The University of Groningen – A Strategic Partner in the Northwest

Collaborations with the University of Groningen are central to both the University of Bremen and the University of Oldenburg. This partnership was formalized with the foundation of the Northwest Alliance, which includes Groningen as a strategic partner.

For the University of Oldenburg, Groningen is one of its oldest and closest international partners. The collaboration was formally established in 1980. In 2012, the two universities launched the European Medical School Oldenburg-Groningen, a joint degree program in human medicine that was unprecedented across Europe. In 2014, Groningen became a strategic partner of the University of Oldenburg. The universities also maintain strong ties in environmental research and teaching, including the joint master’s degree in Water and Coastal Management.

The University of Bremen, the University of Oldenburg, and the University of Groningen are networked with seven additional northern German universities in the Hanse University Alliance. Bremen and Groningen also maintain strong bilateral connections. They will start a joint Economics of Global Challenges degree program in the 2026/27 winter semester, in which students will spend the first year of their degree in Bremen and the second in Groningen. In the EU-funded REACT network, doctoral candidates from Bremen, Groningen, and other European universities are developing computer systems that mimic the human brain and exhibit forms of self-awareness.

Mahidol University – Collaboration in Health Sciences and Computer Science

Mahidol University, one of Thailand’s largest public universities, has a strong focus on health sciences. This enables collaborative research and teaching with both Bremen and Oldenburg.

The University of Bremen and Mahidol University have been collaborating since 2013 in medical informatics, with a focus on student and researcher exchanges and joint doctoral supervision. In 2018, the Mahidol-Bremen Medical Informatics Research Unit (MIRU) was established as a joint research laboratory in Thailand, further strengthening these partnerships. In 2021, Mahidol became a strategic partner of the University of Bremen.

Peter Haddawy, a computer science professor at Mahidol University and honorary professor of medical informatics at the University of Bremen, plays a central role in the Bremen-Mahidol collaboration. He has been working with researchers at the University of Bremen since 2016, including Professor Gabriel Zachmann, from Faculty 03: Mathematics and Computer Science. Their joint projects include developing VR models to teach medical students and simulate medical procedures.

This collaboration also led to a partnership between Mahidol and Oldenburg. In 2024, Peter Haddawy and Professor Anja Bräuer, Director of the Department of Anatomy in the Department for Human Medicine at the University of Oldenburg, initiated a DAAD-funded project that brought students from both universities together. Anja Bräuer has also served as an adjunct professor at Mahidol University since 2024.

Nelson Mandela University – Excellence in Research, Collaboration in Teacher Education

The University of Oldenburg has been collaborating with the Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha (South Africa) since 1998. Today, Nelson Mandela University is a strategic partner of the University of Oldenburg. The collaboration is strong in both research and teaching, demonstrated by annual joint workshops on writing grant proposals for doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, and an increasing number of joint research proposals submitted to African and European funding organizations.

Interpersonal ties between Oldenburg, Bremen, Groningen, and Nelson Mandela University are strong as well, for instance, in the Cluster of Excellence “The Ocean Floor.” Researchers from Bremen and Oldenburg collaborate with international partners, including Professor Janine Adams from Nelson Mandela University and Professor Klemens Eriksson from the University of Groningen.

The “Lehramt.International” initiative brings together students, researchers, and teaching staff from Oldenburg, Groningen, Nelson Mandela University, and NHL Stenden Hogeschool in the Netherlands through virtual courses, classroom observations, and in-person workshops. The program also includes collaborations with researchers from Bremen, and enables students in teacher education programs to gain international experience and intercultural competencies through exchange programs.

The University in Toruń – Double Degrees and a Joint Alliance

For over 45 years, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland and the University of Oldenburg have maintained a close partnership. Collaborations span seven faculties, including student exchanges at the Institute of History. In the master’s degree program Business Administration: Management and Law, students who complete their first year in Oldenburg can spend a semester in Toruń and earn a degree from both universities.

Bremen and Toruń also collaborate within the European university alliance Young Universities for the Future of Europe (YUFE), alongside eight other universities. Joint activities include student exchanges, joint language courses, continuing education for administrative, operational, and academic staff, and specialized researcher mobility programs.