Awards

Always the good host, the University of Bremen takes care that visitors from all over the world are well looked after. In recognition of its efforts in this respect, the Bremen alma mater has been awarded the enviable title “International University 2012” by the German Academic Exchange Office (DAAD) and the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft. The award comes with a prize of 50,000 euros. It is the only German award for internationalization granted to a whole institution and is in recognition of outstanding strategies in support of international students. The University of Bremen received the award for 2012 because its internationalization efforts are supported throughout the institution, its guiding principle being “Campus of Diversity”. more

The University of Bremen is among the first eight universities in Germany to be awarded the “Shaping Diversity” certificate of the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft [Donors’ Association for Science in Germany]. Prof. Yasemin Karakaşoğlu, Vice Rector for Intercultural and International Affairs, sees the honor as an important milestone in the University’s efforts towards aligning university life with the diverse life situations of its members and actively shaping life variety on campus. “The experience gained during the project greatly influenced the development of our diversity strategy.” Being certified as a University of Diversity is the crowning finish to a two-year project initiated by the Donors’ Association called “Ungleich besser – Verschiedenheit als Chance” [Better diversity – Difference as Opportunity]. more

Once dismissed as a hotbed of leftist politics with a radical approach to education and a tenuous financial base, the University of Bremen in northwestern Germany has now been recognized as one of the country's eleven finest universities. On June 15, it was named as a grand prize winner for research funding from the German federal government's Excellence Initiative.

It’s manna from heaven for the University of Bremen, which was founded in 1971 with the modest goal of making higher education available to Bremen youth whose families couldn't afford to send them away to college. Spurning the ivory tower of the academic establishment, the young university became infamous, and then famous, for its focus on social responsibility, lack of traditional hierarchies, and experiments with research-based and professionally oriented education programs. The cash-strapped state of Bremen provided for a meager budget, but the university administration and faculty competed adroitly for third-party research grants and cultivated talented young scientists to build world-class interdisciplinary research institutes in the marine sciences, social sciences, production engineering, computer and cognition sciences.  more

A most satisfactory result for the University of Bremen: the latest Förderatlas [funding atlas] published today by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) puts Bremen right at the top among German universities in several categories. “Bremen scholars and scientists are known for their outstanding research, which is why they so often acquire funding from the DFG”, explains Prof. Rolf Drechsler, Vice Rector for Research and Young Academics. If you put the absolute figure in relation to the number of researchers receiving the funding, then Bremen is actually on ranking position 1 in respect of DFG funding per researcher.

Steady upward trend for the University of Bremen

Until recently we spoke of funding rankings, now it is “Funding Atlas” – but no matter what it is called, the result is the same. For twenty years now the results have shown an appreciable and steady upward trend for the University of Bremen. The Funding Atlas is an overview of funding activities on the German landscape published by the DFG. The latest issue covers the reporting period 2008 – 2010; the DFG has included a report on the year 2009.

No fewer than three university projects, two cooperation projects with Bremen schools as well as a climate project, were selected as Official Projects 2011/2012 within the context of the United Nations World Decade. One of them is the cooperation project entitled “Sustainable Chemistry” run in cooperation between the University and Rübekamp Schulzentrum, in which students in their final years of high school attend interdisciplinary lecture courses on the campus.

The second is an environmental project called “Greening with Goethe”, a cooperation project involving the University and the Goethe Institute in India in which children from Indian and German high schools become involved in scientifically accompanied sponsorships for parts of the cities where they live.

A third project commended by UNESCO is the research project named “e2democracy” run in cooperation with the Institute of Information Management Bremen (ifib) which established the climate protection initiatives “Bremen and Bremerhaven can do more for climate protection!” and the climate commitments of Wennigsen and Calenberger Land. The local initiatives receive scientific support from ifib.

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) has 2011 evaluated the interim reports on gender equality of 68 universities within its initiative “Research-oriented Standards of Gender Equality”. The University of Bremen is described as “exemplary”, especially because it has adopted a convincing overall strategy. The DFG highlighted the varied measures employed by the University to increase the female quota on all levels of research. These include the Grete Henry Program to recruit more female professors, “plan m” mentoring for young researchers starting out on their scientific careers, the measure “Prospect Doctorate” in support of female researchers in the social sciences and the humanities, as well as the activities of the Competence Center for Women in the natural and engineering sciences.

The brilliant performance of the University of Bremen constitutes a significant criterion for the financing of collaborative research activities. The University Vice President for Research and Young Academics, Professor Rolf Drechsler, said: “We are once again delighted to receive such praise from the DFG, which is sure to increase our chances in the competitive Excellence Initiative”. The DFG research-oriented standards of gender equality are to be implemented at all universities by 2013. The evaluated interim reports will be published online by the DFG at the beginning of September. more

The German Foreign Office has expressed its appreciation of the Bremen initiative entitled  “Round Table for International Students”. This is a joint initiative supported by all universities in the State of Bremen, the counseling center for psychological therapy [Psychologisch-therapeutische Beratungsstelle des Studentenwerks], the Evangelischen Studentengemeinde and several other initiatives on the part of private individuals. The round-table convenes on a reguar basis to discuss topics of interest to international students. These meetings and the action subsequently decided on contribute to an ongoing improvement of conditions for all international students.

On 10th June 2010 Katharina Reich, Staatssekretärin from the German Ministry of the Environment, presented the University Director of Finance and Administration, Gerd-Rüdiger Kück, with  the 2nd prize in the nation-wide contest: “Efficient mobile”.

The University of Bremen has been awarded this accolade for its new concept of mobility management, which aims to reduce levels of CO2 and qualify the University as a climate friendly organization. Among the many innovative ideas is a new internet platform for car pooling, as well as a survey of public transport connections which explores the need for new linkups. “The University of Bremen has set itself the goal to sustainably reduce levels of CO2”, says Gerd-Rüdiger Kück. “Environmental management and green energy have long become matters of routine. We are well on the way to achieving our goal and becoming an even more environmentally friendly university – the award of 2nd place is a challenging encouragement.”

Once again the University of Bremen has been acclaimed a family friendly university institution. It has received the certificate "audit family-friendly university ", awarded by the Hertie Foundation. 

There are a large number of special offerings for members of the University who are parents of young children, including an internet portal with advisory services for the University’s administrative staff, instructional personnel and students. This is being continually updated with new information. The “solidarity fund“ which was set up by the University to help student parents in need has proven to be a great success and will be continued.

The flexible design of study programs and the expansion of e-learning offerings are designed to create more freedom of scope for students with family duties. The child-care facilities for students and University employees have also been extended. They now include, among other things, an offer of child care during academic conferences and similar events.