2020/05/14     Dresden, Germany

Prof. Edeltraud Guenther and Prof. Marc Wolfram signing the Cooperation Agreement between UNU-FLORES and IOER

By Ksenia Kuritsyna, Communications and Advocacy

Last April Prof. Edeltraud Guenther (Director, UNU-FLORES) and Prof. Marc Wolfram (Director, Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development, IOER) convened a virtual meeting to sign a renewed Cooperation Agreement and foster continued collaboration.

Joined by Dr Nora Adam (Partnerships and Liaison Officer, UNU-FLORES) and Dr Andreas Otto (Deputy Director, Head of Research Management, IOER), the coordination committee met in a videocall to update the agreement that paved cooperation between the two institutes as early as 2013.

The major focus of future collaboration lies in the fields of sustainability, transformation, risk management, land-use management, urban and regional development, and impacts of climate change and demographic change.

“IOER’s valuable contribution towards sustainable and resilient urban and regional development complements our work in advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” conveyed Prof. Guenther.

The parties agreed on the exchange of scientific and technical information, joint publications and research projects, supervision of PhD students within the framework agreement with TU Dresden, and teaching activities, among others. The agreement also includes the exchange of experts through international activities and joint organisation of and participation in conferences, including the Dresden Nexus Conference and Nexus Seminar Series, and other key events.

“With its particular nexus expertise and network, UNU FLORES forms a strategic partner for our global research and transfer agenda,” said the Director of IOER, Prof. Marc Wolfram, welcoming the updated cooperation agreement.

Strengthened cooperation between UNU-FLORES and IOER contributes to enhancing the visibility of the Dresden region on the national and international scientific arena. Both institutes are part of the DRESDEN-concept, an alliance of research institutions from the world of science and culture in the region.