The presidents and rectors of the universities in the Association of North German Universities (VNU) have extended the existing cooperation between their universities for another three years until 2018. The association includes the universities of Bremen, Greifswald, Hamburg, Kiel, Lübeck, Oldenburg and Rostock, as well as the University of Groningen as an associate member.
The Association of North German Universities (VNU) was founded in 1994. Since its launch, the member universities of the Northern Association have been primarily dedicated to developing a culture of quality at their respective locations and promoting teaching, study and research.
The current spokesperson for the VNU, Prof. Dr. Johanna Weber, rector of the University of Greifswald, is happy about the new cooperation agreement. ‘The 20th anniversary is a great chance to extend such a successful partnership. By confirming the existing alliance, the north will keep getting stronger as a place for science.’ „ng des bestehenden Bündnisses wird der Norden als Wissenschaftsstandort weiterhin gestärkt.“
Along with promoting quality in teaching and studies at member universities, the association will also focus on research collaborations in the future. At their last General Meeting on 5 September 2014 at the University of Rostock, the members agreed to engage in closer exchange of their research initiatives through their research centres, to utilise synergy effects and to strengthen Northern Germany as a centre of study and research through a joint research network. ‘Closer cooperation in the field of research will enable research alliances that could not be realised at the individual locations alone. This means that we can therefore be more successful than each member university would be on its own,’ says Johanna Weber.
