Since July 2022 Offenburg University is allowed to offer a new path to pursue a doctoral degree. In the state of Baden-Württemberg, a university association formed as a public corporation, to which all state Universities of Applied Sciences (HAW) - a total of 24 universities – belong, has been granted the right to award doctorates. Therefore, in this case, it will not be the individual university but the doctoral association that will award doctoral degrees. Professors from Baden-Württemberg's Universities of Applied Sciences, who are particularly strong and active in research,  can be members of this doctoral association. The association will ensure scientific exchange across university boundaries. The same quality requirements apply to doctoral studies in the HAW association as to doctoral studies at a traditional comprehensive university.

Since 2010, Baden-Württemberg has offered the opportunity for young scientists at HAWs to earn a doctorate within the framework of cooperative doctoral programs. Many alumni of the Graduate School of Offenburg University have already successuflly pursued their doctorate within this framework. The new path is a recognition of the research performance of the Universities of Applied Sciences.

For years, the Offenburg University has been one of the strongest research universities in the state. "The right to award doctorates in quality-assured areas increases even more our attractiveness for young scientists," says Rector Prof. Dr. Stephan Trahasch. It also strengthens the innovative capacity of companies, since joint research projects between HAWs and companies anchor scientific approaches in practical fields and develop innovations. "For answers to the important challenges of our time, such as climate change, the energy transition or digitalization, we need the close cooperation between science and industry and the innovative, practice-oriented research of HAWs," explains Trahasch.

In November the Senior Service initiative was awarded by the Federal Foreign Office for the xcellent support for international students.

Katja Keul, Minister of State explained: "German universities have extensively expanded their internationalization in recent years. I very much welcome the fact that, in doing so, they have shown great commitment to providing the best possible support for international students. The initiative of the Offenburg University has been an excellent example of this for 20 years. What's more, the initiative's intergenerational approach has also had a major impact on the entire region. It is therefore a great pleasure for me that such an extraordinary commitment is honored with the award of the Federal Foreign Office.”

Martina Köllner, Head of the Department of Families, Schools and Social Affairs of the City of Offenburg, additionally underlines, "The Senior Service makes an important contribution to the integration of international students in Offenburg and thus contributes to the colorful diversity in the city."

As part of its foreign cultural and education policy, the Federal Foreign Office is committed to the internationalization of Germany as a location for science and higher education. With its award for excellent support for international students, the Federal Foreign Office aims to honor effective and innovative support models and thus contribute to improving the welcoming culture at German universities.

A green transformation of the economy was the topic of this years global symposium of the Institute for Trade and Innovation (IfTI) of Offenburg University. Will the Ukraine war derail the green energy transition? How can governments and the financial system work together to expand, deepen and accelerate the global energy transition to net-zero emissions? What innovation, trade, and investment opportunities exist for green growth? How can private and government financing be realigned and unified to best support countries and trading partners in meeting their climate goals in times of crisis? These and other questions engaged some 140 participants from more than 25 countries at the IfTI Symposium in May this year.

"An ecological, innovative and crisis-resistant economy is the challenge of our time. Governments, companies and civil society must work together to master this immense task," explained Prof. Dr. Andreas Klasen, scientific director of IfTI and Visiting Scholar at the University of Oxford.

Therefore, more than 50 experts from politics, business and academia presented approaches that combine innovation, trade and environmental policy and can serve as instruments for "saving the world". "Innovative strategies for net-zero emissions, rapid and joint action by the public and private sectors, also at the international level - these are the central results of the discussions at the IfTI Global Symposium 2022," said Andreas Klasen at the end, pleased with the great success of the symposium.

Offenburg University and the Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences (HKA) have been awarded by the federal-state initiative "Innovative Hochschule" for their joint collaborative project "Sustainable Mobility in the Upper Rhine Region - move.mORe".

The five-year project with a total volume of 14.8 million euros pursues the goal of developing solutions for the sustainable mobility of people and goods and for the energy turnaround in the Upper Rhine region - especially in rural areas - and implementing them on a region-specific basis via a research-based knowledge and technology transfer.

With the awareness that a mobility and energy turnaround is only possible as a "participatory action" of civil society, business, the public sector and science, the participation of the stakeholders and the social dialogue are to be the main focus of the implementation.

In May, the team from Offenburg University beat Apollo3D (China) 2-1 in the final of the 3D simulation league of the robot soccer tournament. It was a very exciting match and only shortly before the end they finally scored the redeeming winning goal to make it 2-1. Th third place went to the home team FC Portugal.

At Robotica, two international teams, each with eleven simulated robots, compete against each other in soccer in a 3D simulation league. The robots have to make all decisions themselves, so they are playing autonomously. Most of the important skills, such as running or kicking, they learn independently with the help of artificial intelligence. The methods used are the same as those used for autonomous driving or optimizing factory processes.

Recordings of the final match is available on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch

Offenburg University has been the winner of the "German University Building Award 2022", which is awarded by the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Construction.

The award, endowed with 15,000 €, has been given to it for the building of the Regional Innovation Center for Energy Technology (RIZ), which was desiged by the the architects Birk Heilmeyer and Frenzel.

If you would like to know more about the new university building RIZ and the reasons for it having received this award, then have a look at the following German language video: www.youtube.com/watch

In June 2022 we celebrated the 20^th anniversary of the Senior Service together. "For 20 years, the Senior Service has been making a considerable contribution to helping international students find their way around and feel at home in Offenburg," explained the Rector of Offenburg University, Prof. Dr. Stephan Trahasch, when welcoming the guests.

Lydia Schindler, staff member of the Graduate School, then led through the festive program. Members, who have been engaged in the Senior Service for more than 15 years, were specially honored (see those members on the picture).

After a tour of the university the members of the Senior Service met with alumni of the Graduate School for a cozy get-together in the foyer and courtyard of the B-Building of Offenburg University, to which the Senior Service had invited. Numerous memories were refreshed and culinary delights, delivered from the Graduate School alumni Sara Pareles Gruber and Daniel Contreras Morin, were enjoyed. It was a great occation to meet friends again and to reminisce about wonderful hours spent together.

The anniversary finally came to an end the next day with a joint visit to the International Festival of the City of Offenburg.  

After the cancelation of the International Evening of Offenburg University in 2020 and the online version in 2021, both due to the corona-pandemic, the event this year finally took place in presence again. This years International Evening was the 30^th edition of this event.

Seven countries were presented in words, pictures, songs and even dances by international students of Offenburg University. Amir, an exchange student from Malaysia, kicked off the program. He was followed by Aqdas from Pakistan and Philip from Ghana. Pritish, Poojitha, Yunus and Akash from India delighted the audience with a traditional love song in Hindi and a Bollywood song. Julia, Olga, Jakub and Michal from the partner university in Olsztyn presented their home country Poland. Afterwards Ryosuke gave insights into student life in Japan and highlighted the differences, but also similarities. The penultimate stop on the trip was Iran, where student Mahdieh captured impressions of the various regions of her home country in a video. At the end, the audience was able to witness Bollywood at its best: Indian students showed a firework of different dances.

Afterwards, an international buffet awaited the actors and guests in the foyer of the B-building: International students had prepared samples of typical dishes from their home countries. During the meal, guests and international students got into conversation and ended the evening together in a cozy atmosphere.

For the first time in three years, the International Center of Offenburg University was able to celebrate its traditional Christmas Get-Together with members of the Senior Service and international students of Offenburg University in the atmospheric baroque hall of the Gengenbach campus again.

It was a wonderful cozy gathering with Christmas cookies, cakes, music and Christmas carols sung together. And, as custom would have it, St. Nicholas came to visit and gave each international students a chocolate Santa Claus. As in times before the Corona-Pandemic, the event ended with a visit of the famous Gengenbach Christmas Market with arguably the world’s biggest advent calendar.