About the cooperation

International exchange is a normal mode of successful research in the 21st century. Over the last 10 years, very extensive scientific collaborations between Vanderbilt and Leipzig Universities have been established.

Key elements of this ongoing collaboration are scientific exchanges of students, postdocs, and PIs for extended periods of time to conduct research, learn new methods, and teach scientific courses. So far, 47 teaching modules have been taught by PIs at the respective partner university. We would like to emphasize that this exchange took place on all academic levels involving: so far 53 undergraduate students, 32 graduate students, 22 postdoctoral researchers, and 65 PIs toke advantage in the program and 59 corporative scientific papers were published.

Grant opportunities

For the exchange program, already in 2012, we established a funding procedure. Interested graduate students can write a ´micro´grant proposal, which will be evaluated by the steering committee of the Vanderbilt-Leipzig collaboration consisting of three collaborative scientists of each university. If the proposal is approved, the funding primarily covers travel and housing – i.e. the extra-cost of collaborating internationally; lab-expenses and stipends are typically not supported. Proposals can be submitted any time of the year.

Student exchange program

Since 2014 the Max Kade Foundation (MKF, www.maxkadefoundation.org) supports our student exchange program. They provides funds of up to three undergraduate students from each university to conduct a 10 week summer internship at the respective partner university (May – December). The Max Kade Foundation Scholarship Program is open for highly motivated and excellent foreign applicants with a BSc, MSc or equivalent degrees (obtained during the past year).

In July 2018 the heads of both universities renew a „Memorandum of Understanding 2028“ (MOU) between LU and VU that shall remain in force for a period of 10 years. The MOU allows and encourages academic exchanges between both universities; facilitate joint research programs, student programs, and a cultural exchange program. This MOU will be the basis for the aimed cooperation of the participating faculty and a prerequisite for many extramural funding applications. Furthermore it shall develop, strengthen and broaden the cooperation between both institutions in the long-term view.

Participating Insitituts 

LEIPZIG UNIVERSITY
Faculty of Life Sciences
Faculty of Chemistry and Mineralogy
Faculty of Medicine
Faculty for Mathematics and Computer Science
Centre for Biotechnology and Biomedicine

Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden – Rossendorf

VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
Institute of Chemical Biology (VICB)
Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics
Center for Structural Biology (CSB)
Department of Biochemistry
Department of Biomedical Informatics
Department of Chemistry
Department of Pharmacology