The heads of the city and university drew a positive interim balance at the annual meeting. The co-operation will focus on the start of construction of the medical campus in 2026 and the promotion of new medical start-ups.
On Tuesday, University President Prof Dr Ralph Bruder and Lord Mayor Jürgen Krogmann met with the heads of the city administration and members of the university management for the thirteenth annual meeting between the University and the City of Oldenburg. At the joint meeting, the university and city leaders gave a positive interim assessment. This year's work programme focuses on the fields of medicine and innovation: construction of the medical campus is scheduled to begin in the summer. The programme will also focus on promoting start-ups in the medical sector. The two partners are also continuing projects that have already begun and are planning new projects in the areas of climate neutrality and start-up culture, for example.
"In 2025, we have continued and deepened our exchange of expertise in all five core areas of our co-operation and beyond," emphasised University President Bruder. "With projects such as 'Age Friendly Cities', in which our researchers collect data on how age-friendly Oldenburg is, or the Lower Saxony-wide energy network project TEN.efzn, the university is increasingly putting its knowledge into practice."
"The collaboration between the city and the university has experienced a noticeable boost in just two years since the strategic cooperation agreement was signed. In 2026, many projects will be stabilised and further developed," says Lord Mayor Jürgen Krogmann. "The outstanding success of the university, which was able to successfully apply for all clusters of excellence last year, also has a very positive impact on the city as a whole, both in terms of construction and the development of skilled labour. This would be further enhanced by a successful proposal as a University of Excellence this year. The city is doing all it can to support the university."
A new project in the area of "climate neutrality" is the "Climate Garden": the transformation of the university's Botanical Garden towards climate neutrality has been underway for some time - the aim is to have green roofs and facades, a heat supply from geothermal energy and electricity from photovoltaic systems. A highlight of the project, in which the city is also involved, is a new exhibition building in the entrance area of the Botanical Garden, which will be completed this year. University and municipal activities relating to climate change and climate adaptation will be presented there.
Construction is due to start on the medical campus
In the area of "Further development of the university", the priority this year is on medicine: construction will soon begin on the new teaching and research buildings for university medicine. In the first construction phase, almost 4,000 square metres of laboratory and office space, including a wet anatomy unit, will be built by mid-2030.
Another major joint project between the city and the university is the development of a medical innovation cluster as part of University Medicine Oldenburg. Under the name "MediTech-Cluster", it is intended to network players from the healthcare industry, science and technology in order to bring together partners who will jointly provide new impetus for the healthcare sector. The 6.3 hectare MediTech site between Klingenbergstraße and Alter Postweg offers ideal conditions for setting up a business. The immediate proximity to the hospital offers companies direct contact with university medicine and thus with potential clinical research partners.
The city and university are currently jointly recruiting a project leader and a project assistant to drive forward the development of the MediTech cluster over the next two years. The aim is to develop an attractive concept for how established companies and start-ups from the healthcare sector and Oldenburg institutions can work together profitably. Establishing partnerships and expanding networks is an important first step. In the long term, a dedicated innovation centre is also to be established on the site.
Among other things, the EU-funded project "Gründung findet Stadt" (Founding finds a city) is ensuring that Oldenburg's successful start-up culture becomes more visible in the city - keyword "Campus Oldenburg". The opening of a "start-up showcase" and a market research laboratory in the Smart House are planned for this year. The city is involved through co-financing and also in terms of content.
Startup Factory commences operations
The "hoi startup factory", which will start operations this year, will provide an additional boost to the start-up culture. The project, led by the universities of Oldenburg and Bremen, was not selected for the hoped-for federal funding last year. However, thanks to financial support from industry, the facility, which is backed by a total of eight universities and aims to promote start-ups from the world of science, will nevertheless be launched. "The Oldenburg start-up network has come much closer together," emphasised Lord Mayor Krogmann. New networking formats have been created and the connection to Bremen and the region has become stronger.
The next meeting of the university and city leaders is planned for the middle of the year.
Background:
The city and university concluded a strategic cooperation agreement on 29 November 2023, which aims to consolidate, strengthen and further develop cooperation in five core areas: Climate neutrality, further development of the university, campus Oldenburg, start-up culture and internationalisation. The co-operation is based, among other things, on historical ties - the council's decision to establish a university dates back to 1959 - a first co-operation agreement from 2002 and annual talks between the heads of the university and the city since 2016.
