No mega-university in Zuid-Holland

The idea of merging of the universities of Leiden, Delft and Rotterdam is abandoned. The project was left hanging in the air for a while, but now it is clear that the mega-university of Southern Holland is not realistic. However, the three universities are working closely together.

This is stated in the document Strategic alliance Leiden-Delft Erasmus: More Value? written by the three universities. Leiden, Delft and Rotterdam will set up courses and graduate schools together, but the boards will not be centralized. The universities remain independent.

It is easier to join the forces. So far there is an idea for a joint center for political philosophy and combined graduate schools. All these ideas are still to be developed into a concrete action plan expected to be ready before the end of 2012.

For many, this news is a relief. A survey showed that 72% of the staff and students of TU Delft were not looking forward to merging with Leiden and Rotterdam.