To support the implementation of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa, Asia and Latin America, Germany’s Development Ministry has decided to fund seven German universities to help the Global South achieve the SDGS, under a program called ‘Exceed.’
In 2009, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development in unison with German Academic exchange service (DAAD) Launched Exceed to highlight the collaboration between German universities and their counterparts in the Global South.
During the next four years, 2020-2024, the seven shortlisted universities will receive a fund support equal of 34 million US-dollars. Each university will contribute its expertise to fulfil the SDGs. The universities, in most cases are already running programs in keeping with the UN SDGs, which they will continue promoting in hopes to meet the SDGs 2030. Under the current program banner, each university will continue and further develop programs for which they receive the ministry’s funding.
The One Health Training and Research Global Network, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and the University of Munich medical center for instance, will continue research with partner universities in nine Southern countries across three continents. The project is designed to help improve health conditions worldwide by enhancing understanding of the structural health problems.
In keeping with SDG 17, the University of Kassel’s Global Partnership Network (GPN) which involves 12 higher education institutions and about 20 NGOs will further explore prospects for limitations of global partnerships in the fields of development cooperation, the global economy and knowledge production. The focus areas include access, accountability and participation, agriculture, finance and renewable energies.
Justus Liebig University Giessen’s SDG Nexus Network program is designed keeping in mind that 17 SDGs are complementary nonetheless, there are a range of conflicts in aims exist which could hinder the way to achieving them by 2030. The program aims to deal with this problem by applying the Nexus approach which is compliments the assumption that environmental resources are intertwined.
Technische Universität Berlin will support project called The Global Center of Spatial Methods for Urban Sustainability (GCSMUS). The project is aimed at to combining social science research methods, knowledge transfer and exchange and the implementation of results with urban policy-making and planning to achieve sustainable urban development.
Leipzig University’s African Centre for Career Enhancement Skills Support (ACCESS) will focus on its in-motion collaborative schemes with its partner universities in Africa on 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences is keen on programs on social work and supporting NGOs in development cooperation. The program’s focus is to support training and education of social workers in Central Asian countries, who play a key role in preventing and treating drug addiction. Furthermore, the program promotes academic exchange between German and Asian universities in the relevant fields.
And the Technical University of Munich’s Center for Sustainable Energies and Entrepreneurship in the Global South, has been designed to conduct research on energy supply, creating links of energy supply with higher education, internationally. The hope is come up with the latest generation of mini grids as a component of power supply in the countries of the Global South. The program also encourages entrepreneurship development.