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The University of Liverpool took a step further in its mission to position itself as a "global university" this week, launching a new Confucius Institute and confirming a network of five new private partner institutions around the world.

The Confucius Institute, one of only 12 in the UK, will teach and promote understanding of Chinese culture and will build on Liverpool's existing links in China, where it runs a campus in partnership with Xi'an Jiaotong University. Sir Howard Newby, Liverpool's vice-chancellor, told Times ÖйúAƬ that the institute was "an integral part of our commitment to internationalise our research and teaching".

Liverpool has made it a key priority in its strategic plan for 2009-14 to position itself as a "global university", and Sir Howard this week confirmed that it has established a "global network" of five partner universities, run by the private company Laureate Education Inc. Liverpool has signed deals with Laureate to offer its degrees through: Universidad del Valle de Mexico; Universidad Europea de Madrid (UEM), in Spain; Universidad Andres Bello (UNAB), in Chile; Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas (UPC), in Peru; and Istanbul Bilgi University, in Turkey.

"Once they are established, we will have a global network of Liverpools, and our staff and students will be able to circulate seamlessly around the world," Sir Howard said.

Liverpool has had a relationship with Laureate for the past ten years, under which it delivers online masters courses in business, health, law and IT, which currently serve 5,200 students from 137 countries.

It is also soon to launch a professional doctorate with Laureate.

phil.baty@tsleducation.com