TU Braunschweig hosts nationwide initiative on STEM higher education

The Stifterverband has selected Technische Universität Braunschweig as the venue for a nationwide participatory initiative aimed at shaping STEM education in higher education. From 26 to 28 March, students will gather here for the Thinkathon. The aim of the initiative is to actively involve students in the further development of STEM degree programmes and to generate new ideas for university teaching. The Project House at TU Braunschweig is working closely with the Stifterverband and is supporting the organisation of the event in Braunschweig.

STEM subjects are increasingly facing major challenges: a changing world of work, falling student numbers, high drop-out rates. How can curricula, practical relevance and learning environments be designed to make studying more attractive? A jury has selected students from across Germany who will be guests in Braunschweig for a Thinkathon from 26 to 28 March. A thinkathon is an intensive event format (similar to a hackathon) in which teams collaboratively develop innovative solutions to complex problems.

Around 50 students, including seven from TU Braunschweig, will spend these three days working in teams, supported by mentoring and methodology workshops, to formulate their ideas for better STEM education at universities and prepare them for a pitch. The best concepts will be presented on 18 June 2026 at the FutureMINT Conference in Berlin to university management, programme directors and representatives from companies, and will subsequently receive further support during implementation.

The fact that the FutureMINT Thinkathon 2026 is being held at TU Braunschweig stems from an initiative by Professor Robert Hänsch, Head of the Institute of Plant Biology:

“For a long time, the further development of STEM degree programmes was discussed primarily from the perspective of lecturers or future employers. With the FutureMINT Thinkathon, the Stifterverband is deliberately placing the students’ perspective at the centre. Their experiences and ideas are crucial if we want to make degree programmes future-proof and more attractive.”

“We are therefore very much looking forward to hosting committed students from all over Germany here at TU Braunschweig and working with them on ideas for the future of higher education. We are also very proud that the Stifterverband recognises us as an innovative institution and positions TU Braunschweig in this format as a key hub for the future of degree programme development,” adds Julius Othmer, Head of the Project House at TU Braunschweig.

The Thinkathon is part of the ‘Zukunftsmission Bildung’ (Future Mission Education) initiative, through which the Stifterverband seeks innovative contributions to the further development of STEM higher education. One component is the MINTchallenge plus, which is specifically aimed at forward-looking degree programmes that set new standards for study and teaching as best practice. In parallel, the FutureMINT Thinkathon brings together students from all over Germany to contribute their perspectives and ideas for the future of STEM degree programmes.