Coordinating University: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München 

Topic: Global Health and Medicine 

Partner countries: Bhutan, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, Ghana, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Nepal 

OH-TARGET focuses on improving global health by addressing structural health challenges linked to environmental factors. The project combines education, research, and professional practice through a participatory One Health approach. 

The network focuses on practical training, interdisciplinary research, and the employability of students and graduates in development cooperation. Research projects prioritize competence-building through ICT-based training, service learning, and interactive teaching formats. 

A joint international training module strengthens research competencies at the master's and doctoral levels. The network promotes diversity, gender equality, and inclusion through partnerships with indigenous communities and non-academic actors. 

Within the last funding phase 2020–2024, OH-TARGET worked to integrate the One Health approach into teaching and research at the Center for International Health – CIH at LMU Munich and partner universities. ICT-supported formats gained importance during the pandemic, enabling global exchange while reducing travel costs and environmental impact. 

Coordinating University: University of Kassel 

Topic: Social Sciences and Development Cooperation 

Partner countries: Ethiopia, India, Togo, Uganda, South Africa, Ghana, Haiti, Burkina Faso, Iran, Jamaica 

GPN is aligned with SDG 17, promoting global partnerships for sustainable development. The network comprises 11 universities and around 20 civil society organizations in the Global South and investigates the opportunities and challenges of international cooperation. 

Key questions include access, participation and justice: How can equal partnerships succeed? What challenges do postcolonial structures and global inequalities pose for truly equal partnerships? The network’s research covers agriculture, renewable energy, finance, and social/gender inequalities. 

GPN promotes critical, practice-oriented engagement with global development policy. Together with partner universities and NGOs, it develops new study programs, research projects, and training courses, with a focus on MA and PhD students and regional teaching capacity. 

Between 2020 and 2024, the network strengthened links between research and civil society, producing studies, workshops, and publications on climate justice, racism, gender, and women’s cooperatives in development cooperation. 

Coordinating University: Justus Liebig University Giessen 

Topic: Development and Environmental Research 

Partner countries: Colombia, Ecuador, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan 

The SDGnexus Network examines how to better understand and balance competing objectives and synergies between the 17 SDGs. Its extended nexus concept analyzes interrelations between water, land, energy, food, and materials to develop practical solutions for complex challenges. 

The network connects universities in Latin America, Central Asia, and Europe with actors from international cooperation. It supports interdisciplinary research, fosters exchange with non-academic partners, and trains young professionals to contribute to the 2030 Agenda. 

In its first funding phase, SDGnexus became a visible platform for sustainable development, launching research projects, updating study programs, and promoting young researchers. Collaboration with civil society and policymakers ensures that research leads to real-world impact.   

Coordinating University: Technische Universität Berlin 

Topic: Sociology, Empirical Social Research, Urban Planning 

Partner countries: Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Brazil, Mexico, Peru 

GCSMUS connects social science research methods with urban sustainability, particularly in line with SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. 

The network uses an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach, linking spatial learning, practice orientation, and international cooperation. Researchers and students jointly develop science-based and socially relevant solutions to urban challenges. 

A key feature is the creation of “Science-Policy Hubs” to strengthen the exchange among academia, policy, and civil society. GCSMUS also supports local research capacities and integrates innovative methods into teaching and training. 

In its first phase 2020-2024, the network established global collaborations and launched digital learning offers and research agenda combining spatial planning with social science perspectives—contributing to sustainable urban development in the partner countries. 

Coordinating University: University of Leipzig 

Topic: Development Economics and Labor Market Research 

Partner universities: Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Benin 

ACCESS addresses the employability of African university graduates, recognizing that academic education alone often does not secure entry into the labor market. The network promotes teaching approaches that specifically foster job-relevant competencies. 

It emphasizes that universities have a responsibility to prepare students not only academically but also practically and methodologically for the labor market. Practice-oriented training, research-based teaching, and collaboration with employers create pathways for economic growth and employment in line with SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. 

ACCESS brings together universities from seven African countries and the University of Leipzig. Together, they develop training formats, curricula, and coaching programs focused on soft skills, creativity, problem-solving, and independent thinking. 

The network grew visibly during the first phase, qualifying lecturers, initiating research projects, and building private-sector partnerships—helping young people shape self-determined professional futures. 

Coordinating University: TH Nuremberg 

Topic: Social Work and NGO Cooperation 

Partner countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China 

SOLID focuses on the professional handling of drug addiction, infectious diseases, and social exclusion in Central Asia.  The network aims to professionalize social work with vulnerable groups. The project develops modern curricula, builds a network of universities and NGOs, and promotes systematic knowledge transfer between academia and practice. 

It emphasizes applied research, innovative teaching, and digital knowledge platforms. A multilingual Knowledge Hub, doctoral programs, and conferences—such as the “City Health Conference”—promote exchange and raise the visibility of the topic. 

SOLID stands for a decentralized, partnership-based network that shapes future-oriented social work education—focusing on regional needs, social justice, and digital innovation. 

Coordinating university: Technical University of Munich (TUM) 

Topic: Electrical Energy Technology & Entrepreneurship 

Partner countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Namibia, Peru, Uganda 

SEED addresses one of the core challenges of sustainable development: reliable, decentralized energy in the Global South. The focus is on research into mini-grids as key technologies for environmentally friendly and socially just electrification. 

SEED links technical research with entrepreneurial training. It promotes both opportunity-driven entrepreneurship focused on innovation and growth as well as necessity-driven entrepreneurship. 

Working with eight partner universities across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, SEED established practice-oriented “Living Labs.” These labs serve both academic training and local energy provision, creating space for entrepreneurial action. 

SEED is integrated into TUM’s internationalization strategy, ensuring knowledge transfer and long-term development. The focus is on empowering partner universities and structurally embedding content into teaching and curricula. 

German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
Section P31 - Institution Building in Higher Education

Sherif Azab-Els
Programme Coordinator
Phone: +49 228 882-100
E-mail: azab-els at daad.de

Klaudia van Eyk
Programme/project administration
Phone: +49 228 882-8976
E-mail: eyk at daad.de