Challenges do not stop at the border:UG strengthens the ties with LowerSaxony

On 23 and 24 April, a delegation from knowledge institutions and the Ministry of Science and Culture from German Lower Saxony (headed by Minister Falko Mohrs), visited the University of Groningen (UG). The programme in the Academy Building included a dinner and presentations about present and future collaboration. The emphasis was on the common challenges being faced by the two border regions. After a dinner on Wednesday evening, attended by the President of the Board of the University of Groningen Jouke de Vries, Thursday morning was reserved for a number of presentations. Prof. Sandy Schmidt from the Faculty of Science and Engineering gave a presentation about the European BiodeCCodiNNg research project, which revolves around enzymes and finding sustainable organic alternatives to traditional catalysis.

The research into enzymes within BiodeCCodiNNg has not only had an impact in the academic field, but also on social and economic aspects, such as direct applications in the pharmaceutical industry. Schmidt referred to the successful partnership between the UG and the University of Göttingen in the European project. She was keen to stress the role of BiodeCCodiNNg as a blueprint for strengthening existing and future Dutch-German collaboration. Cross-border collaboration The medical faculties of the UG/UMCG and the University of Oldenburg (UOL) already work closely together, explained Dr Corinna Glasner. The European Medical School Oldenburg-Groningen was showcased as an example. One aspect of the programme is the exchange of medical students: until 2020, M2 clerks from Groningen went to work in a hospital in Oldenburg, while Bachelor’s students from the UOL spent first two semesters, and later one semester, attending Bachelor’s courses in Groningen.

The Dutch-German collaboration started with teaching activities in 2012, and later developed to include several research partnerships, said Glasner. The Cross-Border Institute of Healthcare Systems and Prevention (CBI) is an important initiative in this respect. The Institute has been operating since 2019 as a catalyst and hub for cross-border healthcare in the German-Dutch border region. The CBI recently received a substantial European grant. The Aletta Jacobs School of Public Health (AJSPH) takes care of the coordination side from Groningen. Prof. Kathrin Boerner (UOL) and Prof. Lars Schwettmann (UOL) gave a presentation about the CBI. ‘As border regions, we are not twins, but good neighbours, facing the same challenges’, Schwettmann suggested. Frederic van Kleef, Managing Director of the AJSPH, called CBI ‘the enzymes for cross-border collaboration’, in reference to the presentation given earlier that morning.