University of Oldenburg succeeds in „small excellence initiative“: Jacobs University participates in collaboration concept

The Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg is one of the five winners out of 64 competitors in the nationwide competition “Profile and Cooperation” of the Donors’ Association for the Promotion of Science and Humanities in Germany, which honored the best competitive strategies of medium and small sized universities. The jury recognized the university’s collaboration concept „NOWETAS – Nord West Universitas“, in which Jacobs University participates besides the universities of Bremen and Groningen. The Donors’ Association and the Heinz Nixdorf Foundation support each of the winners with 400,000 euros.

[ Dec 18, 2007]  “Our congratulations go the University of Oldenburg, who has demonstrated the creative and innovative potential of medium and small sized universities by strategic cooperation in an excellent manner,” commented Jacobs University’s President Joachim Treusch, who rates the successful teamwork of Germany’s north-western universities as a great locational advantage. Core themes of the cooperation between the two universities are “bio-geomarine resources”, “modeling of complex systems”, “societies, cultures, and institution in transformation”, and “energy research”. “We are looking forward to the cooperation with our partner university within a strong team that will create a visibility for our joint projects far beyond the north-western region,” Treusch added.

The University of Oldenburg, which sees the regional networking with universities, companies, and other institutions as an integral part of its distinct profile, proposed the establishment of the NOWETAS Foundation to formalize, intensify, and extend these linkages. “The Jury was impressed by the number, intensity, and ideal complement of the already existing connections, especially with the universities of Bremen and Groningen in the Netherlands as well as with Jacobs University,” the Donors’ Association explained the outcome of the competition. The competition “Profile and Cooperation”, in public also nicknamed “small excellence initiative”, had been initiated to especially support smaller universities, which face special challenges in the intensifying nationwide and international competition for funds, students, and top-class scientists. The other four successful universities besides the University of Oldenburg were the University of Lüneburg, and the senior technical colleges of Nordhausen, Kiel and Rottenburg.