BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg sharpens university profile

Brandenburg's Science Minister Dr. Manja Schüle and the President of the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, Prof. Dr. Gesine Grande, welcome the plans presented today in the Brandenburg State Parliament's Committee for Science, Research and Culture to amend the law on the further development of the Lusatia university region. The changes are part of the amendment to the Higher Education Act, which is currently being discussed in the state parliament.

Science Minister Dr. Manja Schüle: "I am delighted: only a few weeks ago, we presented the examiner's report on the further development of Brandenburg's universities - today, the first results are already available. With the planned amendment of the coalition factions to the BTU establishment law, we are not only following the recommendations of the Science Council - we are also bringing the BTU foundation process to a successful conclusion. With this decision, the BTU is consistently pursuing the path it has already taken to sharpen its profile. The decision to offer a standardized university curriculum without applied study programmes strengthens BTU's ability to compete and cooperate, promotes research and development and secures the career paths of its employees .I very much welcome this. And of course we support the university on this path. What is particularly important to me is that BTU will largely maintain the number of study places on offer and involve the staff in the reorganization. This is how successful university development works: on the basis of professional expertise, together and in close coordination with each other."

BTU President Prof. Dr. Gesine Grande: "For BTU, the amendment to the Establishment Act is a very important basis for supporting the very dynamic further development of the university that has been initiated in recent years. The support provided by the recommendations of the Science Council and the support of our Ministry of Science, with whom we have been able to clarify the most important foundations for the new, purely university structure of the BTU in recent weeks, have paved the way. But the many discussions and working groups within the university, with the Senate, the faculties, the institutes and our colleagues, who will now work together to implement the university transformation, were also decisive. Together, we will shape the process with prudence, transparency and generosity so that everyone can benefit as much as possible."

The Science Council was commissioned by Brandenburg to assess the state's higher education system for two years and presented recommendations for its further development in January 2024. The report acknowledges the positive development of recent years and the role of universities in social and economic change. According to the German Council of Science and Humanities, the state's financial and political commitment has helped to increase the scientific performance of universities and strengthen transfer, digitalization and quality assurance. The German Council of Science and Humanities has been advising the federal and state governments on issues relating to the content and structural development of the higher education system and state funding for research institutions since 1957.

The Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU) was founded on July 1, 2013 on the basis of the law passed by the Brandenburg state parliament to further develop the Lusatia university region. It took over the faculties, facilities and study programs of the former Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus and the Lausitz University of Applied Sciences in Senftenberg. Around 180 professors (including visiting professors, junior professors and deputy professors) and 6,600 students study on 67 study programmes at the BTU's three locations (Cottbus main campus, Cottbus-Sachsendorf and Senftenberg).