The strategic partnership between Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT), the WURI Foundation (World’s Universities with Real Impact), and the Institute for Nation Brand Promotion was officially launched on 26 June with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at Deggendorf Institute of Technology. As part of this cooperation, DIT will host the prestigious WURI Global Conference in September 2026.

In addition to the ceremonial signing of the agreement, an initial planning meeting was held in Deggendorf to discuss key organisational and thematic aspects of the event. The MoU was signed by Prof. Waldemar Berg, President of Deggendorf Institute of Technology, together with South Korean representatives Prof. Dr. Dong-sung Cho, Founder of the WURI Foundation, Jeong-wan Cho, CEO of the WURI Foundation, and Prof. Dr. Jin-suk Kim, President of the Institute for Nation Brand Promotion.

The WURI Global Board selected Deggendorf Institute of Technology as host in recognition of its consistently high performance in the WURI Rankings. Following its top placements in recent years – ahead of renowned institutions such as Berkeley, Princeton and Chicago – this latest recognition highlights DIT’s standing as a globally active, innovation-driven university once again. Furthermore, the MoU reflects the strategic importance of transnational networks and DIT’s commitment to advancing global higher education.

The international academic forum is expected to attract around 300 representatives from universities and organisations across the globe to Deggendorf in September 2026. The South Korean partners will be in charge of attracting participants and developing the conference programme, while DIT, as the local event organiser, will oversee the on-site management. The conference aims to connect innovative universities worldwide and set new benchmarks for assessing their societal impact, innovative strength and entrepreneurial responsibility. In addition, the event seeks to enhance the visibility and reputation of all participating institutions in the long term.

WHO/Europe has designated the European Campus Rottal-Inn (DIT-ECRI) at Deggendorf Institute of Technology in Germany as a collaborating centre on digital health. Collaborating centres carry out activities in support of various WHO programmes in areas such as medicine, public health, nursing and midwifery, and more.

DIT-ECRI will support WHO in strengthening digital health systems, including through policy and strategy development, training and capacity building, as well as research and evaluation of digital health interventions. The collaboration is expected to last 4 years with the possibility of extension.

“We are proud to be among 27 WHO partners in Germany and the only one in the field of digital health. We are committed to supporting WHO's vision of using digital technologies to transform health systems and reach underserved populations, as outlined in the WHO Fourteenth General Programme of Work (GPW14),” said Prof. Dr. Georgi Chaltikyan, head of the new center. Dean Prof. Dr. Christian Steckenbauer sees this as “a milestone in health research and in the internationalization of the European Campus”.

Specifically, DIT-ECRI’s contributions will include providing data and analyses on existing digital health policies and ethics frameworks, identifying potential gaps, and providing evidence-based recommendations for policy enhancements. DIT-ECRI will collaborate with WHO to revise and refine a comprehensive toolkit covering the planning, deployment, and evaluation of digital health solutions. To improve workforce competencies in digital health, DIT-ECRI will develop targeted training materials, coordinate capacity-building initiatives, and guide the upskilling of health care professionals. Under WHO’s coordination, DIT-ECRI will also engage in research and evaluation of digital health interventions to ensure a robust evidence base for continued innovation and improvement.

“Modernizing health care and making sure that digital tools are safe and accessible is a priority for us at WHO. Germany is a key player in advancing digital health in Europe, and this is why we are looking forward to working together with DIT-ECRI. This partnership will help us translate research into practical solutions that strengthen service delivery and improve patient outcomes across the region,” said Dr David Novillo Ortiz, Regional Adviser for Data, Evidence and Digital Health at WHO/Europe.

The new collaboration will support the implementation of the Regional Digital Health Action Plan for the WHO European Region 2023–2030 and the WHO Global Strategy on Digital Health.

Since 1 January, Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) has been a true hero. Or one of 13 German HEROES, to be more precise. Though not the kind of "heroes" typically associated with the term; here, the acronym stands for "Higher Education for Resilience-Oriented and Empowered Societies". This is a transnational alliance of higher education institutions focusing on promoting the talents of a new generation of EU citizens. With the perhaps heroic goal of strengthening the regional resilience of people, companies and nature.

Ulrike Sauckel, Head of Division Internationalisation at DIT, is very proud to have brought Deggendorf Institute of Technology into this select fold. "The 1.9 million euros in total funding will allow us to get a lot of things done," hopes Sauckel, a DIT employee with vast experience in international university collaborations, adding: "It's about making the university, the teaching staff and the students fit for the future. For a VUCA world, a world shaped by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity." It can even be a transformational process for the university and the region alike, she continues. "As regional networking is the focus of European Uni, the region will also benefit from the university's programmes," Sauckel is certain. These programmes are all the result of close cooperation with local stakeholders such as the city, schools, regional development and, of course, also with companies.

By way of example, new, contemporary teaching formats, such as challenge-based learning, will be a focus at DIT. This will be organised in cooperation with companies, but also with other institutions. "Such creative approaches will enable the necessary future skills to be developed and will bring new impetus to teaching at DIT," says Sauckel, adding that other programmes are intended to create inclusion so that the acquisition of intercultural skills no longer depends solely on the size of parents' wallets.

During the funding phase, DIT will be responsible for creating and maintaining the necessary ecosystem, i.e. for all stakeholder groups in and around a university: from pupils to alumni, from companies to environmental protection organisations. Programmes such as HEROESfriends, HEROESalumni, but also the Student Council or the International Advisory Board will be coordinated by the university.

With the "European University Networks (EUN) – National Initiative" programme, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is lending its support to the EU's "European Universities" initiative. Since the beginning of the year, 13 German universities have been supported in the current and final fifth funding round. They will receive around eight million euros from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) over the next four years in addition to the EU funding. DIT is included in this round.

The European Universities are cross-border university networks that jointly develop teaching and learning formats, new forms of cooperation in education, research and technology transfer and strive for close cooperation with society. They are the brainchild of French President Emanuel Macron and are part of the European Union's Erasmus+ programme.

In the national support programme, the DAAD assists the German universities selected by the EU in setting up European university networks. To this end, the DAAD promotes networking between the universities, helps to reduce bureaucratic hurdles and ensures greater visibility for German universities within the European networks.

The fifth funding round of the national accompanying programme started at the beginning of January 2025. Aside from Deggendorf Institute of Technology, the following German universities will receive up to 600,000 euros in addition to the EU funding over the next four years:

• Bauhaus-Universität Weimar
• Europa-Universität Flensburg
• FernUniversität Hagen
• HTW Berlin University of Applied Sciences
• Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences
• Offenburg University of Applied Sciences
• OTH Regensburg
• TH Köln – University of Applied Sciences
• Chemnitz University of Technology
• Technische Universität Ilmenau
• Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt
• University of Greifswald

Background European Universities

The European Universities initiative aims to bring Europe's universities much closer together in terms of teaching, research, transfer and innovation. At its core is the vision of a cross-border university. The means to achieving this are especially to involve developing joint study and research programmes, offering cross-campus programmes and the engagement of teachers, researchers and students in intensive dialogue.

Following two pilot calls for proposals, the EU selected the European universities over three funding rounds in 2022, 2023 and 2024. A total of 64 alliances spanning more than 560 participating universities from 35 countries have been established. 66 German universities are represented in a total of 58 alliances. Sustainable funding is currently being negotiated at EU level.

National support programme

Alongside the EU, the DAAD has been supporting German universities on their way to becoming European universities through a national support programme funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research since 2020. The programme currently supports 63 German universities that have received prior funding approval from the EU. A total budget of some 39 million euros has been allocated to the national support programme for the years 2024 to2027.