Dr. Marie-Léa Rousseau, Attachée for Science and Technology at the French Embassy in Berlin, visited Paderborn University on 23 and 24 October. Among other things, she gained an insight into the activities of the COLOURS university alliance. For her part, Dr. Rousseau presented the Weimar Excellence Programme, which made the visit possible, and provided information on further funding opportunities.
The Weimar Excellence Programme supports networking between the members and associated partners of a joint European University Alliance. In particular, this promotes scientific exchange between the research institutions in the long term. COLOURS brings together nine universities in Germany, France, Italy, Croatia, Latvia, North Macedonia, Poland, Sweden and Spain. Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University in Ukraine is an associate member. Paderborn University is responsible for the central coordination of all Alliance activities.
The scientific attachée also met with University President Prof. Dr. Matthias Bauer, Prof. Dr. Heike Trautmann, Vice-President for International Relations, and other Paderborn University researchers who are working on joint projects with French partner institutions. "International cooperation is an important pillar of our research strategy. Dr. Rousseau's visit provided us with a valuable opportunity to deepen existing partnerships and forge new connections," emphasised Prof. Trautmann. In addition, Prof. Dr. Thomas Tr?ster, Vice-President for Research and Academic Careers, presented the "New Mobility Paderborn" (NeMo) initiative. He focused in particular on the NeMo.bil lighthouse project, in which the participants are developing and prototyping a mobility system for the needs-based transport of people and goods in rural areas.
Dr. Rousseau was impressed at the end of the visit: "I would like to thank Paderborn University for its hospitality and the open, inspiring discussions I was able to have. It is fascinating to see the commitment with which international collaborations are lived and developed here. I therefore look forward to continuing to support this collaboration in the future."
This text was translated automatically.
