The Wuppertal Institute is a leader in sustainability and transformation research in Germany and provides application-oriented advice to politics, business, and society on a regional, national, and international level. The University of Bremen is a research-intensive university in which different fields work closely together on issues of sustainability, climate, and environmental research. The institutions have numerous longstanding work connections and shared expertise, and would like to strategically pursue and intensify their existing scientific collaboration. The collaboration agreement lays the foundation for doing so. The agreement’s signatories are Prof. Dr. Jutta Günther, President of the University of Bremen and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Manfred Fischedick, President and Scientific Managing Director of the Wuppertal Institute.

The transformation of energy and industrial systems with the goal of net zero emissions, as well as the relationship between climate change and health are among the main topics of the collaboration. The Bremen Research Center for Energy Systems (BEST) has been working with the Wuppertal Institute for several years in these areas. In addition to research, the teaching and academic qualification of doctoral and postdoctoral researchers will also play a central role. Joint courses and joint supervision of master’s and doctoral theses are planned as well.

“We are very excited to now formally confirm our previous successful collaboration with the University of Bremen through a collaboration agreement,” Manfred Fischedick emphasizes, and adds, “The complementary strengths of both institutions – the application-oriented research of the Wuppertal Institute and the academic excellence of the University of Bremen – provide an ideal basis for developing innovative solutions for the major transformation tasks of our time. Our concerted efforts will help to provide concrete contributions to implementing these in a world characterized by uncertainty, fluctuation, and complexity.”

Jutta Günther underlines the importance of the contract for the University of Bremen, “The Wuppertal Institute is one of the top locations in Germany when it comes to sustainability research. The newly solidified collaboration combines the applied, policy-advising research expertise of the Wuppertal Institute with our foundational and outreach-oriented research as well as our teaching and academic qualification. The latter is a particularly important task with great societal importance given the high demand for technical experts in energy and ecological transformation fields. This collaboration also emphasizes the goals of our university-wide sustainability strategy – research and teaching for sustainable development.”

The newly signed collaboration agreement is intended to create the framework for future-oriented research projects and innovative teaching beyond the existing collaborations. One specific example of research that is already underway is the joint project Hydrogen for Bremen’s Industrial Transformation – hyBit for short. This focuses on industrial decarbonization, particularly within the energy-intensive steel production. The hyBit project consortium is supported by 19 academic and industrial partners, including the Wuppertal Institute and the University of Bremen with BEST. Incorporating examples of policy-related aspects and policy consulting practice into the courses has already greatly enriched the teaching; project-related teaching by colleagues from the Wuppertal Institute using specific practical examples is also planned.

Further Information:

Project hyBit: https://wupperinst.org/en/p/wi/p/s/pd/2093
hyBit website: https://hybit.org/en/
University of Bremen website: /en/
University of Bremen’s Sustainability Strategy: /en/sustainability
Website of the Wuppertal Institute: https://wupperinst.org/en/index/

Contact:

Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie gGmbH 
VisdP: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Manfred Fischedick, President and Scientific Managing Director
Press contact: Luisa Lucas, Deputy Press Officer
Tel: +49 202 2492-292
Email: luisa.lucasprotect me ?!wupperinstprotect me ?!.org

University of Bremen
Contact: Administrative Unit for University Communication and Marketing - KOMMA
Tel: +49 421 218-60150
Email: presseprotect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de