Oldenburg and Bremen / Excellence University application

The partnership with Oldenburg (UOL) and Bremen (UB) is eyeing a substantial boost through a joint status of Exzellenz Universität (ExU), with Groningen as the primary international partner. The ExU is the top tier of budget support in the broader Exzellenzverfahren of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), and involves considerable funding.

After an initial visit on 14 July, a list of potential Groningen partner PI’s in the ExU application was put together over the summer by colleagues in faculties and schools. On 4 September, UOL VP Prof. Ralf Grüttemeier came to Groningen with UB VP Prof. Michal Kucera for follow-up.

The “inventory” of Groningen potentials was well appreciated, and issues of governance, double doctorate cooperation, transdisciplinarity, dual career paths, and establishing tangible benefits for Groningen from the eventual ExU were also discussed to satisfaction. While there is still considerable work to be done ahead of the ExU application deadline in early November, the atmosphere between the partners remains very positive.