The University of Bremen and the University of Oldenburg are founding the Northwest Alliance – a strategic partnership that aims to develop northwestern Germany into a leading center of science and innovation.
The Northwest Alliance unites two reform universities with decades of experience in research, teaching, and knowledge transfer. Together, with around 580 professorships, 6,400 employees, 2,700 doctoral students, and 34,000 students, they form the core of a high-performance center of science in northwestern Germany.
The alliance’s goal is to combine excellent research with social responsibility and to find innovative solutions for regional and global challenges. The region is to be developed into a coherent research and outreach area in the medium to long term. The numerous scientific and non-scientific institutions in the northwest, with which both universities are already connected, as well as the Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg, which has been acting as a link between the universities for more than 25 years, will play a central role in this. The alliance also sees itself as part of the international community, in close partnership in particular with the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (Netherlands), with which both universities have been cooperating for decades. The Northwest Alliance not only connects the federal states of Bremen and Lower Saxony, but also represents a strong international network in a European border region.
On January 31, 2025, the universities of Bremen and Oldenburg laid the foundation for the Northwest Alliance: the two founding universities signed a memorandum of understanding at the Bremen state representation in Berlin.
The University of Oldenburg conducts research and teaching on the major issues of the 21st century. Founded in 1973, it boasts around 15,000 students and cooperates with more than 200 universities worldwide. In the tradition of its namesake, the committed democrat, pacifist, and Nobel Peace Prize winner Carl von Ossietzky, it is committed to transparent science with a sense of social responsibility and sees itself as a cosmopolitan university. Embedded in the region and at the same time internationally oriented, the university pursues a strongly interdisciplinary approach to research. Under the motto “Open for new paths”, it offers a creative environment for innovative knowledge development and comprehensive knowledge transfer. It is linked in partnership with numerous non-university institutions in research, education, culture, and business. Non-university research institutes can be found on campus, such as the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity at the University of Oldenburg. The University of Oldenburg is one of the best universities in Germany for start-ups and is a pioneer of the “Open University.”
The University of Bremen is high-performing, cooperative, and open to reform. Social responsibility has been its guiding principle since its founding in 1971. It advocates for the social and ecological changes needed worldwide, for democracy, diversity, and justice. The UN Sustainable Development Goals and climate justice are of particular concern to the University of Bremen in research, teaching, administration, and technology. With its wide range of subjects, comprising around 100 degree programs, it combines exceptional performance and great potential for innovation with a pronounced interdisciplinary approach. It strongly advocates the approach of research-based learning and studying. As an ambitious European research university, the University of Bremen maintains close cooperation with universities and research institutes worldwide. In the region, it is part of the U Bremen Research Alliance and a liason partner for many stakeholders. As part of the European university alliance YUFE – Young Universities for the Future of Europe, the 23,000 people at the University of Bremen contribute to the further development of society and actively shape academic collaborations worldwide.
The Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg (HWK) is a foundation that promotes science. Since 1997, it has annually supported between 50 and 60 fellows in Delmenhorst through research grants, thus promoting excellent science in northwestern Germany. The HWK allows its fellows to concentrate on a research project free from academic obligations and promotes interdisciplinary dialogue by offering opportunities for cooperation and exchange. The fellows benefit from close cooperation with the universities in Bremen and Oldenburg and other regional research institutes, as well as a large international alumni network. In this way, the HWK also supports the internationalization of regional science and its Clusters of Excellence.
The University of Groningen is an internationally oriented university with a rich academic tradition. Since its founding in 1614, it has produced outstanding scientists, including the first female student, the first Dutch astronaut, and several Nobel Prize winners. Geographically, the university is rooted in the north of the Netherlands. It combines education and research with sustainable and economic developments in society. These areas of focus are reflected in its three core areas: energy, healthy aging, and sustainable society.
The universities of Oldenburg and Bremen are jointly establishing the “Northwest Alliance.” Last Friday, a memorandum of understanding was signed by the university leaders and the heads of the Bremen and Lower Saxony science departments on the sidelines of the science ministers’ conference in Berlin.
For the first time in their history, the academic senates of the universities of Bremen and Oldenburg met together on December 11, 2024. At the Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg Delmenhorst, they discussed joint plans for the future in research, teaching, and knowledge transfer. Both senates unanimously endorsed the increased cooperation – including in the context of the Excellence Strategy.
The universities of Bremen and Oldenburg are intensifying their cooperation within the framework of the federal and state excellence strategy. The universities of Bremen and Oldenburg are intensifying their cooperation as part of the Excellence Strategy of the Federal and State Governments. Both universities have submitted several full proposals for Clusters of Excellence in order to expand their research strength in important future-oriented areas. A decision on the funding will be made in May 2025.
Adviser to the University Executive Board for Excellence and Strategic University Development
Maike Koschorreck
University Communication and Marketing
Personal Assistant to the President
Alke Freese
Head of Press & Communication
