
The MERGED programme provides you with a single entry-point access to top-level and up-to-date teaching. The programme is jointly developed and delivered by the MERGED consortium consisting of:
– University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Science, Copenhagen (Denmark)
– University of Milan, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences – Production, Landscape, Agroenergy, Milan (Italy)
– University of Warsaw, Centre for Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development, Warsaw (Poland)



The three universities all have significant experience in research-based teaching. The core staff consists of internationally recognised specialists. In total, more than 30 faculty members participate in the MERGED programme.
The MERGED programme also benefits from a worldwide collaboration programme with Associated Partner institutions, from other universities to private companies and civil society organisations. These partners are integrated into the joint implementation of the field trip in the first year, teaching selected module components, hosting MSc thesis students, participating in the employment workshop at the end of the programme, and providing feedback on teaching and graduate quality. Find an updated list of Associate Partners on the MERGED website here.
University of Copenhagen

Driven by intellectual creativity and critical thinking since 1479, researchers and students at the University of Copenhagen have expanded horizons and contributed to moving the world forward. With its 5,000 researchers and 37,500 students, the University boasts an international research and study environment and is highly ranked among the world’s best universities.
Faculty of Science is located in the buzzing heart of the capital city, Copenhagen, with easy access to the rich cultural life, museums, theatres, restaurants and cafés. Frederiksberg Campus is one of the oldest and most attractive campuses in Denmark, known for its strong student engagement and superior study environment. SCIENCE also comprises four experimental farms, a Pometum and an Arboretum, thus linking theoretical studies with practical research.
SCIENCE offers a vibrant international study milieu with well-established integration and support structures. www.science.ku.dk/english
University of Milan

The University of Milan, founded in 1924, is the largest higher education institution in the region of Lombardy, with 10 Faculties, 31 Departments and about 65.000 students. The main campus is based in one of the most significative Renaissance buildings in Milan, the so called “Ca’ Granda”, a former hospital located in the very centre of the city, while the scientific Faculties are placed in the modern district “Città Studi” in the eastern part of the city. Being the only Italian member of LERU (League of European Research Universities), the University of Milan is strongly committed to the promotion of basic research, technological innovation, teaching quality and integration with the dynamic labour market in Lombardy.
The Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences is the largest in Italy. With a broad, diversified educational offering, the Faculty gives students important training opportunities thanks to its modern laboratories – including those for advanced computing, chemistry, microbiology, sensorial analysis, genetics and molecular biology – its three experimental farms and an innovative greenhouse complex. The well-established network of research agreements with companies in the agricultural and food sector and with public bodies provides opportunities for internships in various fields
University of Warsaw

The University is located in the capital of Poland, one of the most dynamically developing European cities. Warsaw is the centre of political and economic life and has a lively social and cultural scene. It is steadily climbing the international rankings of the world’s most attractive urban areas. According to Nature: Warsaw is the country’s main research hub and is becoming a hub of globally competitive science. (“Poland: Into the light”,2017).
The University of Warsaw was founded in 1816 originally under the name of the Royal University of Warsaw. It is the largest, best and one of the oldest higher education institutions in Poland, as well as the longest-operating university in the capital. The University has more than 40,000 students and educates more than 2,000 doctoral students. Each year, more than 9,000 graduates graduate from the university, among whom were 6 later Nobel Prize winners:
▪ Henryk Sienkiewicz, Czeslaw Milosz, Olga Tokarczuk – Nobel Prize for Literature;
▪ Menachem Begin, Joseph Rotblat – Nobel Peace Prize;
▪ Leonid Hurwicz – Nobel Prize in Economics.
At the time of its establishment, the University consisted of five faculties: Law, Medicine, Philosophy, Theology, and Sciences and Fine Arts. Today, the university consists of 25 faculties and more than 30 research units, including the University’s Center for Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development.

The University Centre for Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development (UCBS) is a university-wide organisational unit of the University of Warsaw, in addition to a department or doctoral school. The Centre was established on 15 February 1989, and in 2014 the phrase ‘and Sustainable Development’ was added to the original name University Centre for Research on the Environment. The organisation of the educational process at UCBS is based on the harmonious involvement under the leadership of the University Centre for Research on the Natural Environment and Sustainable Development of various faculties of the University of Warsaw. Today there are 7 Faculties co-founding UCBS: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geography and Regional Studies, Geology, Economic Sciences, Law and Administration, working in close cooperation with others, among others with the Faculty of Management. Thanks to diversity, our students have the opportunity to acquire a wide range of global competencies and practical skills that meet the needs of educating personnel with specific, diverse and versatile competencies.
The MERGED Commission, Co-ordinator and Secretariat administrate the MERGED programme. The MERGED Commissionis the supreme administrative and executive body of the consortium. It is headed by the Consortium Co-ordinator and consists furthermore of one representative of the other two institutions and one non-voting student representative selected by and amongst the entire MERGED student body. The Commission meets at least twice a year to discuss and follow-up on module and programme evaluations, discuss programme quality, and to decide on economic matters within the consortium.
The MERGED Co-ordinator is Professor Carsten Smith-Hall, Department of Food and Resource Economics, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Apart from being the daily administrator of the programme, the Co-ordinator chairs the Commission, and is responsible for all contact with the European Commission. Local Coordinators are: Mariola Zalewska, PhD- University Centre for Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development; University of Warsaw; and prof. Carlo Pozzi– Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences – Production, Landscape, Agroenergy; University of Milan
The Secretariat is the central executive body of the MERGED programme. The MERGED Secretariat consists of employees from all three partner universities. All inquiries to the secretariat should be written to merged@science.ku.dk
MERGED aims to create in-depth and lasting relationships in Europe, Africa, Asia, South America, and North America (and our Associate Partnership network already includes partners from all these continents). We see the inclusion of Partners as an ongoing and inclusive process.
We collaborate with a strong global Partners network. MERGED acts globally to promote a European vision of the environmental-development nexus, enhancing EHEA attractiveness through the programme’s reputation, innovative teaching approaches, integrated cross-country and cross-institutional collaboration, and the career profiles of graduates. Experiences are directly available to others through programme-level tools and explicit documentation and sharing of collaboration lessons learned.
List of participating organisations:
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI MILANO
Tribhuvan University, Institute of Forestry Nepal Associated
Cambodia Development Resource Institute Cambodia Associated
BAHIR DAR UNIVERSITY Ethiopia Associated
FUNDACAO UNIVERSIDADE DE BRASILIA Brazil Associated
CSIR-FORESTRY RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF GHANA Ghana Associated
Ziemia i Ludzie Poland Associated
Fundacja Planet / Planet Foundation Poland Associated
CCC Poland Associated
ISTITUTO COOPERAZIONE ECONOMICA INTERNAZIONALE ASSOCIAZIONE Italy Associated
NARODOWA FUNDACJA OCHRONY SRODOWISKA Poland Associated
MUZEUM PALACU KROLA JANA III W WILANOWIE Poland Associated
UNIVERSIDAD MAYOR DE SAN SIMON Bolivia Associated
McGill University-Macdonald Campus Canada Associated
Université de Thiès Senegal Associated
4EU+ EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY ALLIANCE E.V. Germany Associated
ROYAL UNIVERSITY OF BHUTAN Bhutan Associated