Strategic Partnerships

Cooperation with University of Groningen

The University of Bremen (UB) and the University of Groningen (RUG) have been collaborating for decades as close regional neighbors. The RUG is a strategic partner of the Northwest Alliance, the newly founded research and knowledge transfer alliance between Bremen and Oldenburg. As a consortium of excellence, the alliance leverages its strategic partnership with Groningen to take a step toward “European Excellence” at the institutional level.

Overview of Projects and Activities (Selected)

• In the works: Double Degree Master’s Program in “Economics of Global Challenges” between the economics departments 
• January 2026: Meeting of university leadership (RUG, UOL, UB) regarding the new clusters of excellence “Navi Sense” and “The Martian Mindset” in Bremen and Oldenburg.
• January 2025: Founding of the Northwest Alliance, in which RUG plays a key role as a strategic partner.
• Since 2025: Research collaboration in computer science within the MSCA Doctoral Network REACT (EU Horizon Europe) 
• Since 2024: Hanse University Alliance
• June 2023: MoU between the University of Bremen and the University of Groningen renewed – a delegation of university administrators visited the University of Groningen to strengthen cooperation in areas such as coastal and environmental management, energy and climate, and technology.
• 2022-2026: Joint PhD supervision in the field of resilient energy systems within the international research project hyBit

Funding Opportunities for Exchange and Research

Erasmus+ & International Mobility:
Erasmus agreements in departments 4, 7, 8, 9, and 10

Cooperation with Cardiff University

The University of Bremen has long maintained research ties with Cardiff University, including through the Center for Marine Environmental Sciences (MARUM) and the Cardiff School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, as well as through the Fiction Meets Science group (FMS) in Bremen and Cardiff University’s interdisciplinary ScienceHumanities initiative.

In 2019, the two universities founded the Bremen-Cardiff Research Alliance, which has since been granted the status of a strategic partnership.

Overview of Projects and Activities (Selected)

• Since 2022: Hybrid workshops on “Sustainability & Entrepreneurship” for students from all disciplines in Cardiff and Bremen (once a year, online and alternating between Bremen and Cardiff).
• March 2019: Establishment of the Bremen-Cardiff Alliance with four main research areas: media and communication studies, literature and social sciences, marine and environmental sciences, and semiconductor physics.

Funding Opportunities for Exchange and Research

• Structured mobility support through ERASMUS at the University of Bremen and the Turing and Taith programs at the University of Calgary,
• UB Internationalization Fund: Particular consideration will be given to interdisciplinary, cross-departmental project proposals, research related to sustainability issues, and the involvement of the UB’s strategic partnerships and networks (YUFE and YERUN).  
  Application deadlines: February 15 & August 15; further information

Cooperation with Université de Ngaoundéré

The partnership between the UB and the UdN has existed since the late 1990s and can be traced back to Bremen alumnus Prof. Kolyang, who, after completing his studies in Bremen, played a key role in establishing academic collaborations between the two universities.

Since 2025, Mazi Sanda, Junior Associate Professor of Ecology at the Université Ngaoundéré and Research Ambassador of the UB, has also been supporting the expansion of this cooperation and drawing attention to the diverse research opportunities—particularly in the field of Cameroonian ecology. The strategic partnership is part of the University of Bremen’s Global South Partnerships and aims to strengthen long-term academic collaborations as well as the exchange of researchers and students. In the field of research, the collaboration focuses on issues of global significance that can only be addressed in a meaningful and strategic manner by incorporating the perspectives, knowledge systems, and expertise of partners from the Global South. The joint research focuses primarily on biological and environmental sciences, bee research, cultural studies, logistics, and computer science.

Overview of Projects and Activities (Selected)

• 2026-2029: AgriConnect: Global ICT Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture (DAAD-Förderung); other partners: UNAM (Namibia), Mahidol University (Thailand)
• 2026–2027: DAAD Visiting Professorship Assoc. Prof. Mazi Sanda in Department 02

Funding Opportunities for Exchange and Research

• ERASMUS+ International Dimension (KA171) Support for student, doctoral, and staff mobility between the University of Bremen and the University of Ngaoundéré through Erasmus+ partnerships.
• UB Internationalization Fund: Submissions of interdisciplinary, cross-departmental project ideas, a research focus on sustainability topics, and the integration of the UB’s strategic partnerships and networks (YUFE and YERUN) will be given special consideration.  
  Application deadlines: February 15 & August 15; further information

Cooperation with University of Guelph

The partnership was initiated in 2012 by the Bremen Institute for Canadian and Québec Studies (BIKQS) at the University of Bremen and has been strategically expanded ever since. Cooperation has been particularly strengthened in the social and health sciences; today it encompasses student and faculty exchanges, diverse research collaborations, and externally funded projects across various departments, such as the Volkswagen Foundation-funded project Fiction Meets Science. Mutual delegation visits by university leaderships take place regularly. A central structural pillar is the University of Bremen’s Research Ambassador Program. Following the retirement of the long-serving Research Ambassador Prof. Dr. Don Bruce, former Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Guelph, Assoc. Prof. Ruediger Mueller assumed this role in 2025.

Overview of Projects and Activities (Selected)

• Since 2017: Bremen-Guelph Lecture Series 
  Regular guest lectures held alternately in Bremen and Guelph. The focus is on academic exchange on interdisciplinary topics.
• August 2021: First cotutelle doctoral student at the UB and the UG
  Completion of a cotutelle doctoral degree in health sciences.
• March 2019: Workshop organized by both universities on diversity and inclusion. The event brought together representatives from university leadership, administration, research, and teaching, as well as students, to discuss key topics such as curriculum, governance, and learning and workspaces.

Funding Opportunities for Exchange and Research

• Structured support for activities through ERASMUS International/KA171: Student exchanges for semesters and internships, and staff mobility in both directions
• UB Internationalization Fund: Submissions of interdisciplinary, cross-departmental project ideas, a research focus on sustainability topics, and the integration of the UB’s strategic partnerships and networks (YUFE and YERUN) will be given special consideration.  
  Application deadlines: February 15 & August 15; further information

Cooperation with University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The collaboration between the UB and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNCH) began in 2010 with a joint project between UNCH’s Center for European Studies and the Department of Political Science (Department 08) at the University of Bremen; this evolved into a strategic partnership that has been continuously expanded and deepened.

The focus of this research-oriented collaboration lies in the social and marine sciences. A central pillar of the partnership is the “Transatlantic Master’s in Social Policy”: In this two-year program, students earn a dual degree from both universities and benefit from a closely integrated transatlantic education.

Overview of Projects and Activities (Selected)

Since the 2015/16 winter semester: Double-degree program: Transatlantic Master’s in Social Policy, with up to two international students per year in Department 08 (Social Sciences), UB.

Funding Opportunities for Exchange and Research

• Transatlantic Master's in Social Policy: Funding Options
  Students can take advantage of programs such as the joint master's degree, which often offers funding opportunities through institutional or external programs (e.g., ERASMUS+/DAAD for study abroad).
• Institutional Funding
  Funding programs offered by the University of Bremen or UNCH for international cooperation and exchange activities (e.g., travel grants, short-term stays). (Specific details can be found on the respective websites or in the calls for applications.)