Press release: Most successful European university in the EU programme

Nr. 184/2011 - 15.09.2011

Göttingen University receives € 3 million for international scholarships

(pug) Göttingen University can offer scholarships to foreign scholars, researchers and students totalling more than € 3 million. The money is provided by “Action 2“ of the EU’s Erasmus Mundus programme. Within this programme, European and third-country higher education institutions can mutually apply for funding to foster exchange between scholars, researchers, and even administrative staff. In the most recent allocation round, the EU selected a total of 36 projects for funding: Göttingen University is coordinating three of these projects and partnering seven others. That makes Göttingen the programme’s most successful European university!
The EU has granted € 7.4 million for the three projects coordinated by Göttingen; the other seven projects will receive overall funding of € 16.3 million.

Since 2009, Göttingen University has received scholarship monies for “Action 2 – Erasmus Mundus Partnerships” amounting to over € 6 million. “The current number of 24 ongoing projects not only makes Göttingen University by far the most successful German higher education institution within this programme, but it also solidifies Göttingen’s place in the top-ranked group across Europe,“ declared Professor Hiltraud Casper-Hehne, Vice President for Research and International Affairs. “Over the past years, Göttingen has evolved into an attractive university location for a growing number of acclaimed foreign students.“

“We are anticipating that we will be able to offer around 100 scholarships for varying lengths of time,“ added Dr. Uwe Muuss, Director of the International Department. “The great majority of these funds will be available to outstanding students and young researchers from foreign countries.“ The funding is not restricted to specific subjects; rather it is open to students and researchers from many disciplines. The scholarships have terms of between three and four years.

The three projects coordinated by Göttingen foster the exchange and academic collaboration between selected universities in Southern, Southeastern and Central Asia and in the Caucasus region. The participating institutions include Göttingen’s sister universities in Pune and New Delhi (both in India), the University of Nanjing and the University of Science and Technology in Hefei (both in China) as well as the University of Bogor in Indonesia. Among the European partners are the renowned universities of the U4 network (Uppsala, Groningen, Gent and Göttingen) alongside the Universities of Leuven, Turku and Santiago de Compostela.

“Göttingen University has earned excellent marks in the international rankings over the past years,” noted Prof. Casper-Hehne. “That is yet one more way Göttingen continues to attract foreign academics and students. And, for that reason, we now need additional lodgings for our guests this up-and-coming winter semester. The University's Welcome Centre is grateful for any help the citizens can offer us.“ If you want to help, please call Kerstin Schütte at (0551) 39-10492.

Contact for the EU programme:
Netra Bhandari
Georg-August University Göttingen
International Department
Von-Siebold-Straße 4, 37075 Göttingen
Phone +49 (551) 39-10694
E-mail: netra.bhandari@zvw.uni-goettingen.de
Website: http://www.uni-goettingen.de/de/784.html