Press release: Coimbra Group restructuring

Nr. 139/2015 - 15.06.2015

General Assembly of the University network enacts restructuring measures

(pug) The Coimbra Group, a European network of 40 full-subject universities, is restructuring. At the Annual Conference in Istanbul this week, the members of the General Assembly have resolved a fundamental restructuring of the network along with new thematic alignment of its working groups. Göttingen University was represented at the Assembly by a five-member delegation.

"We want to have the Coimbra Group better posed for the future challenges of globalisation and internationalisation it will be facing," explains Prof Hiltraud Casper-Hehne, Vice-President of International Affairs at Göttingen University and Executive Board member of the Coimbra Group. "This shall equally benefit Göttingen University as a member, be it through an increased number of joint international research projects or study programmes, or through more options for offering international academic experiences to students and doctoral candidates as part of their career development."

At the Annual Conference, themed "Networking in Higher Education", the previous structure of various working groups was evaluated. The previously numbered eight working groups will be thematically re-aligned and tasked with clear substantive objectives and work plans. In future, an evaluation should take place every three years. Moreover, the traditional collaboration between the Coimbra universities in teaching will be promoted with further collaborative projects in research. This, for example, would allow the universities to submit more joint EU applications in the future. The new working groups resolved at the Annual Conference will be dealing with the thematic areas of teaching innovation, doctoral candidate training, the life sciences, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), the social sciences and humanities, directors of research departments, job placeability, Latin America and mobility.

"In the coming weeks, Göttingen University will nominate members for the new working groups and thereby actively help restructure the Coimbra Group," explains Prof. Casper-Hehne. Further information on the Coimbra Group can be found online at www.coimbra-group.eu. The host University of Istanbul is a partner to Göttingen University. Turkish students are the second largest group of international students in Göttingen.

Contact address:
Prof. Hiltraud Casper-Hehne
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Vice-President of International Affairs
Wilhelmsplatz 1, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
Phone +49 (0)551 39-13110
E-mail: hiltraud.casper-hehne@zvw.uni-goettingen.de
Website: www.uni-goettingen.de/de/vizepr%C3%A4sidentin-prof-dr-hiltraud-casper-hehne-/110984.html