DAAD published a new information booklet on its programme “Higher Education Excellence in Development Cooperation – EXCEED”. The programme was launched in 2009 and it supports the development of competence centres by German universities and their partners in developing countries. 

The aim of the initiative is to strengthen certain areas of higher education, such as teaching, research, and services, so that together they can make effective and innovative contributions to the achievement of the development goals set by the United Nations.

Five years after the start of the programme, five globally active networks were established with financial support from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Each of these five EXCEED centres focuses on a key theme: Water and resources management; Decent work; Food security; Medicine. The centres carry out solution-oriented research projects in dialogue with politics, business and civil society; they train young researchers and develop and offer sustainability-relevant teaching content at the participating universities.

The publication provides detailed information on the work of each of these networks with inspiring case studies and personal stories from those involved in the implementation of the project.