Press release: Göttingen University’s Welcome Centre wins acclaim

Nr. 9/2011 - 08.02.2011

Growing the range of services offered by the Central Service Centre for foreign scientists and scholars

(pug) On January 20, 2011, Vice-President Prof. Hiltraud Casper-Hehne, together with Dr. Uwe Muuss, Head of the Göttingen International staff unit, and Nadine Dreyer, Head of Göttingen University’s Welcome Centre, represented the University to receive the award ‘Welcome Centres for Internationally Mobile Researchers’. The award carried prize-money in an amount of €10,000. The outcome of the competition, which was held by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the Deutsche Telekom Foundation and the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft, recognises the advisory services provided to foreign researchers and their families before and during their stays in Göttingen as competent and comprehensive. "The Welcome Centre is an integral component of our internationalization strategy. By offering this comprehensive range of services, we help scientists and scholars from other countries to achieve quick integration on the Göttingen Research Campus, as well as to achieve a good start in their research work. The prize money will be invested to continually improve the range of services we offer," announced Prof. Casper-Hehne. The award ceremony performed by Prof. Helmut Schwarz, President of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Dr. Arend Oetker, President of the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft, and Prof. Sigmar Wittig, Chairman of the Board of the Deutsche Telekom Foundation, took place in Berlin as part of the Humboldt Foundation's New Year reception. The winners in the third round of the competition were chosen in October of last year.

Constituting an integral part of Göttingen University’s institutional strategy, the Welcome Centre was set up at the end of 2008 employing funds from the Excellence Initiative. Göttingen University’s Welcome Centre is the central contact point for scientists and scholars coming to the University for a limited period, as well as for professors and other faculty joining the University from abroad, and it also includes all newly appointed professors in the Dual Career Service programme. The special services Göttingen offers range from the provision of information in German and English, personal consultation, accompanying newcomers in their dealings with local authorities, assistance with arranging for German courses, living accommodation, schools, crèches and kindergarten places, through to events that help researchers and their families settle into Göttingen life.

The Georg-August-Universität Göttingen will be expanding this range of services further. Additional informative events on subjects including taxes, insurance and pensions, and offers to help researchers and their families in finding social contact more quickly, are currently in planning. Nadine Dreyer notes, “The citizens of Göttingen can also make an important contribution to helping visiting scientists and scholars integrate better by offering furnished apartments.” Local people interested in making accommodation available are requested to contact the Welcome Centre in this connection.

Also on the occasion of the Humboldt Foundation reception in Berlin, the “Database for Internationally Mobile Researchers” initiative was awarded dedicated funds in an amount of €10,000. The University of Göttingen is one of four universities in the group coordinating this initiative.