Matariki Network of Universities

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The Matariki Network of Universities (MNU) is an international group of universities that focuses on strong links between research and undergraduate teaching. [1] Each member is leading international best practice in research and education based on long academic traditions. [2] The MNU was established in 2010 to enable universities to enhance diversity, to share ideas and expertise, and to learn international best practice from each other, recognising the shared commitment to an ethos of excellence in research, scholarship and rounded education. [3]

Contents

Name and activities

Matariki is the name in the Māori language for the Pleiades star cluster, also known as the Seven Sisters. It reflects the seven founding member universities of the MNU. [4] [5]

The Matariki Undergraduate Research Network (MURN) ran in 2012 and 2013 as an attempt to foster international undergraduate research. Assessment of MURN found that it had worked well locally but the international element had been less effective, in particular due to differences in time zones and in academic calendars. [6]

The academic libraries of the member institutions have collaborated on benchmarking activities to set their performance in an international context and to develop and share best practices. [7] [8] The libraries also collaborated on assessing whether 'flipped subscription' models for open access publishing, where funds previously used for journal subscriptions are flipped to instead pay article publishing costs, were viable for mid-sized research universities. [9]

The "Oceans and the Blue Economy" theme brought together researchers from the Matariki universities to identify ways in which the marine economy could achieve economic goals while also building environmental resilience. [10]

Universities

The network was set up by seven universities in 2010. [11] These were joined by an eighth university, University of the Western Cape in South Africa, in 2024. [12] Dartmouth College, one of the founder members, left the network in 2025. [13]

MembersCountryYear established [5] Year joined
Durham University Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 18322010
Queen's University Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada 18412010
University of Otago Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand 18692010
University of Tübingen Flag of Germany.svg Germany 14772010
University of Western Australia Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia 19112010
University of the Western Cape Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa 19592024
Uppsala University Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden 14772010

References

  1. ↑ "The International Office". Durham University. Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  2. ↑ "Minutes of the University Executive Committee" (PDF). Durham University. 23 March 2010. Retrieved 28 June 2010.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. ↑ "Welcome to the Matariki Network of Universities (MNU)". MNU. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  4. ↑ "The Name". The Matariki Network of Universities. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  5. 1 2 "Queen's joins new international network". Queen's University. 17 May 2010. Archived from the original on 26 May 2010. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  6. ↑ Spronken-Smith, R.; Sandover, S.; Partridge, L.; Leger, A.; Fawcett, T.; Burd, L. (2018). "The Challenges of Going Global with Undergraduate Research: The Matariki Undergraduate Research Network". Scholarship and Practice of Undergraduate Research. 2 (2): 64–72. doi:10.18833/spur/2/2/8.
  7. ↑ Hart, S.; Amos, H. (2014). "The development of performance measures through an activity based benchmarking project across an international network of academic libraries". Performance Measurement and Metrics. 15 (1/2): 58–66. doi:10.1108/PMM-03-2014-0010.
  8. ↑ Patrick Lo; Dickson Chiu; Allan Cho; Brad Allard (2018). Conversations with Leading Academic and Research Library Directors: International Perspectives on Library Management. Chandos Publishing. pp. 274–276.
  9. ↑ Hart, S.; Nicholls, S.; Amos, H.; Benn, J. (2019). "Making sense of flipping data". Performance Measurement and Metrics. 20 (3): 159–167. doi:10.1108/PMM-08-2019-0030.
  10. ↑ Erika Techera; Gundula Winter. "1. Introduction to marine extremes". In Erika Techera; Gundula Winter (eds.). Marine Extremes: Ocean Safety, Marine Health and the Blue Economy. pp. 33–34.
  11. ↑ "Members of the Matariki Network of Universities". The Matariki Network of Universities. Archived from the original on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  12. ↑ Megan Olshefski (4 September 2024). "The Matariki Network of Universities welcomes its 8th member". Matariki Network of Universities. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  13. ↑ Megan Olshefski (6 December 2024). "Official Statement – The Matariki Network and Dartmouth". Matariki Network. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
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