Unfortunately, the Northwest Alliance (NWA) was not successful in securing designation as a “University Excellence Consortium” in the current round of the Excellence Strategy of the Federal Government and the states. Both university administrations made it clear that they were deeply disappointed by the result. At the same time, however, the application demonstrated the strength that lies in collaboration. Members of both universities had worked together for many months to develop the application. More than 200 people from both universities and many cooperating partners were actively involved in the application process and the site visit. Günther particularly highlighted the momentum generated by the four Clusters of Excellence and the team spirit that had become apparent during the process and continues to drive the effort: “These strengths are exactly what we will build upon.”
Bruder also emphasized that a network with shared goals and strengths had emerged in a short period of time. The application received support far beyond the universities themselves. “We’ve come to stay. Now more than ever,” said the president of the University of Oldenburg. The Northwest Alliance is designed to be a long-term University Excellence Consortium, regardless of funding.
The Northwest Alliance was launched with the overarching strategic goal of transforming its universities, with the transdisciplinary approach playing a fundamental role: In research and teaching, questions are to be developed and addressed in collaboration with experts outside the academic world. These include, for example, companies and startups, the Northwest metropolitan region, schools, public administration, and the healthcare sector. Based on the feedback received regarding the application, Bruder reported that the two reform universities in particular are trusted to shape societal change together with the people. And Jutta Günther emphasizes: “It is and remains our goal to give equal prominence to knowledge-oriented basic research and transdisciplinary research aimed at solving real-world problems.”
Closed-door meeting to define next steps
How the Northwest Alliance will position itself in the future and which measures it will prioritize will be discussed at a closed-door meeting in November 2026. There, university leadership and senior researchers will take stock together with early-career researchers, student representatives, and research management, and discuss which priorities to set and what joint activities to develop. The focus will be on research, undergraduate and graduate teaching, and knowledge transfer within the Northwest Alliance—a major research region that extends as far as Groningen.
It is already clear that ongoing joint initiatives for acquiring resources for third-party funding consortia will be further developed. These include graduate colleges, research groups, and DFG Collaborative Research Centers. The collaboration is based on a cooperation agreement that serves as the foundation of the Northwest Alliance, establishing binding structures and common areas of action.
Another area of focus is the coordinated planning of professorships. The universities aim to strategically align their specializations so that they complement one another academically and reinforce each other’s strengths. Academic equipment and other infrastructure are also to be shared. Furthermore, close collaboration with non-university institutes is planned for the development of institutional profiles and the preparation of grant applications. The HWK – Institute for Advanced Study, supported by Bremen and Lower Saxony, provides impetus through its international fellows for joint projects between the universities and non-university institutes.
Deepening Collaboration with the University of Groningen
In the coming months, the researchers involved to date and the university administrations plan to convene at a meeting of the joint research areas at the University of Groningen. Researchers at various career stages will discuss their project progress there and make plans for the future.
Areas of collaboration include the joint cross-border Institute for Health Systems and Prevention, marine research, research on energy systems, and the joint supervision of doctoral candidates. These connections are to be expanded.
Counseling with the States on Strategic Use of Funds
However, the lack of funding is limiting the pace of the planned development. As a result, projects could not be implemented as quickly as hoped, Günther explained.
Günther and Bruder emphasized that they are grateful for the support the application received from the science policy makers of both states. Now, they said, it is time to discuss which strategic priorities the states will set and how they will support the universities’ continued ambitious development.
Evaluating the Application and Keeping an Eye on Future Funding
The reasons behind the competition’s outcome were also a topic of discussion. To conduct a thorough evaluation, the university administrations intend to wait for the detailed feedback from the review process.
Once Again, Many Thanks to the Many Participants
Both university administrations once again thanked the many people from all staff categories who were directly or indirectly involved in the application. Over time, they noted, an extraordinary level of commitment and solidarity had developed between the universities, which was clearly evident even at the moment the rejection was announced. The Northwest Alliance continues—Connecting for Tomorrow.