Columbia Global Centers are research outposts established by

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in different locations around the world, as part of its initiative to further establish an international research university. The first of these centers opened in March 2009 in

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, and

Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

, and Columbia opened facilities in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, and

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, in March 2010 and

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

in November 2011. Locations in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

and

Santiago de Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital city, capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's Chilean Central Valley, central valley and is the center ...

were opened in 2012 and 2013. An additional location in

Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...

opened in 2018.

Purpose

Columbia created the global centers "to promote and facilitate international collaborations, new research projects, academic programming and study abroad, enhancing Columbia’s historical commitment to global scholarship." Columbia Global Centers act as regional hubs for a wide range of activities intended to enhance research in respective areas and at Columbia. The university aims to establish a network of centers in international capitals that brings together regional private enterprise, public officials, scholars, and students to collaboratively address global issues.Global Hubs
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Centers

Amman

Columbia Global Centers ,

was launched in March 2009 and was led by Professor Safwan M. Masri until 2022 as Executive Vice President for Global Centers and Global Development. The Amman Center's projects with Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health, School of Social Work, and

Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (also known as SEAS or Columbia Engineering; historically Columbia School of Mines) is the engineering and applied science school of Columbia University, a private research university ...

are focused on building local capacity in Jordan and the region. The Center's course offerings for undergraduate and graduate students include Arabic Language Studies, Democracy and Constitutional Engineering in the Middle East, Regional Environmental Sustainability, and the Summer Ecosystem Experience for Undergraduates Program, as well as workshops in architecture and urban design. The Center also organizes a vibrant ongoing public lecture series and hosts Studio-X Amman, a regional platform for research and programming in architecture, co-run with Columbia's

Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation The Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) is the Architecture school in the United States, architecture school of Columbia University, a Private university, private research university in New York City. It is also ...

Beijing

Columbia Global Centers ,

was launched in March 2009. The Center's programmatic themes include aging and public health, arts and culture, entrepreneurship, and sustainability. The Center runs an active public events program featuring Columbia faculty and local experts on diverse topics ranging from international economics to environmental engineering to film studies. The Center hosts student summer programs and organizes workshops throughout the year to engage Columbia undergraduate and graduate students and young scholars in Beijing, such as the Graduate Students and Young Scholars Meeting Program, which is organized in partnership with Columbia's Weatherhead East Asian Institute. The Center also hosts diverse projects under the President's Global Innovation Fund, such as Ideas on Aging, a collaboration with Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health.

Istanbul

Columbia Global Centers ,

was launched in November 2011. A hub for students and scholars from Columbia and universities in the region, the Center hosts several educational programs, including summer programs on Democracy and Constitutional Engineering, Balkan Transcultural Studies, and Byzantine and Ottoman Studies, as well as the Global Seminar on Byzantine and Modern Greek Encounters.

Mumbai

Columbia Global Centers ,

was launched in March 2010. The Center conducts interdisciplinary research, designs training opportunities for professionals and field opportunities for students, and disseminates research to wider audiences in academia, government, civil society, and the private sector.

Nairobi

Columbia Global Centers ,

opened its doors in January 2012. The Center began in collaboration with Columbia's Earth Institute and hosted the Millennium Villages Project, which directly supported half a million people through operations in six African countries. The Center's major programmatic themes include sustainability, public health, entrepreneurship, and environmental sciences. The Center hosts the African Nutritional Sciences Research Consortium, which brings together academic and research institutions across

East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...

to build a PhD training program in basic laboratory research in nutritional sciences.

Paris

Columbia Global Centers ,

is based in historic Reid Hall, which was gifted to Columbia in 1964. Launched in 2010 and led by Paul LeClerc, the Center hosts a large undergraduate program, a Master of Arts in History and Literature, and a joint undergraduate/graduate architecture program. The Paris Center's French academic partners include the

École normale supérieure École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by Secondary education in France, secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing i ...

; the Universities of Paris 1, 4, and 7; and the Institut d’études politiques (

Sciences Po Sciences Po () or Sciences Po Paris, also known as the Paris Institute of Political Studies (), is a public research university located in Paris, France, that holds the status of ''grande école'' and the legal status of . The university's unde ...

). The Center also hosts a Master of Public Health, run jointly by the École des hautes études en santé publique and Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health, and the Executive Master in Technology Management, run by Columbia's School of Professional Studies.

Rio de Janeiro

Columbia Global Centers ,

, launched in March 2013.

Santiago

Columbia Global Centers ,

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

was launched in March 2012 and is led by Karen Poniachik.

Tunis

Columbia Global Centers ,

was launched in March 2018. Several Tunisian nationals studied at Columbia, and went on to become successful business people, diplomats, and intellectuals. Columbia faculty were involved in a number of projects in Tunisia, especially after 2011, and the country's trajectory interested a number of Columbia's students and scholars.

References

External links

Official website
{{Columbia Columbia University Research institutes established in 2009