The University of Luxembourg signed on 7 December 2015 a cooperation agreement with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for the creation of the “Luxembourg Centre for Logistics”.

The centre for research, teaching and knowledge transfer in logistics will support Luxembourg’s development as a transport and logistics hub in Europe. For the project, the University is teaming up with MIT, which is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world, as well as with the Luxembourg Ministry for Higher Education and Research, which was charged on October 30 by the government to finalise the agreement while pledging funding for a period of ten years.

Under the title “Luxembourg Centre for Logistics”, the centre will:

• be integrated into the Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance;
• offer a Master degree in logistics and continuing education courses;
• carry out research in close cooperation with industry;
• place special emphasis on the transfer of knowledge into practice in order to contribute to Luxembourg’s economic development.

Photo caption, from left: Marc Hansen, Luxembourg State Secretary for Higher Education and Research, Prof. Yossi Sheffi, Director of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics, and Prof. Rainer Klump, University of Luxembourg President, © Michel Brumat / University of Luxembourg 2015

At the signature ceremony, University President Rainer Klump highlighted Luxembourg’s role as a gateway to Europe and ideal location for logistics, adding that the centre will contribute to the “vision of a model research university for the 21st century” by combining theory and practice on a local and international level. He concluded: “I look forward to an exciting journey which we will take together on both sides of the Atlantic.”

Prof. Stefan Braum, Dean of the Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance pointed to the ambitious goal of developing a Master programme as soon as possible, saying that “our work starts now.” The Dean also pointed out the benefits that each of the Faculty’s disciplines—economics, finance and law—will bring to the project, which has the potential to “create new synergies.”

Prof. Yossi Sheffi, Director of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics said of the cooperation with the University of Luxembourg: “Striving for excellence is something that we share,” adding: “It takes work, a lot of compromises, a lot of give and take, but we’re very glad and very confident that this will be a success.”

Marc Hansen, State Secretary for Higher Education and Research, emphasised: “To get the excellence we want we have to work hard,” commenting that logistics is a priority sector of economic development in Luxembourg. Mr Hansen also pointed out that the University gained a valuable international partner with MIT. “The cooperation with MIT will allow the University of Luxembourg to move up into the Champions league of universities.”

- - -
Press release from the University of Luxembourg and the Ministry for Higher Education and Research