About IARU

Secretariat

The Secretariat is the administrative function of IARU, acting as a central point for all enquiries and providing support for all the different aspects of the Alliance.

The Secretariat of IARU, along with the Chair, moves between the member universities every two years and has been hosted by the University of Cape Town since August 2023.

The work of the Secretariat encompasses:

Facilitating communication between the Presidents, Senior Officers, groups and initiatives.
Organising the annual Presidents’ Meeting and Senior Officers’ Meeting.
Publicising events, important information and opportunities.
Handling the administration relating to IARU Courses and IARU Joint Online Courses, the Global Internship Programme, and the Novo Nordisk International Talent Program.
Assisting and supporting the work of the groups and initiatives, where possible.
Managing financial matters, including the processing of invoices for groups and initiatives.

If you have any questions about IARU related matters, please contact the Secretariat on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Group Leads

IARU Logos and Templates

The International Alliance of Universities has a corporate logo and templates which can be used by all its members for internal and external communication purposes.

Go to:

IARU Logo
IARU Templates
IARU Global Summer Program Templates

IARU Logo

General Guidelines for the use of IARU Logo

The IARU Logo is a registered trademark since 2006. When using the logo, please remember:

The logo is a specifically shaped artwork and shall not be modified. Do not change the colour or stretch the size of the logo. Do not separate the graphic and text elements of the logo.
Leave a clear area surrounding the logo.
Use it preferably on white background. If the logo is placed on coloured background, there should be sufficient contrast between the background and the logo colours.
Use the negative version on a dark background.
The logo must be enlarged or reduced proportionally. Do not scale the logo horizontally or vertically.
The logo can be reduced to a size until the text is still readable. For small objects use the logo with the acronym (short).
If the logo is used with other logos it should be at least as big as the other logos.

Download IARU Logos

IARU Logo Long

Complete, or long, version

Short version

IARU Templates

Download IARU Power Point template

IARU Global Summer Program Templates

Download the certificate of participation (Letter format)

Download the certificate of participation (A4 format)

GSP Poster

2017 IARU GSP Poster

Contact IARU

For general enquiries about IARU, please contact the Secretariat.

IARU Secretariat: University of Cape Town

Isha Dilraj

Wilna Venter

Carolyn Newton

Ayanda Mthethwa

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For further information how to participate to IARU activities at a partner university, please contact one of the IARU partner representatives, Key Contacts.

About IARU

The International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), established in 2006, is a network of eleven international research-intensive universities from nine countries across the globe.

The eleven members share similar values, a global vision and a commitment to educating future world leaders. Central to these values is the importance of academic diversity and international collaboration as reflected in IARU's principles.

The IARU Members are the Australian National University, ETH Zurich, National University of Singapore, Peking University, University of California, Berkeley, University of Cambridge, University of Cape Town, University of Copenhagen, University of Oxford, the University of Tokyo and Yale University.

The Chair of IARU is Professor Mosa Moshabela, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town. The This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. is located in the Research Office at the University of Cape Town.

IARU's Vision

To address the major challenges of our time

IARU member universities work together to address the major challenges of our time. Sustainable solutions on climate change is one of its key initiatives. As part of their commitment to promote sustainability, the IARU universities have established a Campus Sustainability Program, aimed at reducing the environmental impact of their campuses. IARU successfully organized an International Scientific Congress on Climate Change in 2009 and a Sustainability Congress in 2014. Some of its members also cooperate on major research projects pertaining to aging, longevity and health.

To add value by providing opportunities to students and staff that would not arise otherwise

IARU seeks to add value by providing opportunities to students and staff that would not arise otherwise. The Alliance has developed a set of global education initiatives aimed at cultivating a sense of global citizenship and leadership amongst students. The Global Summer Program, the Sustainability Fellowships and internships offer opportunities to students of the IARU member universities to engage critically as global citizens in an increasingly interconnected world.

To promote institutional joint working

IARU promotes institutional joint working on various levels of the member universities, such inter-university networking, institutional learning and staff development. Projects cover a broad range of topics, ranging from equal opportunities, technology transfer, technology-enhanced learning, research administration, libraries and open access.

Members participate in the various activities of the Alliance where such participation fits with their particular objectives.