News and Events

This May the University of Groningen will celebrate its 410th anniversary. As international collaboration is deeply rooted in our DNA, a Strategic Partner Forum will be organised on 23-24 May with the title: Making Connections in a Dynamic World.  

On 1 March, Rector Jacquelien Scherpen received the new ambassador of the Slovak Republic to the Netherlands, HE Mr Juraj Podhorský, and the ambassador of the Netherlands to Slovakia, HE MS Gabriella Sancisi.

In February, Prof. Masaharu Nomachi, director of the Osaka European Center for Academic Initiatives, worked with various partners to accommodate programmes intended to strengthen and diversify the strategic partnership between Osaka and Groningen.

On 21 and 22 February, a delegation from the UGM Energy Study Center (Pusat Studi Energi PSE) visited Groningen for discussions about cooperation in developing hydrogen-based infrastructures. PSE Director Prof. Sarjiya and his colleagues met with counterparts at ENTEG and at the Wubbo Ockels School for Energy and Climate. 

A delegation from the University of Groningen, led by Rector Jacquelien Scherpen, recently visited the University of Bern. The visit was characterised by lively discussions and showed a strong interest from both sides in strengthening existing collaborations and exploring new opportunities within ENLIGHT.

On Thursday 25 January 2024, the University of Groningen (UG) organised an Aletta Dialogue at the residence of the Dutch Ambassador in Santiago. Speakers in front of an audience of around 70 Groningen alumni, partners and representatives of the government were Dr. Mόnica Lόpez Lόpez (UG) and Dr. Claudia Capella (University of Chili).

The Universities of São Paulo (USP) and Groningen (UG) signed a cooperation agreement to strengthen and expand the already long-standing and fruitful collaboration. This happened during the visit of a broad delegation from UG to USP led by Rector Prof. Jacquelien Scherpen.

From 28 November to 1 December, a delegation from FSE and ISR led by FSE Dean Prof. Joost Frenken visited Japan and met with counterparts of FSE at Osaka University (UG’s Strategic Partner in Japan), Kyoto University, and the University of Tokyo.

On 27 September, a delegation from Thailand led by the Vice-Governor of the Bangkok Metropolitan Area, Dr. Tavida Kamolvej, visited the University of Groningen.

On Friday 15 September, the Japanese Ambassador to the Netherlands, HE Hiroshi Minami, was welcomed to the University of Groningen by President Prof. Jouke de Vries.

Once a year the Presidents of University of Oldenburg and the UG meet to discuss the progress in the roadmap for strategic collaboration. During the board meeting on 6^th September, the key indicators for success were discussed.

On 6^th July the new Consul General of the Turkish Republic, Mr. Muammer Hakan Cengiz came for an introduction visit to Groningen.

From 10 to 12 September 20 researchers from the University of Groningen (UG) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) attended a workshop in Cambridge (MA) to familiarise themselves with MIT’s Catalyst and IMPACT methodologies and build connections.

On Friday 16 June University of Bremen and UG renewed their MOU for cooperation. Prof.dr. Jutta Günther, Rector of University of Bremen together with Ms. Barbara Hasenmüller paid a visit to Groningen on invitation by the Board.

On 30 March 2023, around 100 people gathered at the Maison Grand Place in Brussel for the third “Aletta Dialogue” after editions in Jakarta and Mexico City.

On Tuesday 9 May we were visited by a large executive delegation from Mahidol University (Bangkok, Thailand), led by President Prof. Banchong Mahaisavariya, MD. The delegation visited FSE and FEB, and met representatives of Arts, Spatial Sciences and the UMCG in the New Energy Academy.

On 1 and 2 December 2022, a UG delegation led by Prof. Jouke de Vries visited Stellenbosch. During the two days, counterparts from University of Groningen and Stellenbosch University had the opportunity to engage with one another and to discuss areas of collaboration to further strengthen the partnership between the two universities.

Can Tho University and the University of Groningen (UG) signed an addendum to extend their Memorandum of Understanding. 

On 24th November, Prof.dr. Sacha Spoun, president of Leuphana University Lüneburg, visited the University of Groningen, together with Prof. Roman Trötschel, professor for Social Organizational and Political Psychology and Ms. Hanna Maria Degener, Managing director of the Association of North German Universities (Verbund Norddeutscher Universitäten VNU). They were welcomed by the vice Dean of Behavioural and Social Sciences Prof.dr. Hilda Amsing and the professors and the coordinator in charge for the double degree programme Master “Sustainability and Environmental Psychology”.

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of formal relations, Osaka University and the University of Groningen signed a strategic partnership agreement to strengthen their collaboration. In this agreement, there is a specific focus on contributing to the shared societal challenges.

On Wedesday 2 November, the University of Groningen organized the Aletta Dialogue in Jakarta on the topic ‘development of democracy’. Speakers in front of an audience of more than 70 Groningen alumni, partners and representatives of the government were Prof. Jouke de Vries, President of the University of Groningen (UG) and Dr. Deasy Simandjuntak, Researcher of Politics and International Relations at ISEAS.

The ambassador of Canada, H.E. Lisa Helfand visted UG on July 11nd . President Jouke de Vries welcomed her on her first visit to UG. The ambassador was interested to be informed on UG’s strategy and more specifically on how to work more closely together.

On Thursday 30 June 2022, Prof. Jouke de Vries, President of the University of Groningen launched the UG’s institutional strategy for sub-Saharan Africa (2022-2026), during a festive internal event.

The ambassador of Greece, H.E. Caterina Ghini visited UG on July 8. President Jouke de Vries and Rector Magnificus Wijmenga welcomed her on her first visit to Groningen.

The results of the first UG-MQ joint call for travel grants are in! We are delighted to announce that the UG grants have been awarded to Dr Sonja Billerbeck (Science and Engineering), and Dr Theo Lap and Dr Geoffrey Hobbis (both at the Faculty of Arts).

A small delegation, led by Rector Magnificus Cisca Wijmenga, represented the University of Groningen during the annual Annual Conference of the Coimbra Group (8-10 June). The conference was hosted by the University of Padua on the occasion of its 800th anniversary in magnificent historic surroundings. The central theme of this year’s conference was: Universa Universis: Academic Freedom in a Transforming World.

On Monday 28 March, the ambassador of Germany HE Cyrill Nunn visited the University of Groningen and UMCG. The visits were part of a 2-day programme organized by the City of Groningen. Besides UG and UMCG the ambassador was introduced to New Energy Coalition, EnTranCe, Rijnland Institute, Groningen museum and the political leadership of City and Province.

On 9 March 2022, Prof. Jan Palmowski (Secretary General of The Guild) was at UG for a series of meetings with Executive Board members, the Committee of Deans, and policy advisors to discuss strategic topics for UG and The Guild.

On Friday 18 February 2022, the stormiest day of the year, Mexican Ambassador to The Netherlands José Antonio Zabalgoitia and two of his staff visited Groningen. The Ambassador was welcomed by UG Rector Cisca Wijmenga.

Upon the initiative of Prof. Paripurna P. Soegarda, Vice-Rector of Universitas Gadjah Mada and LL.M. alum of UG, the Law Faculties of UGM and UG met online on Thursday 3 February.

On 9 February rector Cisca Wijmenga and president Jouke de Vries met with Titia Bredée, the new Director-General of Nuffic (the Dutch organisation for internationalisation in education).

Combining destinations in the Netherlands and northern Germany, a delegation from the University of Jember paid a physical visit to the University of Groningen on Tuesday 25 January.

Since 2015 the University of Groningen has led a large capacity building project aiming to strengthen four Mozambican Universities in the area of Energy. From the start the focus has mainly been on Renewable Energy and Energy Transition. A lot has been accomplished in a partnership with, amongst others, Energy Academy Europe (later New Energy Coalition), Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Stellenbosch University (South Africa) and Chalmers University (Sweden). The project was concluded this year with a positive assessment from Nuffic, the funding organization on behalf of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The University of Groningen welcomes Prof. Masaharu Nomachi as the newly appointed Director for the Osaka University European Center for Academic Initiatives. Prof. Nomachi succeeded Prof. Toshiharu Hase on 1 April 2021.

The New Erasmus+ programme has started. Late March the Programme guide was published, providing extensive details of the new programme. The Dutch National Agency will officially launch the programme on 22 June 2021, from 15.00-16.30. Please register here if you want to attend this event.

On 30 April, Prof. Jouke de Vries, Prof. Andrej Zwitter and UG students attended the Osaka University Partner Summit. During the event, the President of Osaka University presented the content of the Joint Statement on Institutional Collaboration. The Statement was signed by the presidents of seven institutions (Osaka University, University of Groningen, Mahidol University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, University College London, University of British Columbia, and University of California Davis) to share their joint vision for addressing societal challenges, contributing to local and global communities and engaging with SDGs through strategic collaboration in research and education.

After three months of fairly cool weather (apparently this Spring was the coldest since 1921), June finally brings us blue skies and the promise of a well-deserved summer break. The world, in the Netherlands at least, is slowly opening up. If all goes well, we will meet in person from September onwards, if not before. A wonderful perspective!

On 30 April Osaka University (Japan) will host the Presidents’ Summit to celebrate Osaka’s 90th anniversary and the centenary of the Osaka University of Foreign Studies. Under the theme of The Role of Universities in Facing Societal Challenges and Recovering from COVID-19, the Presidents of seven participating universities will address common objectives, such as the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.

Meet ENLIGHT, a new European university alliance. Nine diverse universities, including the University of Groningen, shaping the education of the future. To launch the alliance, an online ENLIGHT Kick-Off week will be held from 1 to 5 March.

Universities, as global players and representatives of their regions, have an important role to play in adapting to climate change, not only through knowledge generation, sharing and dissemination, but also through collaboration with government, industry, NGOs, and partner universities.  The Department of International Strategy and Relations at the University of Groningen organised a panel discussion titled: Are Universities Ready to Play Their Role in Climate Adaptation?

In the beginning of each academic year a number of Holland Scholarships are awarded. The Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the respective Higher Education institutions fund Holland Scholarship grants jointly. Incoming scholarships are awarded to talented students from non EU/EER countries to get a Dutch Higher Education University degree and outgoing scholarships are awarded to students that are selected by the UG faculties to strengthen the bonds with their preferred partners.

The Climate Adaptation Week Groningen is the free interactive (online) festival in Groningen. During this event, over 70 national and international speakers from more than 20 countries in the world will discuss the current and future status of climate adaptation. ISR is involved in organising a panel discussion with Mr. Marcel Beukeboom on 22 January.

The Netherlands-Asia Honours Summer School (NAHSS) is a national honours programme that aims to let excellent Dutch students experience China by means of a summer programme. In 2021, one hundred students will be selected to participate in a preparatory process and a two-week summer programme in the Netherlands. The NAHSS summer programme is open to ambitious 2nd and 3rd year bachelor students. Registration for the NAHSS 2021 is open from 1 December 2020 to 8 January 2021.

As part of the relationship between UG/UMCG and Indonesian scholarship funder LPDP, ISR (Tim Zwaagstra) has a monthly meeting with LPDP's account manager for Western Europe. The meeting is intended for mutual updates and general discussion purposes. If you know of issues or questions arising with respect to LPDP scholarships and/or LPDP scholarship holders, please inform us and we can discuss them with LPDP directly if need be.

European cooperation, the acquisition of international experience by our students and the further exploration of virtual education are priorities in the Strategic Plan of 2021-2026. The theme of the Coimbra Group webinar, in which Rector magnificus Cisca Wijmenga took part on December 4, was therefore also highly relevant: “Recommendations for the future of mobility and internationalization in the European Knowledge Area”.

University of Groningen and University of Oldenburg (UOL) celebrate 40 years of collaboration in 2020. On 29 October 2020 (Festakt-date) the UG and the UOL officially renewed the partnership that they started 40 years ago. The anniversary was celebrated with a joint conference in Schloss Oldenburg and a variety of academic symposia, lectures and workshops. Due to the coronavirus measures, most of the events took place online. During the (online) Festakt, chairman of the board Jouke de Vries presented a digital gift to his colleague Hans Michael Piper from Oldenburg.

The UG Board and University Council approved of the UG Strategic Partnership Framework (SPF) 2021-2023. The main objective of the SPF is to maximize the value of internationalization for the quality of research & education, in particular also via internal good-practice sharing. The SPF is a central-faculty co-investment and provides seed funding to kick-start collaborations with nine non-European partners in Australia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, and South Africa.

In the framework of the Coimbra Group Scholarship Programme for Young African Researchers the University of Groningen recently granted 4 candidates from Sub Saharan Africa a stay of 1 month at our University.

On September 21 Indian ambassador H.E. Venu Rajamony visited UG and the city of Groningen.

The Coimbra Group, a network of 41 long-established European universities, is delighted to invite you to the live final of the Coimbra Group Three Minute Thesis competition on 22 October at 10am (CET). Tune in on our YouTube channel to watch on live streaming the pitches of the three finalists of our annual flagship event on science communication followed by the announcement of the winner of this 4th edition.

The Ambassador of Norway Bård Ivar Svendsen was welcomed to the University of Groningen by President prof. Jouke de Vries.

Strategic partnership between University of Hamburg and UG ratified

The Ambassador of the People's Republic of China, Mr. Hong Xu and his delegation paid a courtesy visit to the UG on 27th Feb., 2020.

In the beginning of March 2020 a group of representatives from 9 universities from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq visited the University of Groningen, together with a representative from the KRG Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. During the week, they followed workshops by the Tuning Academy on the Bologna Process and ECTS.

Nine universities launched the ENLIGHT consortium (Tartu, 29 October 2019)

On 9 November 2019 it will be 30 years since the Berlin Wall fell. In 1989 the University of Groningen (UG) acted on this historical fact by establishing official cooperation with universities in the Central European region, both at management and at academic level.

Thai Ambassador H.E. Mrs. Eksiri Pintaruchi delivered a keynote address on the ASEAN Chair rotation, held by Thailand in 2019. Dr. Andreas Ufen (University of Hamburg) presented on Southeast Asian populism, and nine SEA ASEAN PhD candidates presented research papers. At the conference dinner, hosted by UG President Prof. Jouke de Vries, options for cooperation on plastic waste management and public/private partnerships were among the topics discussed.

From 13-17 May, UG hosted 25 participants from 16 different countries from Europe and beyond for the 5th Erasmus + staff week, organised by International Strategy and Relations, and assisted by Mobility and Scholarship Desk. The theme of this week was ‘The ideal research support office’. UG staff from the Graduate Schools, Talent Development and Funding and Research departments offered workshops and seminars relating to this topic. Both participants and UG staff look back at a very inspiring week, where best practices where shared and ideas exchanged. This might even lead to an internal follow-up on the theme ‘The ideal research support office.

Today we had the pleasure to welcome the Australian Ambassador to the Netherlands, H.E. Mr Matthew Neuhaus, and the First Secretary, Ms Michelle McKendry.

From 9 to 13 April 2018 we hosted 46 participants for our staff week. We were happy to welcome colleagues from 20 different countries, a real international setting!

The highly ranked Nanyang Technological University ( NTU ) in Singapore and the University of Groningen (UG) have signed a Collaborative Degree PhD Programme in Materials and Nanoscience/-engineering . This agreement allows for the co-supervision of PhD students in these fields by both NTU and UG researchers, leading to a Double Degree for the PhD candidates involved.

How can we improve the interaction between international and Dutch students outside the classrooms? How can we create an inclusive, real “Groningen together”?

On 12 and 13 March, a delegation from the Kurdistan Autonomous Region in Iraq visited the University of Groningen for a work visit. The visit was part of the TIGRIS project.