The University of Groningen (UG) and the University of Oldenburg (UOL) have nurtured a close cooperation in research and education since 1980. Building on that foundation, the Roadmap for Cooperation 2020-2030 outlines a strategy to consolidate, strengthen and further develop existing relations during the next decade.

The Roadmap is a living document following the evolution of the cooperation. It is intended as a strategy tool for the boards of the universities as well as the faculties/schools to track and continue shaping the cooperation on its different levels. The boards of both universities will provide incentives to support the goals identified in the Roadmap. They will do so, among other ways, by supporting the organisation of summer schools, exchanges as well as joint programmes and degrees, primarily joint PhD degrees.

As the central institutions of higher education in the Northwest, an area spanning the Dutch provinces of Groningen, Friesland, and Drenthe as well as the northwestern part of the German state of Lower Saxony, the partners intend to join forces in order to broaden both their respective as well as their joint impact in the region. In undertaking this agenda, they aim to enhance various regional partnerships not only between the universities, but also with universities of applied sciences, centres for vocational education, municipalities, regional governments and industry.

In the coming ten years, collaboration in research, education, and societal impact will be focused on, but not limited to, the following areas:

1. Healthy Ageing for a Healthy Society
2. German and Dutch Language, Linguistics, and History
3. Energy Transition and Climate Adaptation
4. Governance, Law and Politics for a Sustainable Society
5. Digital Society and Technologies
6. Teacher Training
7. Knowledge Transfer, Entrepreneurship and Public Engagement

In line with national and European ambitions, the partners will enable students and graduates to pursue flexible career paths within and outside of academia. Researchers and staff from UOL and UG have been cooperating closely in several research areas over the last decades. The aim for the following years is to intensify existing cooperation projects, stimulate smaller initiatives, and identify new possibilities for exchanges of researchers, students and staff. Both universities have incorporated fostering regional developments into their overall strategic outlook.