What does the cooperation between the Berlin University Alliance (BUA) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) look like? Which opportunities are given to researchers who want to expand their international network? What support is available for existing joint research projects? In the webinar “Berlin University Alliance and its International Strategic Partnerships: National University of Singapore”, which took place at the end of January, researchers from the partner institutions of the BUA were able to find out more about this and other topics. This attracted considerable interest: Around 120 participants from Berlin and Singapore used the information webinar to ask their personal questions and get to know contact persons.

Both Professor Sabine Kunst, president of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and spokesperson of the BUA, and Professor Eng Chye Tan, president of NUS, emphasized in their welcoming speeches the role international cooperation can play in times of crisis and highlighted the importance of cross-border research. “I’m pleasantly surprised by how quickly we’ve adapted to the ‘new normal’,” said Sabine Kunst. “As much as I miss the opportunity to engage in face-to-face exchanges, I'm also grateful to live in an age where technology allows us to come together irrespective of location.” Laurence Bay Siow Hon, the ambassador of the Republic of Singapore in Berlin, also took the opportunity to highlight the state’s productive relations with Germany, especially in science and research.

The strategic partnership between the BUA and the National University of Singapore has been in place since 2018. Among other things, it aims to strengthen cooperation in the field of excellent and innovative research on specific key topics. In October 2020, the second joint call for proposals was started, namely the Call for Joint Research Proposals – Global Health Initiative. In order to further expand the cooperation, ideas from members of the partner institutions are also needed. The coordinators of the partnership – Aleksandra Laski for the BUA and Lim Mei Mei for the NUS – are therefore not only available to answer questions, but also welcome new initiatives from the group of researchers.

In smaller discussion groups, the researchers also had the opportunity to get up to speed on specific aspects of the Berlin/Singapore Partnership and learn more about the research landscape and financing options at the respective other location. A breakout session on the joint research focus global health bridged the gap to the BUA’s second grand challenge initiative. On top of that, another well-attended breakout room offered initial insights into cooperation opportunities in the humanities and social sciences.

The fact that the webinar attracted so much interest served to reinforce the idea put forward by the partners of providing more centralized information services going forward, in the form of online formats, thus creating a space for the necessary networking of researchers. Furthermore, the partnership will be strengthened in the long term through the launch of additional joint calls for proposals, support for the further development of existing projects, and other target-group-specific offerings.

On March 9, 2021 from 9 am to 11 am, the BUA will be offering a similar format on the strategic partnership with the University of Melbourne.