Scotland Hub of Mainz University and Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance to strengthen their collaboration
20 June 2024
JOINT PRESS RELEASE OF THE RHINELAND-PALATINATE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND HEALTH AND JOHANNES GUTENBERG UNIVERSITY MAINZ
The German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate and Scotland have close ties in the field of science. In March 2021, the relevant ministries of both countries signed a Declaration of Intent to strengthen their collaboration in the fields of education, science, research, and culture. This partnership is thus one of the main focal points of the internationalization strategy of the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Science and Health. Dr. Denis Alt, State Secretary in this Ministry, and a German delegation have recently visited their Scottish partners to further intensify this collaboration. During this visit, the Scotland Hub of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and the Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance (SULSA) signed a Collaboration Agreement to promote strategic cooperation in the fields of life sciences, environmental sciences, and biotechnology.
"Rhineland-Palatinate and Scotland are leaders in the field of biotechnology. However, we are not going to rest on our laurels. On the contrary, we want to continue to achieve further milestones together, wherever possible, and improve the world we live in. The aim of this joint strategic agreement is therefore – building on the 2021 Declaration of Intent between the two governments – to strengthen cooperation in the fields of biosciences, environmental sciences, and biotechnology as well as to facilitate the mobility of researchers," said State Secretary Dr. Denis Alt. The idea is to establish structures that enable all levels of the organizations to work together even more effectively.
"With the UK's exit from the EU and thus from ERASMUS and other EU funding programs, we need new forms of cooperation. Rhineland-Palatinate is already well positioned in this respect thanks to the partnership agreement with Scotland," added Priv.-Doz. Dr. Sigrid Rieuwerts, head of the Scotland Hub at JGU.
The Scotland Hub at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz is the linchpin of Rhineland-Palatinate's relationship with Scotland. As early as 1981, a Scotland focus was established at Mainz University, initially based on interest and exchange in Translation and British Studies. Ove the coming years and decades, this interest grew steadily over to include a range of other disciplines. As a result, the JGU Senate established an Interdisciplinary Scotland Working Group in 2015 to bundle activities relating to Scotland and create synergy effects. This gave rise to what is now the Scotland Hub, which in 2024 also began taking on tasks for other universities in Rhineland-Palatinate. Mainz University alone has official partnerships with seven Scottish universities and further collaboration efforts are planned, especially in the field of teacher training. The collaboration extends across a wide range of research disciplines with the humanities, law and physics being the most active. There is very strong interest in Scottish universities in Rhineland-Palatinate, both among students and researchers.