively for meaningful global impact, and to keep building an internationally connected, engaged university community. It represents a shared commitment across all member institutions towards:

• Academic, student, and professional mobility.
• Cross‑institution research networks.
• Sharing best practice and benchmarking.
• Advancing social responsibility globally.
• A strong, values‑led governance model.

About the Matariki Network of Universities (MNU)

The MNU, founded in 2010, builds on the collective strengths of its members to develop international excellence in research and education, and to promote social responsibility locally and globally.

Each member institution conducts transformative research. They also combine academic learning with personal growth through extracurricular activities to develop rounded citizens of the world and leaders of the future.

The Network's guiding principles are commitment to transnational dialogue; academic freedom and autonomy, freedom of expression; respect for diversity; critical friendship; and purposeful collaboration for improving lives.

Since the network's inception in 2010, approximately 1,430 students have embarked on an exchange programme to another MNU partner university.

Between 2023 and 2025, researchers at MNU partner universities co-authored over 1,000 publications with other member institutions.

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