University of Münster (Germany)

The university administrations in Münster and Twente have established this funding instrument as start-up financing to intensify existing research collaborations between the universities while tapping the potential for acquisition of third-party funding. These "Collaboration Grants" support excellent research projects which show an outsized potential for shaping and advancing the strategic partnership between the WWU and the UT in the foreseeable future. The grants are valued at 80,000 euros each and are financed in equal part by the University of Münster and the University of Twente for a period of twelve months. They are used to finance workshops, e.g. on the establishment of new consortiums and networking events with industrial partners and corporations. The funds can also be used for procuring new equipment and research instrumentation.

Collaboration Grants 2020

Scalable Verification of Industrial Embedded Control Systems: Prof. Paula Herber [de] (WWU, Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, Embedded Systems group) and Prof. Dr. Marieke Huisman [en] (UT, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science, Formal Methods and Tools group)

Microdroplet-based screening for directed evolution: on-chip DNA transcription-translation and fluorescence activated droplet sorting: Prof. Andrea Rentmeister [de] (WWU, Institute of Biochemistry) and Asst. Prof. Tim Segers [en] (UT, EEMCS/BIOS lab-on-a-chip group, Max Planck Center Twente for Complex Fluid Dynamics, MESA+ Institute)

Fully biodegradable cubosomes: A new class of mesoporous material with tunable degradation rates for agrochemical release: Prof. Dr. André Gröschel [de] (WWU, Institute of Physical Chemistry) and Prof. Dr. Frederik Wurm [en] (UT, Faculty of Science and Technology, Sustainable Polymer Chemistry Group)

Collaboration Grants 2019

Testis-on-a-chip approach to elucidate the impact of environmental plastic pollution on male fertility: Prof. Dr. Stefan Schlatt [de] (WWU, Centre of Reproductive Medicine and Andrology (CeRA)) and Prof. Dr. Séverine Le Gac [en] (UT, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science, Applied Microfluidics for BioEngineering Research)

ENERGIES – Thermal Conduits for Energy Conversion and Management in Batteries: Prof. Dr. Nikos Doltsinis [de] (WWU, Institute of Solid State Theory), Dr. Jimmy Faria [en] (UT, Faculty of Science and Technology), Prof. Dr. Bojana Rosic [en] (UT, Department of Applied Mechanics and Data Analysis) and Dr. Miguel Muñoz Rojo [en] (UT, Department of Thermal and Fluid Engineering)

Smart Soft Coatings: Towards new strategies for sensing and separation: Prof. Dr. Uwe Thiele [de] (WWU, Institute of Theoretical Physics), Prof. Dr. Sissi de Beer [en] (UT, Material Sciences and Polymer Technology group), Prof. Dr. Jacco Snoeijer [en] (UT, Physics of Fluids group)

Students at both universities benefit from the strategic partnership between the WWU and UT in the form of joint degree programmes:

Bachelor

• Joint degree bachelor’s programme Public Governance across Borders
• Double degree bachelor’s programme International Business Administration – Learning Across Borders

Master

• Double degree master’s programme Comparative Public Governance
• Double degree master’s programme Business Information Systems and Data Science

The Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster (WWU), today known by the University of Münster (UM), was established in 1771 by the Archbishop of Cologne and Bishop of Münster Maximilian Friedrich who issued a certificate formalizing the foundation of this state university in Münster. Already in 1780 the university of Münster was inaugurated with four faculties (Medicine, theology, philosophy and law).

Today, UM is one of the largest universities in Germany with over 45,000 students and 5,000 academic staff members spread over 15 faculties. The university is located in Münster, only 75 kilometers from the University of Twente. With their slogan “living.knowledge” UM conveys their role as an urban university without ivory towers, where academia takes place in the midst of everyday life in the city of Münster.

UM has a long history and tradition of academic excellence, which is reflected in the two National Clusters of Excellence "Religion and Politics" and "Mathematics Münster", which was awarded to the university. The Cluster of Excellence "Cells in Motion" received  funding from 2012 to 2019 and is now continued in an interfaculty institution. The University of Münster is also the main coordinator in eight DFG collaborative research centres.