idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
idw - Informationsdienst
Wissenschaft
· Kiel University hosts international leadership meeting to strengthen cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region
· Launch of the Baltic DenkRaum
The Baltic Sea region faces profound challenges — ranging from issues of security, the energy transition, coastal research, and sustainable agriculture to social and technological transformation processes. Against this backdrop, Kiel University hosted the “University Leadership Meeting on Baltic Sea Cooperation” in Kiel on March 25, 2026. The aim of the meeting was to strategically expand international cooperation among universities and, in particular, to provide new impetus for joint research.
“The conference marks an important step toward deepening our existing partnerships, developing new forms of cooperation, and exploring joint scientific perspectives for the region,” emphasizes Professor Eckhard Quandt, Vice President for Research, Scientific Infrastructure, and Transfer at Kiel University. In doing so, he underscores the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and international networking for the strategic development of Kiel University. “Some of our contacts in the Baltic Sea Region have been in place for decades. In the coming years, we would like to specifically deepen these connections in order to jointly gain new scientific insights,” says Quandt.
The Baltic DenkRaum connects researchers
The Leadership Meeting also marks the launch of the Baltic DenkRaum. This collaborative programme is aimed at researchers at all career stages and focuses on future-oriented topics of particular significance to the Baltic Sea Region. “With the Baltic DenkRaum, we are creating a programme to systematically expand our partnerships in the Baltic Sea Region and work together on solutions to the key challenges of our time,” explains Professor Catherine Cleophas, Vice President for Digital Transformation, Equality, and Diversity at Kiel University.
An international advisory board, together with partners from the region, will decide on the future selection of research topics. At the kick-off meeting, both programme and the first Baltic DenkRaum project, “Soil and Plant Health in the Anthropocene,” were presented.
The Baltic DenkRaum builds on the inter- and transdisciplinary DenkRaum format, which has been well established at Kiel University for years. The further development as the Baltic DenkRaum is a central component of Kiel University‘s Excellence Strategy.
The Baltic Sea Region as a living lab
With its strategy “Connecting Horizons – from the Baltic Perspective to Global Impact,” Kiel University aims to utilize the Baltic Sea Region as a living laboratory in collaboration with partner institutions. The goal is to gain insights that are both regionally rooted and globally relevant.
Furthermore, Kiel University‘s vision within the Excellence Strategy includes the targeted promotion of scientific talent, greater student involvement in curriculum development, and the expansion of a structurally embedded knowledge transfer to society—particularly through a planned Schlossgarten Campus in Kiel. Non-academic staff are also to be more actively involved in exchange programs and receive targeted further training.
Impressions: https://www.uni-kiel.de/en/details/news/050-university-leadership-meeting
University Leadership Meeting on Baltic Sea Cooperation
Source: Gunnar Dethlefsen
Copyright: Gunnar Dethlefsen, Uni Kiel
Criteria of this press release:
Journalists
interdisciplinary
transregional, national
Cooperation agreements, Science policy
English
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