The University of Oldenburg is involved in three of the eight new doctoral degree programmes funded as part of the Lower Saxony Doctoral Programme. This is a very good success and a nice Christmas present for the University, explained Oldenburg's Vice President for Research, Prof Dr Reto Weiler. The University of Oldenburg is showing more and more clearly that it is making great strides forward in research. "This has taken many years of intensive endeavour. Now we are also reaping the rewards of this strategy in the promotion of young researchers," said Weiler.

The "Integrative Neurosensory Sciences" doctoral degree programme on brain research, which was conceived together with the University of Göttingen, will receive annual funding of 300,000 euros for 15 scholarships. The degree programme on hearing ("Function and Pathophysiology of the Auditory System"), which the University of Oldenburg runs together with the Hannover Medical School, will also receive the same amount of funding.

A humanities doctoral degree programme in music research is run jointly by the Hanover University of Music and the Universities of Göttingen, Oldenburg and Osnabrück. It is entitled "Memory - Perception - Meaning: Musicology as a Humanities Programme" and will be able to award eight scholarships per year.

Funding for the doctoral degree programmes is limited to four years in the first phase. The total volume for the eight programmes approved throughout Lower Saxony amounts to just under two million euros per year. A total of 32 proposals were submitted, all of which were reviewed by the Scientific Commission of Lower Saxony.

"Strengthening structured doctoral training is an essential prerequisite for the training of excellent young scientists. The doctoral programme will have a noticeable effect and further increase the attractiveness of Lower Saxony as a university location," emphasised Lower Saxony's Minister for Science and Culture, Lutz Stratmann.

Contact: Prof. Dr Reto Weiler, University of Oldenburg Tel.: 0441/798-5456
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