Our scientific and societal challenges require a concerted and ambitious response from Europe's leading research institutions to develop and showcase real and sustained solutions of global significance, in conjunction with not-for-profit organizations, industry and business. We will establish the Guild as a distinct voice, focusing activity on core areas of engagement with clearly defined outcomes and instruments of measurement. The Guild will be an effective voice to further research, create innovation for public benefit, and enrich public debate at European and national levels.

The Guild is a transformative network of European research-led universities that is committed to optimizing the opportunities afforded by its members' world- leading research. Through the knowledge they produce, the Guild will engage with policy- makers, enhance public debate, promote excellence in higher education, and collaborate with private and public institutions to solve global problems. Through the commitment of its members for collaborative exchange in research, innovation and public engagement, the Guild will set new standards for the effectiveness of a university network externally, and for each member's access to policy and research funding opportunities.

Members of the Guild share a commitment to research quality as the key driver for knowledge creation, to better inform policy-making and the targeting of research funding in the EU, and to develop close partnerships with cultural organizations, think tanks, industry and businesses. The Core Principles which underpin the Guild embody a vision of how common and shared activity strengthens the best practice and builds capacity within each member institution. Through its core activities, the Guild will further serve to amplify each member's voice in a national context.

1. Promote the pursuit of knowledge, and be a strong voice in defence of free research, academic freedom and the integrity of the researcher.
2. Position research-intensive universities as the principal drivers of the European knowledge economy, indispensable for further innovation and the creation of high-quality jobs, improvements to medicine and the quality of life, the understanding of culture and what it is to be human, and the success of European countries as close neighbours and advocates of human rights.
3. Collectively effect change through frank and open dialogue, and drive policy by establishing an agenda-setting voice, exchanging knowledge broadly, and leading on democratic debate within European and national contexts.
4. Create opportunities and provide support for innovation and entrepreneurship through sustained collaboration with leading industry and business partners, including SMEs, NGOs as well as other private and public bodies both nationally and within Europe.
5. Support inclusivity and equal opportunities through its academic engagement, including in relation to social mobility, minorities, sustainability, and gender.
6. Promote the sustainability of European funding to enhance research, teaching and innovation across all parts of Europe according to the principles of excellence.
7. Foster a commitment to the breadth of human knowledge, including SSAH (the social sciences, arts and humanities), STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine), as well as new and emerging fields across disciplines.
8. Share best practice and benchmarking data for the continued advancement of Guild members - individually and collectively - to develop deeper understandings and build collaboration on areas of synergy and research strength.
9. Play a leading role in global discussions on the importance of research and education for the benefit of society, culture and the economy.