The activities of the UNU system are assisted, in many instances, by a network of designated UNU associated institutions. These are organizations that are implementing large, multi-year joint programmes with UNU. Currently, 19 institutions are designated as UNU associated institutions by the UNU Council.
According to the UNU Statutes, the specific criteria to be observed in designating a UNU associated institution are that the association shall:
- be established on the grounds of academic excellence and be based on the contributions the University and the institution can jointly make in dealing with the pressing global problems of human survival, development and welfare
- seek to enhance the capabilities of associated institutions and the University, particularly in developing countries
- where mutually appropriate, establish or form part of a network of other institutions and scholars
- not result in an undue financial burden on the University.
The current UNU associated institutions are the following:
- Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand
- Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore, India
- Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
- Gansu Natural Energy Research Institute, Lanzhou, China
- Global Fire Monitoring Centre, Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Sciences, Freiburg, Germany
- Gwangju Institute of Science & Technology, Gwangju, Republic of Korea
- Institute for Ethics, Governance and Law, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia
- Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
- International Institute for Geo-Information Science & Earth Observation, Enschede, The Netherlands
- National Food Research Institute, Tsukuba, Japan
- National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Mexico
- National Nutrition Institute, Ministry of Health and Population, Cairo, Egypt
- Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
- University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
- University of Ulster, Londonderry, Northern Ireland, UK
