Eucor taking on North America

New York City, USA, at the corner of East 49th Street and 1st Avenue, with a view on the East River and the headquarters of the United Nations (UN): this is the location of the German House, home of Germany’s Permanent Mission to the UN and a German Consulate General, as well as branch offices of research organizations like the German Research Foundation and German universities. The University of Freiburg and its Eucor – The European Campus partners are now among the residents: the North American Liaison Office officially opened on 29 April 2016. One of the main advantages of the location is its proximity to other research institutions, says liaison officer Dr. Markus Lemmens. He sees good prospects for Eucor – The European Campus to excel in North America. “115,000 students, 15,000 researchers, a total budget of 2.3 billion euros at the five universities – those are numbers that draw attention, even in the USA.” In order to achieve the goals of the University of Freiburg and the European Campus, Lemmers spends most of his time building contacts with stakeholders of the scientific, industrial, and political sectors as well as with alumni and media representatives. He sends out a specific message to these groups while always emphasizing transparency: “I want to find out the topics of interest to the people I speak with and be able to react flexibly.” According to him, this concept is part of the policy that a modern liaison office should apply: following a clear strategic line that can be adjusted and further developed in the light of experience.