The Information Office, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9RH.

It has just been annnounced that the University of Sussex has been chosen as a European University Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence.

The European Centres of Excellence project was launched by the European Commission for the first time this year. Its aim is to allow universities to concentrate their resources in the field of European Integration and to develop activities both within the universities and at a regional level.

The new achievement of designation as a Centre of Excellence is recognition of the growing strengths of the Sussex European Institute which is now clearly established among the leading research and postgraduate centres in Europe dealing with the study of contemporary Europe. According to Helen Wallace, Director of the SEI, the EC funding that accompanies this prestigious status will be used to enable the Institute to expand its links with the world of practice and applied expertise. "In particular, the Institute will now develop activities with the media to enable academic insights to be fed into the public debate and the development of policy."

In addition to the extra funding, the designation of Sussex as a European University Centre of Excellence brings the University into close contact with Europe's policy-makers. The network of Jean Monnet Centres is increasingly involved in advising the European Commission on its strategy for enlargement of the EU and its institutional reforms.

Welcoming the announcement, Brendan Donnelly, the MEP for Sussex South and Crawley said, "There are only 25 such centres in the EU and the designation is a recognition of the excellent work done at Sussex in focussing on European issues. I would like to congratulate Professor Helen Wallace and all the staff at the University for this achievement. It is something of which we can all be proud."