The University of Bremen plans to submit its application in collaboration with the University of Oldenburg.

Starting next year, the University of Bremen will have two Clusters of Excellence: “The Ocean Floor” and “The Martian Mindset.” The cluster teams' success means that the University of Bremen can now apply for the title of University of Excellence. The University of Bremen will submit this application in collaboration with the University of Oldenburg. A future concept is currently being developed to strengthen both universities and prepare them for the future.

What does the future hold in terms of the Excellence Strategy? This question was the focus of the University Talk event held on June 19 at the University of Bremen's Center for Deep-Sea Research. The aim was to inform university members about the University of Bremen's strategy for excellence and engage in dialogue with them.

Jutta Günther, President of the University of Bremen, explained why the universities of Bremen and Oldenburg are joining forces in the competition for excellence. "Oldenburg and Bremen are two universities that were originally founded as reform universities and have developed very dynamically. We are not striving for excellence for the sake of excellence, but rather our mutual focus is on social responsibility. We want to drive society forward with our spirit of reform.” She appealed to her audience: “This spirit unites us, and we want to carry it forward. To do this, we need all of you!”

A thought that was echoed by Ralph Bruder, President of Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg: “In today’s world, people are often more concerned with selfish interests than with solving problems. We have to counteract this. We want to establish an academic ecosystem in the northwest that creates freedom and space for experimentation.”

Irene Strebl, State Secretary for the Environment, Climate, and Science, emphasized how important the success of the clusters is for the location and the economy: “The positive results achieved by the University of Bremen are hugely significant for the state of Bremen. Its reputation as a hub for science extends far beyond Bremen, which enables us to attract skilled workers. It will also aid further development in industry.”

The cluster spokespersons provided interesting insights into the topics they intend to research and highlighted how these can contribute to social progress. Excellence not only opens up many opportunities for research, but also for outstanding teaching. Students benefit in many areas: “New laboratories are being opened where experiments can be carried out, for example as part of master's theses,” explained Professor Marc Avila, co-spokesperson for The Martian Mindset cluster. Professor Heiko Pälike, spokesperson for The Ocean Floor cluster, also confirmed this for the field of marine research: “Students can take part in ship expeditions and write both bachelor's and master's theses on the related topics.”