TU Braunschweig and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México sign strategic partnership agreement TU delegation visits Mexico

TU Braunschweig has been cooperating with the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) for more than 15 years. During a visit to Mexico by a delegation from TU Braunschweig, an agreement was signed in which the two universities formalise their cooperation as strategic partners.

Strategic partnerships are outstanding partnerships with which TU Braunschweig actively cooperates in all four performance dimensions and in at least three faculties. TU Braunschweig has expanded its network of strategic partnerships in recent years, creating a solid basis for international cooperation at this level.

After a high-ranking delegation from UNAM visited TU Braunschweig at the beginning of February 2023, TU President Angela Ittel travelled to Mexico City in mid-March together with Professor Volker Bach, Head of the Institute of Analysis and Algebra, and Dr. Eika Auschner, TU representative for strategic partnerships. The focus of the visit was the signing of the partnership agreement, which will further intensify the cooperation between the two universities in the coming years.

The partnership between TU Braunschweig and UNAM was established in 2008 and has now been formalised in a strategic agreement. Photo: Benjamín Chaires de Luna/UNAM

TU President Angela Ittel and Leonardo Lomelí Vanegas, Rector of UNAM, signed the strategic partnership agreement. Photo: Benjamín Chaires de Luna/UNAM

The signing took place in the presence of Wolfgang Dold, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Mexico (left). Photo: Benjamín Chaires de Luna/UNAM

The delegation trip also offered the opportunity to discuss future joint projects. Photo: Benjamín Chaires de Luna/UNAM

"Relations with Germany play an important role for our university. The signing of this agreement is therefore a great honour for us. We want to strengthen our close relationship with TU Braunschweig and continue our successful academic cooperation", said Leonardo Lomelí Vanegas, Rector of UNAM. Foto: Benjamín Chaires de Luna/UNAM

The main campus of UNAM was declared a World Heritage Site in 2007. Photo: Eika Auschner

“The long-standing partnership with the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México is of enormous importance for TU Braunschweig due to the many points of contact in research, teaching and transfer activities, as well as in the area of governance and administration, and due to its geographical location. It is a strong partner with whom we will be able to work together on global and geopolitical challenges in the future. Both universities have integrated sustainability as a fundamental strategic theme and there is great interest in developing these activities through regular dialogue. For successful cooperation across two continents, it is crucial that the partnership is given the appropriate importance at the university management level and that there is absolute trust – both sides are convinced of this in this partnership,” said TU President Angela Ittel.

Leonardo Lomelí Vanegas, Rector of UNAM, underlined: “Relations with Germany play an important role for our university. The signing of this agreement is therefore a great honour for us. We want to strengthen our close relationship with TU Braunschweig and continue our successful academic cooperation.

During the signing ceremony, Wolfgang Dold, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Mexico, also gave a short speech in which he emphasised the importance of scientific cooperation between Mexico and Germany: “Scientific exchange between universities across national borders is of great political importance, as countries and societies can develop by learning from each other.”

In addition to the official signing of the strategic partnership, the programme of the delegation’s visit included several meetings in faculties and institutes to expand existing projects and develop future joint projects. “The visits have inspired us to intensify our partnership. Our colleagues at UNAM attach great importance to the social relevance of their work and to the highest quality of support for their students. This fits perfectly with our goals, values and visions,” says Ittel.

Background to the partnership

Since 2008, TU Braunschweig has regularly hosted exchange students and doctoral candidates from UNAM and, in return, has sent masters students and doctoral candidates to Mexico, particularly in the fields of biotechnology and geophysics. There are also joint research projects with institutes from several faculties at the TU Braunschweig: the Department of Mathematics at the Carl Friedrich Gauß Faculty has been collaborating on research in mathematical physics for over ten years. This led to a joint PhD programme in 2023. The Institute of Geophysics and Extraterrestrial Physics of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Information Technology and Physics and the Institute of Geosystems and Bioindication of the Faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences are carrying out geoscientific research projects in Mexico together with UNAM. There is also cooperation in the field of sustainable water management.