Advancing international research in the field of biotechnology through joint efforts: This is the goal of the new BioTech initiative launched by the Free State of Bavaria and its South African partner province of Western Cape. Together with other Bavarian research institutions, the university is contributing to the project. Neu-Ulm (HNU) is actively involved in this initiative: HNU President Prof. Dr. Uta M. Feser traveled to Stellenbosch, South Africa, earlier this week to sign the cooperation agreement in the presence of Bavaria's Minister-President Dr. Markus Söder. In addition, HNU concluded a bilateral agreement with Stellenbosch University.
The initiative, involving numerous Bavarian and four South African universities and research institutions, aims to strengthen the potential of both regions in the field of biotechnology and enable synergies – including through student exchanges, research collaborations, start-up support, and technology transfer. The activities are coordinated and supported by the Bavarian-Africa Scientific Coordination Office (WKS Bayern-Afrika) of the Bavarian Research Alliance (BayFOR).
Individual agreements strengthen the link between biotechnology and smart production
In addition to the joint Memorandum of Understanding within the framework of the BioTech Initiative, HNU also concluded a further agreement with Stellenbosch University, which, among other things, lays the foundation for cooperation at the interface of biotechnology and smart production: The Technology Transfer Center Smart Production and Logistics (TTZ) in Leipheim and its South African partner are planning interdisciplinary cooperation projects that will enable the development and expansion of expertise in biotech production, smart lab technologies, and industrial bioeconomy on both continents. Closer cooperation with the Faculty of Health Management is also planned.
“HNU has cultivated intensive partnerships on the African continent for two decades. With the new cooperation agreements, we are going a step further to connect knowledge, innovation and social responsibility across continents and to jointly develop solutions for the global challenges of our time,” says HNU President Prof. Dr. Uta M. Feser.
Söder: BioTech initiative promotes future technologies and creates innovation
Bavaria's Minister-President Dr. Markus Söder: "Science and technology hold great promise for the future. We are therefore launching a new chapter in cooperation between Bavaria and the Western Cape in South Africa. Together, our two states embrace the principle of progress through technology. I am convinced that science improves our lives. With the High-Tech Agenda Bavaria, we are investing a total of six billion euros in future technologies and our universities and colleges. This is more than any other German state. The economy also benefits from these scientific partnerships. Only through innovation will we be able to maintain jobs and remain competitive internationally."
Cooperation with African partners has a long tradition at HNU.
HNU has been working closely with African partner universities and German and African companies for 20 years in application-oriented education, transfer and
Research projects are being carried out together. These activities are coordinated within the university's interdisciplinary Africa Institute. In light of global transformation processes and changing geopolitical conditions, these long-term, equitable collaborations are gaining increasing strategic importance. They exemplify a future-oriented form of international cooperation based on sustainability, innovation, and shared development goals.
Photo: Visit to the Western Cape: Minister-President Dr. Markus Söder and Head of the State Chancellery Florian Herrmann with students from Bavaria (HNU)