title: International Alliance of Research Universities
text: The International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU) was launched on 14 January 2006 as a co-operative network of 10 leading, international research-intensive universities who share similar visions for higher education, in particular the education of future leaders. The IARU Chair is elected from among the IARU Presidents for a period of 2 years. Past IARU Chairpersons: At the launch the presidents elected Professor Ian Chubb, 2005 - 2008 (Australian National University); Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, 2009 - 2012 (National University of Singapore); Professor Ralph Eichler, 2013 - 2014 (ETH Zurich); Professor Ralf Hemmingsen, 2015 - 2016 (University of Copenhagen); Professor Nicholas Dirks, 2017 (University of California, Berkeley); Chancellor Carol Christ, 2017 - 2018 (University of California, Berkeley); President Makoto Gonokami, 2018 - 2020 (University of Tokyo). The present Chair of IARU is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, Professor Stephen Toope. 
  
  In January 2016, the University of Cape Town joined as the 11th member.
  
  Its Presidents meet annually at a host university venue to discuss joint initiatives under the following categories:
  Global education initiatives, which includes the flagship Global Summer Program ;
  Institutional joint networking;
  Grand Challenge, and most notably its Campus Sustainability; and,
  Research initiatives.
  
  List of institutions
   Australian National University
   ETH Zurich
   National University of Singapore
   Peking University
   University of California, Berkeley
   University of Cambridge
   University of Cape Town
   University of Copenhagen
   University of Oxford
   University of Tokyo
   Yale University
  
  External links
  IARU website
  
  International college and university associations and consortia