Chair of the University Society, Peter Waskönig, once again emphasised the urgency of establishing a technology centre for Oldenburg. It is absolutely essential that working conditions are created for scientists and university graduates who want to become self-employed, which will enable them to make a successful start as entrepreneurs.

Technology centres have already been set up at many universities with great success. They usually house start-ups by young scientists or graduates, who are granted special conditions, and companies that want to work particularly closely with institutes at the university. In Oldenburg, negotiations about a technology centre have already been underway for two years.

Waskönig advocates a building with a rent of less than 10 marks per square metre per month. It is important to keep the inhibition threshold as low as possible for those "willing to set up a company". "It is in the region's interest to keep young people who are willing to start a business here. A technology centre can provide important services for this," emphasised the President of the University Society, who is optimistic about the realisation of the project.

The Oldenburg University Society sponsored 42 projects in 1996 and 1997. As a rule, these are grants for conferences, excursions and research trips. The grants are between 250 and 2000 marks. As part of the Wolfgang Schulenberg Scholarship Programme, which is also financed by the University Society, 17 students were supported in 1996/97, enabling them to attend congresses and conferences abroad. The grants range from 200 marks for participation in a congress in Mell (Austria) to 1800 marks for participation in a conference in Hong Kong.

The University Society wants to work together with other culturally and economically orientated clubs and associations in the region. This primarily involves the coordination of dates, but also the organisation of joint events. Co-ordination makes sense because it avoids both duplication of content and time overlaps.

The presentation of the Gerhard Wachsmann Prize of the University Society will take place on 13 November after the Annual General Meeting. 10 works by students and academic staff have been submitted to the jury.

With a visit to the Hüppe company (Bad Zwischenahn) on 24 September, the University Society continued its series of events aimed at bringing science and business closer together to promote mutual understanding.

The University Society now has 484 members. According to Chair Peter Waskönig, this is not enough. "Unfortunately, many people still don't realise how important the university is for the region, otherwise we would have more members. The university is our beacon of hope for the region," said Waskönig.