Strategic Partnerships

Strategic partners are defined as follows:

  • Extensive contacts and cooperation in research and teaching in several subjects already exist and / or there is an interest in deepening them with the aim of mutually beneficial development on both sides; there is a cooperation agreement / memorandum of understanding or it was decided to conclude a contract owing to the numerous already existing contacts;
  • There is a comparability of universities in terms of size, objectives, and resources;
  • Favorable political and national framework conditions (support programs exist for specific countries and regions).

An alternative selection criterion may be associated with development policy, for example, in the region of Sub-Saharan Africa.
A targeted use of resources promotes the development of regional priorities.
Currently, the university's internationalization strategy is under review. The current strategic partnerships will be evaluated and further developed following the adoption of the new strategy. The University aims at having a maximum of between 6 – 8 strategic partners at institutional level worldwide. It will also support the development of further strategic partnerships at Faculty level.

Our current strategic partners

Cardiff University

Cardiff University in Wales was ranked 5th amongst UK universities in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) based on quality, and is a member of the Russell Group, a group of 24 leading UK research intensive universities. It provides an educationally outstanding experience for its 31,500 students.
The University of Bremen has long-established research links with Cardiff University, including through the Centre for Marine Environmental Sciences (MARUM) and Cardiff’s School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, and the Fiction Meets Science group (FMS) in Bremen and the cross-disciplinary ScienceHumanities initiative at Cardiff University.
The Bremen-Cardiff Alliance reflects shared strategic priorities and, whilst open for all areas to develop new collaborations in, will initially focus on complementary research strengths in three specific areas: media and communication sciences; marine and environmental sciences; and literary, social and historical studies.

more

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA is a public university that is strong in research. It is the most prominent campus of the University of North Carolina system. Founded in 1789, it is one of the three oldest universities in the United States. Together with Duke University and numerous research institutes in the region, it forms the so-called “Research Triangle”. Our Research Ambassador Prof. Krishnendu Chakrabarty is Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at Duke University. The research-centered cooperation with the UNC focuses primarily on two of the University of Bremen’s high-profile research areas: the marine sciences and the social sciences. In addition to numerous joint research projects and mutual guest research stays, the double degree “Transatlantic Master Social Policy” is of note.

Transatlantic Master

University of Guelph

The University of Guelph, Ontario, was founded in 1964 through the merger of an agricultural college and a veterinary college and is thus only a few years older than the University of Bremen. With about 28,000 students, it is of comparable size. The spectrum of subjects ranges from the humanities and social sciences, through economics, natural sciences and engineering, to agriculture and veterinary medicine.

The strategic partnership encompasses student exchange between the institutions, research contacts, the exchange of lecturers and doctoral candidates and joint third-party funded projects in several Faculties as well as current plans for a comparative research project on diversity management issues at German and Canadian universities.

more

Université de Ngaoundéré

Our longstanding cooperation with the Cameroonian University in Ngaoundéré was initiated by an alumnus who went back to his homeland as a lecturer. Today, this alumnus, Prof. Kolyang, works at the University of Maroua and is a Research Ambassador of the University of Bremen. The Université de Ngaoundéré has about 30,000 students and is located in the north of the country.

Joint research with the University of Ngaoundéré focuses on biology and the environmental sciences, bee research, cultural studies, logistics, and computer science. Cameroon doctoral students regularly complete part or all of their doctoral studies in Bremen. After their return, they contribute to the expansion of the network and mutual cooperation. Emanating from the University of Ngaoundéré, a cooperation network is gradually being established with other universities in Cameroon, Nigeria, and Chad. As part of our cooperation, we are encouraging the University of Ngaoundéré to play a coordinating role and to pass on its experience to the new partners in the inner African network.

Funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), several projects have been carried out in recent years to establish master's programs in ecology and logistics and to design a language center. Further project applications are in the planning stage.

Mahidol University, Thailand

For many years, the University of Bremen has maintained close cooperation with Mahidol University in Thailand in the area of medical informatics. It is one of the oldest and best universities in the country. It emerged in 1943 from Thailand’s first medical school and was initially called the "University of Medical Science". In 1969, it was upgraded to a comprehensive university. Its headquarters are located about 20 km west of the capital Bangkok. Around 26,000 students study at Mahidol University.
Due to the intensive cooperation in student exchange, research, support of young scientists and joint acquisition of funding, the successful cooperation was strengthened in February 2021 with the signing of a Strategic Partnership Agreement. In memory of Christian Freksa, a scientist from Bremen, who died in 2020 and who initiated the cooperation and drove it forward with great commitment, both universities have established a "Christian Freksa Scholarship".

The Christian Freksa Scholarship aims to financially support the exchange and cross-university supervision of doctoral students.

more