Wealthy investments and opportunities for prestigious universities in the northwestern region - Multimillion-dollar prospects and potential membership in premier groups emerge in North West region
multiple universities in North-West Germany have secured substantial funding through the Excellence Strategy, potentially elevating them to the status of elite institutions. The German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Science Council (WR) in Bonn announced funding for research projects at universities in Hannover, Bremen, Oldenburg, and Braunschweig.
Hannover, Oldenburg, and Bremen are now eligible to pursue the award of elite universities. The Leibniz University Hannover and the Medical School Hannover, University of Oldenburg, and University of Bremen are in a position to apply as excellence universities after meeting the requirement of having two funded excellence clusters. Lower Saxony's Minister of Science, Falko Mohrs (SPD), expressed optimism, stating, "This is a strong result that opens up many opportunities for Lower Saxony."
In the current competition round, six research projects with Lower Saxony participation were selected for funding. Mohrs, who recently took office at the end of 2022, asserts, "We want to have at least one excellence university in Lower Saxony." Currently, there is no elite university in either Lower Saxony or Bremen.
The University of Bremen made significant strides by successfully securing funding for two excellence clusters for the first time. Bremen's mayor, Andreas Bovenschulte, expressed delight, calling it a great success for the city's science location. "This is research at world-class level," said the SPD politician.
Meanwhile, the University of Göttingen faced disappointment following the rejection of its latest application in this round. Wolfgang Brück, representing the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG), expressed dismay, stating, "This decision has surprised us greatly and is hardly understandable for us."
The University of Bremen's successful clusters include "The Ocean Floor," focused on marine sciences, and "The Martian Mindset," centered on materials sciences and the humans on Mars initiative. These clusters position Bremen, in collaboration with the University of Oldenburg, to compete for the University of Excellence title. Applications will be submitted in late 2025, with a final decision expected in fall 2026.
Hannover Medical School (MHH) also secured funding for two Clusters of Excellence. MHH's success makes it eligible for University of Excellence funding. The university plays a key role in the Hearing4All cluster, which collaborates closely with the University of Oldenburg. The Hearing4All cluster, focused on hearing research, received total funding of approximately €120 million over seven years.
Community policy in Lower Saxony might focus on encouraging vocational training in science and education-and-self-development, particularly within the field of marine sciences, due to the University of Bremen's newly funded excellence cluster "The Ocean Floor". This focus could also extend to materials sciences, as another one of Bremen's funded clusters, "The Martian Mindset", centers on this area.
With the University of Oldenburg working collaboratively with the University of Bremen in these clusters, vocational training opportunities in these sciences could be expanded to both institutions, potentially enhancing their competitive edge in the University of Excellence application process.
