265 million euros for Lower Saxony's universities

The Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture and the Volkswagen Foundation have launched the largest funding initiative in the history of the state of Lower Saxony: under the umbrella of the joint programme zukunft.niedersachsen, universities in the state will receive a total of €265 million, with universities in Hanover among the recipients.

© Thomas Bach für VolkswagenStiftung

All 20 state universities in Lower Saxony participated in the ‘Strategically Unlocking Potential’ initiative. Applications were evaluated by an international panel of experts based on clear criteria such as degree of innovation, economic and scientific leverage of the concepts, promotion of skilled workers and planned collaborations. The aim is to further develop the existing strengths of the universities and to specifically promote forward-looking projects.

Concepts from Hanover's universities

The universities in Hanover receiving funding have presented their respective research concepts and the resulting measures in connection with the initiative.

Hanover University of Applied Sciences and Arts

Hanover University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HsH) has received a funding commitment from the State of Lower Saxony and the Volkswagen Foundation in the amount of 16.25 million euros for its forward-looking application ‘Driver of Future Transformation (DriFT@HsH)’. The Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture, together with the Volkswagen Foundation, had invited universities to participate in the ‘Strategically Unlocking Potential’ (PSE) call for proposals. The HsH proposal aims to create a strategic framework to ensure the future viability of skilled workers, businesses and society in Lower Saxony and beyond for the coming decade. The proposal focuses on the topics of ‘artificial intelligence and sustainability’. Extensive positive effects on the economy, science and society are expected.

"The PSE call for proposals has given universities an excellent opportunity to further develop and implement their strategic ideas. At Hannover University of Applied Sciences and Arts, we see ourselves as a future workshop for transformation processes and are grateful to the state for enabling us to set new priorities in this area. A big thank you goes to our team for making this great application success possible," says Prof. Dr. Josef von Helden, President of HsH. With the funding approval in hand, HsH will now establish the Competence Centre for Artificial Intelligence (CAI) and the Competence Centre for Sustainable Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SUSIE) to build AI knowledge within the university and promote sustainability through creative, entrepreneurial thinking. ‘The university will further develop its potential, in particular through more interdisciplinary cooperation and the exploitation of synergies. This will also strengthen the transfer to the Hanover region, society and the economy,’ emphasises Prof. Dr. Martin Grotjahn, Vice-President for Research and Transfer at HsH.

The project proposal also includes the establishment of three new InnoLabs, which were rated particularly positively by the reviewers and which focus on applied research and transfer to solve global challenges. As physical interfaces between science, society and industry, the laboratories will focus on the topics of ‘artificial intelligence and equal opportunities (cAIreLab)’, ‘sustainable innovations in fashion design and production (useLAB)’ and ‘energy and resource efficiency (EnergyZero Campus)’. DriFT@HsH is rounded off by a comprehensive concept for target group-oriented public relations work.

Leibniz University Hannover

Jubilation at Leibniz University Hannover: it receives substantial funding in the ‘Strategically Unlocking Potential’ programme.

The aim of the ‘Strategically Unlocking Potential’ programme is to make Lower Saxony's universities more competitive nationally and internationally with their respective profiles and goals. The Ministry of Science and Culture (MWK) and the Volkswagen Foundation are supporting Lower Saxony's universities in four categories, depending on the size of the university. In category 1, four universities in Lower Saxony, including Leibniz University Hannover (LUH), were each able to raise up to 25 million euros over five years. LUH is receiving 22.5 million euros, thus almost fully utilising the funding amount.

The LUH concept is entitled ‘LIFT – Global Inspirations for Local Transformation’. ‘LIFT is part of a successful strategy process that we at LUH have undergone in recent years,’ says LUH President Prof. Dr. Volker Epping, emphasising: ‘I hope that the LIFT measures will attract researchers and students from all over the world to LUH.’
With this funding, the MWK and the VW Foundation aim to ‘strengthen the central role of the University of Hannover as a driving force and shaper of science in Lower Saxony and beyond,’ according to the funding announcement. ‘We are convinced that the measures outlined in the application will not only advance scientific development, but also provide positive impetus for society and the economy in our state,’ Science Minister Falko Mohrs and Georg Schütte, Secretary General of the VW Foundation, informed LUH in their letter of approval.

LIFT primarily comprises measures in the three areas of people, networks and impact.

People: outstanding international researchers

One focus of the concept is to attract outstanding international researchers for professorships and short-term stays in order to gain global inspiration for research, teaching and the campus community. With the help of the funding, LUH is creating 40 international part-time professorships and five New Horizons professorships. In addition, three Leibniz scholarship programmes are being set up to visibly advance research in selected areas of potential. In addition to providing impetus for science, the measures are also intended to help double the number of English-language courses offered at LUH and strengthen important strategic partnerships. These include the European university alliance EULiST, in which LUH cooperates with nine European universities.

Another focus of LIFT is on further developing the LUH campus together with regional partners in order to strengthen local networks and achieve the university's goal of CO2 neutrality. The core element of this is the Leibniz Campus Labs. These are intended to bring together research expertise, technological innovation and student engagement, raise their profile and thus promote an open scientific culture. There are also concrete plans for a real-world laboratory for the Ruthe research station near Hanover. Together with various stakeholders inside and outside LUH, the potential for research projects and facilities for generating alternative energies, as well as other usage options, will be discussed, analysed and planned here. The aim is also to create realistic experiments and demonstrators that make research in the field of sustainability tangible for the public. 

Impact: from science to business 

In technology transfer, the focus is on raising awareness of entrepreneurship among students at an early stage and across the board, and showing them ways in which they can start their own businesses with good business ideas and inventions. To this end, a university-wide entrepreneurship programme is planned, which will be aimed at all subject areas. LUH also wants to make it easier to license unpatented intellectual property, such as software. With these measures, LUH aims to maximise the impact of its research on science, business and society through spin-offs and licensing. 

Administrative structures as a basis

As a basis for the successful implementation of the measures, support structures and processes in the administration are being expanded and improved in parallel. These include measures in personnel development, including the onboarding of international scientists, as well as the introduction of digital platforms for internal training and networking or key figure analysis.

Hannover Medical School

From Molecule to Human Health: MHH launches pioneering diagnostic and therapeutic approaches at the molecular and cellular level.

Hannover Medical School (MHH) aims to expand its leading position in the development of active ingredients for individualised medicines in order to achieve lasting success in the age of personalised medicine. To this end, a research team led by former MHH President Prof. Dr. Michael Manns is now receiving €20 million from the zukunft.niedersachsen funding programme. This will be used to create two new virtual centres for pioneering diagnostic and therapeutic approaches at the molecular and cellular level: the Single Cell and Spatial Omics Analysis Centre (SiCSAC) and the Centre for Gene and Cell Therapy (CGaCT).

Since future precision medicine can only flourish on a solid foundation of infrastructure and talent, the MHH aims to consolidate and strengthen key interdisciplinary areas by establishing the two new centres. ‘Our vision is to generate innovation cycles in precision medicine using state-of-the-art molecular and cellular techniques in biomedicine and data science,’ explains Professor Manns. ‘With this funding, we can optimise the process from preclinical development through advanced diagnostic and mechanistic studies to implementation in therapeutic interventions – MHH: From Molecule to Human Health.’

‘In order to continuously develop innovations in precision medicine, we must address potential threats related to the shortage of skilled workers and the competition between patient care and research requirements,’ adds MHH President Prof. Denise Hilfiker-Kleiner, Ph.D. "With funding from the “Strategically Unlocking Potential” initiative, we can achieve a great deal. I warmly congratulate Professor Michael Manns and his team on this success."

‘Strategically Unlocking Potential’ funding initiative 

The Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture (MWK) and the Volkswagen Foundation have launched ‘Strategically Unlocking Potential,’ their largest funding initiative in the history of the state of Lower Saxony: Under the umbrella of the joint programme zukunft.niedersachsen, a total of €265 million will be distributed to Lower Saxony's universities to enable them to strengthen their international position, sharpen their profiles and intensify strategic partnerships.

University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover

The Hanover Veterinary University Foundation (TiHo) impressed with its application for the ‘Strategically Unlocking Potential’ tender. It will receive €14 million from Lower Saxony's ‘zukunft.niedersachsen’ funding programme to advance its strategic orientation. ‘The goal we set out in our application is to develop scientifically sound One Welfare solutions to ensure the health and well-being of animals, humans and ecosystems,’ reports TiHo President Professor Dr Klaus Osterrieder. ‘Our One Welfare approach is based on the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals.’ To this end, TiHo intends to network even more closely with regional, national and international partners from science, business and society. To realise its vision, TiHo is pursuing three strategic goals: 

Building a strong network

The One Welfare approach requires interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary cooperation. TiHo will bundle its research activities in an internal process and expand and establish new partnerships with external actors – from science and government organisations to agriculture, industry partners and NGOs. Existing collaborations are to be further strengthened.

Maximising visibility and effective public relations

TiHo will raise the profile of its excellent achievements in research, teaching and clinical work. ‘This is crucial in order to position ourselves as a leading institution in Lower Saxony, attract large-scale research projects and appeal to talented individuals – from students to top scientists,’ says Vice-President for Research, Professor Michael Pees. The strategy includes internationalisation, outreach programmes and recruitment measures aimed at schools, research and the general public. 

Social relevance and maximum impact

TiHo's success is also reflected in how it translates research findings into clinical solutions and therapeutic products. TiHo will achieve this with its strong networks and drive implementation forward with its partners.

Five fields of action

In order to achieve its goals, TiHo has defined measures in five fields of action:

1. Research profile, networks & collaborations,
2. Transformation of teaching,
3. Infrastructure and governance,
4. Transfer, outreach and entrepreneurship, and
5. Internationalisation.

(Published: 7 February 2025)