The Northwest Alliance combines excellent research with social responsibility. Through transdisciplinary research, the alliance addresses socially relevant issues within complex, real-world contexts. The goal is to make solution-oriented progress that is scientifically sound and immediately significant to society.
To this end, the Northwest Alliance collaborates with academic experts and non-academic stakeholders, including individuals from business, government, and civil society. Their diverse perspectives, experiences, and competencies are crucial for comprehensively understanding and effectively addressing multifaceted challenges.
Co-creation is at the heart of this approach. New knowledge is generated collaboratively and contributes to concrete solutions. This results in robust, practical solutions that are scientifically sound, socially grounded, and widely accepted.
Initiatives can originate from researchers and societal partners alike. These initiatives reflect the Northwest Alliance’s shared commitment to cooperative and responsible problem-solving.
Transdisciplinary Projects
The project’s central starting point in Bremen’s industrial port is the ArcelorMittal steelworks. The central questions addressed by hyBit are: At what pace can hydrogen hubs be transformed for the benefit of society as a whole? What obstacles can be expected along the way? How can unexpected challenges during this transformation be addressed at the local level? Specifically, the project focuses on technical, economic, ecological, legal, and societal aspects.
The hyBit project consortium, coordinated at the University of Bremen, includes 19 partners from academia and industry. These partners are the Wuppertal Institute; the OFFIS Institute at the University of Oldenburg; the Bremen Institute for Production and Logistics (BIBA); Fraunhofer IFAM (Bremen); Fraunhofer ICT (Karlsruhe); and Bremen City University of Applied Sciences. Participants from Bremen’s industrial sector include ArcelorMittal, swb, and BLG. hyBit has ideal physical infrastructure for transdisciplinary research. For example, it enables data-driven simulations of energy supply scenarios and decision-making processes in workshops with industry and political representatives.
- Duration: September 1, 2022, to July 30, 2026
- Consortium coordination: Resilient Energy Systems Research Group, University of Bremen, Dr. Torben Stührmann
Strengthening collaboration among healthcare stakeholders in the northern border region of Germany and the Netherlands – that is the goal of the HEALTH4DE-NL project, led by the Cross-Border Institute of Healthcare Systems and Prevention (CBI). The CBI is a joint initiative of the University of Oldenburg, the University of Groningen, and the University Medical Center Groningen (the latter two are located in the Netherlands). The project is part of the Interreg VI Germany-Netherlands program and will receive 3.2 million euros in co-funding from the European Union, the Lower Saxony Ministry for Federal and European Affairs, and the provinces of Groningen and Fryslân from 2025 to 2029. Through this project, the CBI aims to integrate the healthcare systems of both countries and improve access to healthcare services for the approximately 2.8 million people living in the border region.
- Duration: 2025 to 2029
- Project lead: Cross-Border Institute of Healthcare Systems and Prevention (CBI)
Since 2023, the #MOIN Model Region for Industrial Mathematics has received funding as part of the “T!Raum – Transfer Spaces for the Future” program from the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR) and supports active knowledge transfer between research, industry, and society. The goal is to highlight the potential of mathematical methods for addressing business challenges and to support innovation specifically. Currently based at the University of Bremen, the model region will be further developed and expanded in collaboration with the University of Oldenburg. The project is also aimed at students, teachers, and businesses, offering formats that encourage interaction between these groups and promote interest in the applications of industrial mathematics.
- Project lead: Prof. Dr. Christof Büskens
Harnessing the power of the sun to convert the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into useful chemicals – that is the goal of an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary junior research group at the University of Oldenburg. The international team, led by chemist Dr. Lars Mohrhusen, is pursuing a sustainable approach. The researchers are developing precious-metal-free catalysts that chemically activate the relatively unreactive greenhouse gas using sunlight. Since 2024, the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR) has supported the Su2nCat-CO2 project for six years with approximately 2.6 million euros through the SINATRA funding program (junior research groups for “Artificial Photosynthesis” and “Use of Alternative Raw Materials for Hydrogen Production”).
- Duration: 2024 to 2030
- Project lead: Dr. Lars Mohrhusen
In the T!CALL cooperation project between the University of Bremen and Bremen City University of Applied Sciences (HSB), care facilities are being developed into “academic teaching nursing institutions.” The fundamental idea behind the T!CALL initiative is to create an “academic teaching nursing institution cluster” that serves as a bridge between science, education, and care practice, facilitating mutual knowledge transfer. By establishing sustainable innovation structures, T!CALL proactively improves care in various areas: First, it improves the quality of life for people in need of care and their relatives. Second, it improves the quality of care and work in long-term care. T!CALL also fosters a new, sustainable culture of innovation in care, further training, continuing education, professional development, and the establishment of interdisciplinary partnerships between researchers, nursing staff, educators, and industry partners in developing and distributing technical innovations. Project partners include Caritas-Haus St. Elisabeth and St. Franziskus, as well as Johanniterhaus in Bremen.
- Duration: April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2032
- Project leads: Prof. Dr. Ingrid Darmann-Finck and Prof. Dr. Karin Wolf-Ostermann
How can marine biodiversity be effectively protected when reliable long-term data is lacking? AGELESS (Leveraging Long-Term Planktonic Diversity Data to Develop a Framework to Assess and Protect Biodiversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction) addresses this issue. The project combines geological archives with modern ecology to better understand long-term changes in marine ecosystems. Researchers from the universities of Oldenburg and Bremen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), and the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) are collaborating to analyze natural fluctuations and recovery processes, using them to derive projections regarding the impacts of climate change. Based on these findings, AGELESS will develop models and governance approaches for protecting marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdictions. The project is supported by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR).
- Duration: September 1, 2024, to August 31, 2027
- Coordination: Prof. Dr. Michal Kučera and Dr. Lukas Jonkers
The goal of this interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary junior research group at the University of Oldenburg is to produce fully biodegradable plastic from green waste, hay, and algae that is suitable for medical products, automotive components, insulation, and packaging. To achieve this, the research team led by chemist Dr. Melanie Walther combines ecologically sustainable and application-oriented approaches: The researchers are developing cost-effective, energy-efficient technology to produce new plastics based on polybutylene succinate (PBS) consisting of 100 percent organic waste. The Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR) has supported the “EcoPBS” project with approximately 2.7 million euros for five years, beginning in 2025.
- Duration: 2025 to 2030
- Project lead: Dr. Melanie Walther
Poor nutrition and insufficient physical activity negatively impact health, especially as people age. Under the leadership of nutritionist Dr. Rebecca Diekmann, researchers at the University Medical Center Oldenburg are developing an assistance system that helps older individuals sustainably adapt their daily habits, thereby maintaining or improving their quality of life. The Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) has funded the junior research group since 2022, providing approximately 1.8 million euros over five years. The group, “Nutrition and Functionality in Old Age,” is based in the Department of Health Services Research in School VI: Medicine and Health Sciences.
- Duration: 2022 to 2027
- Project lead: Dr. Rebecca Diekmann
The collaborative project “InnovationsCommunity Urban Health” (ICUH) supports healthy and equitable living conditions in cities and addresses implementation gaps in health-promoting urban development. The University of Bremen plays a central role through its Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research (IPP), which contributes expertise in public health, health equity, and environmental justice. The IPP is supporting strategic development, refining the problem definition, and developing further training and knowledge transfer formats. The IPP is also driving the establishment of a community in the state of Bremen and fostering dialogue. Together with the LVG & AFS, it is responsible for implementation in the state of Bremen. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR). Cooperating partners include: Bochum University of Applied Sciences for Technology, Business, and Health; Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment, and Energy gGmbH; North Rhine-Westphalia State Center for Health; and the Lower Saxony-Bremen State Association for Health and Academy for Social Medicine e.V.
- Duration: January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2028
- Project lead: Prof. Dr. Gabriele Bolte