The programme covers three core areas:

• Management skills/business strategies
• Career planning and entering the job market
• Interdisciplinary skills relevant in professional contexts

The next round of the programme will begin on Friday, 6 November 2026. In addition to two groups taught in German, there will be one working group taught in English. The individual programme components of each working group are coordinated and systematically build on one another. Doctoral candidates and postdocs at ����ԭ�� in the first two years of the postdoctoral phase are eligible to apply. Places are limited to 36 participants. 

Application deadline: Saturday, 15 August 2026. The registration fee is 120 euros and can be paid in two instalments. 

Additional information on the programme, the content and the application process can be found on the website of the Graduate Academy at .

If you have any questions or if you require assistance, please contact Dr. Tanja Michler-Cieluch at the Graduate Academy (tel. 0511 762 3920, email ).

Through this exchange, ����ԭ�� is building on existing linkages: a partnership with Mykolaiv in the area of public law, and especially European law, is already in place. The current discussions have laid the foundation for expanding this cooperation and initiating new joint projects in research, teaching and transfer.

The background to the visit was an invitation from the state of Lower Saxony and the Hannover Chamber of Industry and Commerce. This invitation focused on research and development as part of the solidarity partnership between Lower Saxony and the district of Mykolaiv, Ukraine. In addition to ����ԭ��, the Ukrainian delegation also visited other universities in Lower Saxony. Meetings with representatives from Lower Saxony’s state government, including Falko Mohrs, the minister of culture and science, were also part of the programme.

Highlights of the programme include:

• the 'Networks in Action' series, in which participants learn how to build transdisciplinary networks and engage relevant stakeholders;
• Keynote speech by Prof. Jutta Papenbrock (Institute of Botany, ����ԭ��): "Sustain Cost Action: Building an Interdisciplinary Network and Engaging Interest Groups and Stakeholders";
• contributions from international guests exploring how civil society organisations actively support STEM and sustainability topics – lectures include 'Technology Has No Gender' and 'Male Allies', presented by Petra Kotuliaková (CEO of the Slovak NGO AjTyvIT) and Sarah Krische (Equal Opportunities Office);
• a workshop by the Equal Opportunities Office on 'The Attractiveness of STEM for Marginalised Groups' (Sarah Peters), complemented by insights into networks such as FemMatrix (Prof. Cornelia Lee-Thedieck, Institute of Cell Biology and Biophysics) and the Sustain COST Action.

Developed in close collaboration with colleagues from ����ԭ�� and partners from the EULiST network, the programme covers a wide range of topics, including transdisciplinary networks, entrepreneurial insights from start-ups and NGOs and specific questions regarding equal opportunities in STEM subjects.

The festival hosted by Ricarda Mletzko (Organisational and Human Resources Development) will be conducted in English.

The event will be photographed. If you do not wish to be photographed, please inform a member of the EULiST team on site or send an email to: eulist@zuv.uni-hannover.de

Please register by 15 June 2026 via this website: www.uni-hannover.de/en/eulist-festival-registration

New Leadership at All Levels

• Several personnel decisions gave the GA particular significance: The Governing Board elected Prof. Dr. Måns Svensson, President of the University of Jönköping, as its new Chairperson; Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jens Schneider, Rector of TU Wien, will serve alongside him as Deputy Chair for the 2026–2028 term.
• In the Management Board, Prof. Dr. Maria Benedetta Mattei from the  (UNIVAQ) and Dr. Olivier Epinette (IMT) will jointly take on the Co-Chair role.
• The Student Board has also been reconstituted: Adam Gašparovič (Slovak University of Technology Bratislava), Beatrice Ion (LUT University), and Cristiana Maria Muresanu (Universidad Rey Juan Carlos) will lead it together going forward.

A further highlight was the signing of a cooperation agreement with the University of Stuttgart. As a new partner, Stuttgart strengthens the alliance's joint research and innovation ecosystem.

Substantive Programme

The working programme covered a broad range of topics, including a review of the EU project and an assessment of key objectives. Discussions on trust and organizational culture were also on the agenda, alongside the strategic direction for the years ahead. New initiatives were presented, and member universities shared concrete results from their collaborative work — an impressive demonstration of what the alliance achieves in practice.

What set this year's GA apart was the deliberate involvement of all levels of the university community. Students, staff, and leadership worked in parallel working groups — each from their own perspective, but with a shared goal. This format reflects how EULiST sees itself: as an alliance in which all parts of the university community have a voice.

Alongside the intensive working programme, there was also space for personal connections. Glimpses into Finnish culture and shared evenings in a relaxed atmosphere helped turn collegial collaboration into genuine cohesion — an important factor for a well-functioning alliance.

About EULiST

EULiST (European University Linking Society and Technology) is a European university alliance bringing together universities from several EU countries in the areas of teaching, research, and innovation. The annual General Assembly is the central format for governance, exchange, and the further development of the alliance.

Further information is available in the official .

Why is ����ԭ�� applying for the University of Excellence title?

The University of Excellence title involves more than just substantial funding. The title also involves advantages for students: early integration in cutting-edge research, outstanding labs and libraries, innovative teaching and international networks. Members of staff would benefit from a distinguished network, better laboratory, library and IT resources; modern management structures; and, thanks to long-term funding, increased stability and planning certainty. Moreover, Universities of Excellence strengthen the communities they are located in: they attract top-notch researchers and investment, support knowledge and technology transfer, and encourage companies and start-ups to locate there. This stimulates the economy, creates jobs and increases international visibility.

What is ����ԭ��’s concept all about?

����ԭ�� is applying with a proposal titled “Excellence. Impact. Change! United in the Spirit of Leibniz”. Our vision is to combine scientific excellence and societal relevance. The concept focuses on the Leibniz Future Unit with six Future Labs. The intention is to create a new strategic structure in which research, transfer and teaching are more aligned with common future issues. At the same time, the Leibniz Future Unit represents a structural evolution of the university: moving away from largely isolated disciplinary approaches towards a more open, theme- and project-oriented collaboration. The Future Labs are intended to consolidate expertise, set strategic priorities and provide new impetus for research that positively impacts society.

What happens during and after the on-site review?

Following the written proposal, which ����ԭ�� submitted on time in November 2025, the on-site review is the next decisive step on the path to becoming a University of Excellence. A panel of renowned international experts will conduct an on-site assessment of the university’s research and infrastructure. In addition to attending presentations from the various disciplines and departments, the reviewers will speak with various status groups at ����ԭ��. The experts will then assess whether the measures and goals outlined in the proposal can be applied and implemented in practice. The Excellence Commission will announce the final decision on 2 October 2026.

Additional information about ����ԭ��’s University of Excellence application: www.uni-hannover.de/exu

As part of the Centre for Higher Education (CHE) ranking, students evaluate conditions in their faculty. The evaluation also includes other parameters related to teaching and research, such as the amount of funding acquired and the faculty’s equipment. Every year, a set of subjects is re-evaluated. For 2026, these subjects were Law, Economics and Management, and Social Work, the latter of which is not offered by ����ԭ��.

The subject area Economics and Management has placed among the ranking’s top subjects in several categories. The student evaluations rated the organisation of study programmes, support for stays abroad and the library resources and equipment as “very good”. In terms of the details of the study programme, the support provided for first-semester students received a particularly good rating. This was also the case for the subject area Engineering and Business Administration. Additionally, Economics and Management performed outstandingly in the research-related category “doctorates per professor”.

The fact check for Law shows that both support for first-semester students and exam preparation are better than average at ����ԭ��. Like Economics and Management, the area of Law demonstrates research strength and is in the top-performing group in terms of doctorates per professor. The Faculty of Law’s library resources and equipment received particularly strong praise in the student evaluations.

The CHE university ranking evaluates more than 300 universities and universities of applied sciences in German-speaking countries. Drawing on the responses of roughly 120,000 students, it is the most comprehensive and detailed comparison of universities in these countries. 

This is a major disturbance for the neighbours, the quality of the park has deteriorated for all users, and the property, which is part of the Herrenhausen Gardens, has experienced significant damage. This is why ����ԭ��, whose property the Welfengarten is part of, decided to implement a permanent, year-round restriction on the use of the park from 10 pm to 6 am. Loud music is also prohibited at all times. Both regulations are posted on permanent signs and are monitored. Where necessary, they are enforced by the police.

Once again, the university management asks visitors not to leave their garbage in the park. A total of 35 garbage bins, a station for collecting beer-bottle caps, and a container for barbecue briquettes at the Callinstraße exit are available.

Research@Leibniz University is based on data from the research information system (FIS). Researchers create their own individual profiles in the FIS backend; enter publications, projects and other academic activities; and allow these to be posted on the portal. In this way, ����ԭ�� pools selected information on researchers, projects and publications at different organisational levels. The linking of this information allows for a comprehensive overview of the research at ����ԭ��, as well as the internal and external research collaborations. It therefore also serves to showcase the research and support networking with external partners. 

Information for ����ԭ�� researchers on how to use basic FIS features is available here:

The FIS help desk is available to answer questions via email: support@fis.uni-hannover.de

The search for dark matter is one of the major unsolved questions in physics. Around the world, researchers are hunting for evidence of new particles with ever more precise and elaborate experiments. Yet despite intensive efforts, not a single particle has been detected so far. In the podcast, Piet Schmidt and Elina Fuchs explain why ultra-precise measurements with optical atomic clocks open up new possibilities.

Within the QuantumFrontiers Cluster of Excellence, researchers are conducting measurements with unprecedented precision to advance basic research and develop new applications in geodesy and quantum technology. They are developing the next generation of atom interferometers, optical clocks and gravitational-wave detectors. Alongside ����ԭ��, the cluster includes TU Braunschweig, the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt and other partners. 

“Exzellent erklärt – Spitzenforschung für alle” is the joint science podcast of the German Clusters of Excellence within the Excellence Strategy of the Federal and State Governments. Each episode focuses on one cluster: researchers speak with podcaster Larissa Vassilian in accessible terms about their topics, methods and findings – and the societal questions they aim to address.

The new episode is available on “” and most major podcast platforms.

World Quantum Day is an international day of action held annually on 14 April. Its aim is to engage the public with quantum science and technologies and to highlight their potential for society and the economy. The date, 14/4, symbolically refers to the Planck constant – a fundamental quantity in quantum physics.

The successful start-ups:

LIGARO – Gluing without petroleum and pollutants

Whether in wood construction, furniture or packaging, adhesives are essential – and so far almost always petroleum-based and problematic from a health perspective. The start-up LIGARO is developing non-toxic, fossil-free adhesives for the wood industry, which it aims to provide as an alternative to conventional adhesives. The idea came from the company’s founder, Florentine Adam. She began working with wood early on in life and built her own wooden surfboards. It often bothered her that she needed to use toxic adhesives to glue highly stress-resistant or waterproof bonds. Because no sustainable alternatives were available, she decided to develop one herself. LIGARO is currently in the start-up phase and is being funded by another scholarship, the prestigious EXIST start-up scholarship. The development of the formula for the adhesive is complete, two patents have been submitted and the team’s own lab is under construction.

Phonomatics – Understanding speech before problems arise

Speech development has early impacts on educational opportunity. But speech difficulties often go unrecognised until children are already under pressure – because diagnosis is time intensive or does not occur in everyday settings. This is where Phonomatics takes up its work, linking artificial intelligence and language support for children. The start-up, which has also received a prestigious EXIST research transfer funding award, is developing an AI-supported software that can analyse normal everyday communication – for example, in a daycare setting, in language therapy or as part of paediatric exams. The system provides data-based assessments of speech development status, improvements and potential support needs. This gives professionals well-founded information at an early stage, enabling them to provide children with targeted assistance. Dr.-Ing. Hanna Ehlert and the Phonomatics team have expertise in the areas of speech therapy, computer science, artificial intelligence and business administration. Following the current development and pilot phase, which involves projects with large daycare providers, the commercial launch is expected to take place in early 2027. 

Two other successful projects with ����ԭ�� involvement that have received support from starting business are AddiSol – Building with Sunlight and Ocean of Fits – Fashion on Rotation Instead of in the Wardrobe. AddiSol is developing the world’s first climate-neutral, mineral-based and waterproof building brick, which is produced exclusively from desert sand and concentrated sunlight. Both are available in abundance. But what has been unavailable to date is a technology that enables them to be utilised for sustainable construction. Founders Florian Fiedler and Jens Arend aim to set new standards for resource-conserving construction and to systematically use natural raw materials.

Ocean of Fits is saying goodbye to classic fashion purchases. The start-up offers a rental service that enables the flexible use of fashion items. Customers put their outfits together and trade them in on a regular basis. Every three months, new boxes of clothing are made available, the contents of which can be returned, traded or purchased –resulting in a kind of “never-ending wardrobe”. Founders Luca Werner and Robin Hellmut developed the rental model.