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“Think.Try.Transform.”

Podcast Explores What the Excellence Strategy Has Achieved for German Universities

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Portrait photo of Dr. Jan-Martin Wiarda on a light gray background. Dr. Wiarda is wearing a dark suit and smiling at the camera. © Ludwig Niedhammer
The science blogger Dr. Jan-Martin Wiarda is guest on the new episode of the podcast “Think.Try.Transform.”
In the third episode of “Think.Try.Transform.”, the podcast of the Ruhr Innovation Lab, an external observer of the Excellence Competition joins as guest: Dr. Jan-Martin Wiarda has been analyzing Germany’s academic landscape as a journalist and blogger for more than 20 years. In conversation, he discusses what impact the Excellence Strategy has had on universities and research in Germany since its launch in 2006, while also addressing criticism and controversies surrounding it.

Few people have been observing Germany’s academic landscape for as long and as closely as Dr. Jan-Martin Wiarda. He spent eight years as editor in the education department at ZEIT magazine, three years as head of communications at the Helmholtz Association, and since 2015 he has worked as a freelance journalist and blogger covering topics related to education, science, and research. In this new episode of “Think.Try.Transform.”, he shares his insights—explaining, for instance, what the Excellence Strategy has actually achieved for German universities or how reviewers evaluate a university’s proposal. He also reveals which advantages TU Dortmund University and Ruhr University Bochum might be able to leverage in this competition from his point of view.

Listen to the episode

Blog of Jan-Martin Wiarda (German only)

About the Podcast

The podcast “Think. Try. Transform.” showcases major ideas behind the joint application of Ruhr University Bochum and TU Dortmund University as university consortium of excellence and discusses them with those who know best: Rectors, researchers, founders and advisors. Hosted by Sven-Daniel Gettys, each episode covers topics such as clusters of excellence, support for doctoral candidates, and start-up activities. Under the lead of Ruhr University Bochum, new episodes are released monthly—accompanying the application phase until the announcement on October 2. During summer there will be a special episode featuring audience questions addressed to both rectors; submissions can be sent anytime via email to: hochschulkommunikation@ruhr-uni-bochum.de. Most of the episodes are in German.

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