The University of Leeds and University of Georgia, Athens (UGA) have signed a long-term agreement to deepen collaboration in a range of areas including medicine and health.
The agreement, signed during a two-day visit to Leeds by a delegation from the US university, will support joint work addressing global challenges and delivering practical benefits for communities.
By sharing expertise and developing joint research projects, Leeds and UGA aim to create new opportunities for staff and students.
These will include summer research programmes, Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) and experiential learning activities, enabling participants to study, learn and work internationally.
UGA is significantly expanding its health education and research capabilities through two new schools.
Its School of Medicine, established in 2024, welcomed its first students in 2026 and aims to address Georgia's shortage of doctors and improve access to healthcare, particularly in underserved communities.
The Victoria Kay Ivester School of Nursing will welcome its first nursing students in 2027, helping address shortages of nurses and nursing educators.
We will create richer international experiences for students while opening new opportunities for staff to collaborate.
The visit to Leeds included tours of the clinical skills suite in the Faculty of Medicine and Health and the University's Cheney Biomedical Accelerator facility, which supports cross-disciplinary discoveries in biomedical and health science.
The programme also included a visit to St James's University Hospital, where the delegation met healthcare leaders and toured the hospital, followed by a visit to the Thackray Museum of Medicine.
Exciting new chapter
The delegation also visited Nexus, the University's innovation community, where the partnership agreement was signed by UGA Associate Provost for Global Engagement Martin Kagel and Professor Hai Sui Yu, Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leeds.
Professor Yu said: "This agreement marks an exciting new chapter in the relationship between the University of Leeds and the University of Georgia, Athens.
"By combining our expertise, networks and shared commitment to research that addresses global challenges, we will create richer international experiences for students while opening new opportunities for staff to collaborate.
"Just as importantly, the partnership will strengthen connections between Leeds and Georgia, supporting knowledge exchange and business opportunities for communities in both regions."
Dr Kagel said: "This partnership holds tremendous promise. From faculty-led study abroad and summer research to collaborations spanning medicine and nursing, the sciences and the humanities, UGA and Leeds have the opportunity to build something truly distinctive, and to make a lasting difference for communities across Georgia and Yorkshire."
Patrick Coughlin, Consultant Vascular Surgeon and Medical Director (Medical and Dental Education) at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "It was a pleasure to welcome colleagues from the University of Georgia to St James's University Hospital and to share insights into the care we provide here.
"International links such as this provide valuable opportunities to share knowledge and perspectives, and we're pleased to support the University of Leeds in developing its relationship with colleagues in Georgia."
Building connections
The agreement provides a framework for the universities to build on connections made during the visit and develop sustained collaboration across medicine, health and related disciplines over the next five years.
The delegation identified key areas where the two universities have complementary strengths, including glycoscience and structural biology; regenerative medicine, biomaterials and health technology; and infectious disease and vaccines.
Student collaboration is already underway. Healthcare Innovations: UK Edition, a UGA study away programme developed with Leeds, ran for the first time in 2026 with an inaugural cohort of 25 students. The programme aims to enrol 50 students for 2027. Two UGA medical students are also expected to travel to Leeds next summer.
