McGill played host to a delegation of Swedish university rectors last week. They were visiting Quebec to learn about the province’s higher education system and explore opportunities for increased partnership in areas like artificial intelligence, life sciences and clean energy technologies.
“A central goal of this visit was to better understand how the Quebec and Canadian higher education systems are structured, funded and governed,” said Hans Adolfsson, Rector of Stockholm University and Chair of the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions (SUHS). “These exchanges have laid a strong foundation for collaboration that we are confident will evolve into concrete partnerships over time.”
Global Engagement Connector Series
The March 25 series of visits, meetings and discussions was part of McGill’s Global Engagement Connector Series, organized by the Office of the Vice-President (Global Engagement), Anja Geitmann.
Geitmann said the initiative aligns with McGill’s central priorities related to strengthening collaborative ties with European institutions, including in the Nordic countries, as well as those of researchers and governments, more broadly.
“We are working towards high impact international partnerships, looking to foster research excellence in priority domains and innovation ecosystems. In light of the August 2025 Canada–Sweden Strategic Partnership, we also see this as connected to national efforts to deepen bilateral co-operation with Sweden,” said Geitmann.
“This visit underscores McGill’s commitment to strengthening global partnerships and advancing priorities critical to Quebec’s future,” said McGill President and Vice-Chancellor Deep Saini.
“The formalization of the Strategic Partnership highlights the areas that will be foundational to that future, where the potential for collaboration is extremely promising and can be further catalyzed by the Horizon Europe program. These areas include aerospace and defence, nuclear energy, critical minerals and clean energy technologies, as well as digital innovation and artificial intelligence.”
Showcasing inter-university partnerships
Because of the interest in AI research, the Swedish delegation began the day with a tour of Mila, which provided participants with an overview of the inter-university AI research institute, alongside an opportunity to better understand its leadership and governance model.
Swedish researchers are already among McGill’s key partners, with extensive STEM-focused collaborations. Still, the visit was a chance to expand conversations on higher education and collaborative research, including presentations on some of the Research Excellence Themes highlighted in McGill’s new Strategic Research Plan.
In addition to highlighting McGill’s research, the program included discussions that brought together counterparts and delegates from eight Quebec institutions, including Université de Montréal Rector Daniel Jutras, who moderated a panel discussion on universities’ ability to adapt at a time of global upheaval.
“McGill is committed to advancing research that delivers impact and drives innovation in support of national and provincial priorities,” said Dominique Bérubé, Vice‑President of Research and Innovation at McGill University.
“Exchanges with countries like Sweden support these goals by linking Canadian researchers with global collaborators who share a commitment to excellence and effective knowledge translation.”