Two German Universities Come Together to Challenge International Institutions in Science

The Ludwig Maximilians University (LMU) and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have come together to work on “One Munich Strategy Forum.”

With the support offered by the state of Bavaria with a €2.5 million fund, the two universities intend to enter the international competition of universities in their region and beyond, Erudera.com reports.

The “One Munich Strategy Forum” is a cooperation between institutions, which often produces collaborations with business, culture, and society partners that conduct successful research projects in important matters.

According to the Bavarian Minister of Science Bernd Sibler, Munich should achieve a “top position in the international research landscape.”

Furthermore, the President of TUM, Professor Thomas F. Hofmann, noted that the new forum would create competition between universities, hopefully alongside mutual motivation, whereas Professor Bernd Huber, LMU’s President, pointed out the longstanding cooperation between “One Munich Strategy Forum” universities.

The project is part of the Hightech Agenda Bavaria action plan of the Bavarian State Ministry for Science and Art. The same has allocated a €2.5 million fund to be shared with other partners involved at the forum.

Munich BioFab is the first project launched by the alliance. In addition to LMU and TUM, the Munich University of Applied Sciences, the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, and the Helmholtz Center Munich have also shown interest in contributing.

Numerous projects on synthetic biology, biophysics, biochemistry, additive manufacturing processes, and data science, novel bio-manufacturing technologies to produce artificial biological systems will be implemented.

In December 2020, the Ministry of Education and German universities had decided to invest more in teaching capacities rather than medical students in an attempt to reach the target of the agreements for 2021-2025.

The state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern offered nearly €2 million for the planning period, later adding another €125 million from the upcoming contract on study and teaching. A total of  €53.9 million are allocated to expand funding until 2025.

On the other hand, international students revealed that Germany’s favorable conditions for studying and living have often lead them to remain in the country even after graduation.

According to a survey by Expatrio and Deutsche Gesellschaft Internationaler Studierender, 60 percent of international students in Germany prefer to remain in the country after collecting their degrees. The study conducted in July 2020 interviewed 1,200 international students, ten percent of which claimed they want to stay in the country because of the employment opportunities.

Another 33 percent of international students appreciated the lack of tuition fees, whereas 31 percent admitted that German universities’ reputation was a key factor for their prolonged stay.