Ministry for Science and Culture of Lower Saxony

The Niedersächsische Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur (Ministry for Science and Culture of Lower Saxony) is responsible for all universities, universities of applied sciences, vocational academies, the arts and culture, and for many of the research institutes in Niedersachsen.

The most extensive area of work engaged in by the Ministry are the fields of universities and other institutes of higher education, as well as of science.

For the nationally unique financial support of research and academic teaching provided by the "Niedersächsisches Vorab" initiative of the Volkswagen Foundation (VolkswagenStiftung), around 58 million Euros have been earmarked for the year 2008.

The universities and universities of applied sciences in Niedersachsen play a key role in the task of developing innovations and intensifying knowledge transfer into industry.

In order to guarantee the productive linking of science and industry, the Minister for Science and Culture, Lutz Stratmann, implements a policy which promotes the economic position of the universities in every respect.

One major task is to foster cooperation between universities and research institutions. This policy includes the thematic of translational research. For that reason the ministry supports the “Translationsallianz Niedersachsen (TrAin), a new alliance in the field of pharmaceutical development.

To the ministry's website