Kathrin Moosdorf, Senator for the Environment, Climate, and Science, commented: “Our world is complex, and academics are now required to think outside of the box more than ever. Working across disciplines, sometimes disagreeing, but ultimately coming up with creative solutions: We need these skills to find answers to the challenges of our time. Students have the opportunity to hone these soft skills in formats that allow for inspiration and encourage them to question their own certainties. I am delighted that Bremen City University of Applied Sciences and the University of Bremen have been successful in acquiring resources for their projects. I am convinced that innovative courses attract attentive and curious young students to Bremen, thus strengthening our academic location as a whole."
The University of Bremen and Bremen City University of Applied Sciences applied for funding as part of the “Teaching Architecture” program of the Innovation in Higher Education Teaching Foundation ("Stiftung für Innovation in der Hochschullehre"). A total of 227 applications were submitted and 119 projects will be supported by the foundation over the next six years with a total of up to 480 million euros. The projects will start on October 1, 2025.
At the University of Bremen, the project "nuts@UB. Sustainable and Transdisciplinary Studies at the University of Bremen - Developing Effectiveness, Flexibility, and Strengthening Participants" (“nuts@UB. Nachhaltiges und transdisziplinäres Studium an der Universität Bremen - Wirksamkeit entfalten, Flexibilität entwickeln und Beteiligte stärken”) has been approved.
As part of the project, the university's degree programs are to be planned more strategically and in a manner oriented towards the goals outlined in the university's mission statement. Unconventional degree programs with flexible curricula are to be tested. Those responsible would also like to expand the range of micro-degrees offered by the University of Bremen. These are study programs offered on socially relevant topics that can be attended by professionals as part of further training, for example, but also by students. In addition, the project team is working on measures to better support the teaching commitment of academics and to professionalize curriculum and course development.
"We are delighted that we have been given the opportunity for and with the teaching staff members to develop our offered study programs in a forward-looking way over several years, in line with the requirements and interests of young people and the challenges facing society as a whole. We would particularly like to thank Stefanie Grote and her team, who developed this application so that we are able to implement the projects together,” stated Professor Maren Petersen, Vice President for Teaching and Studies at the University of Bremen.
