On 13 June 2025, representatives of Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences and the Lower Saxony Water Management, Coastal Defence and Nature Conservation Agency (NLWKN) signed a new cooperation agreement at a ceremony on the Suderburg campus. The aim of the agreement is to further strengthen the training of future specialists in the Bachelor's degree programmes "Civil Engineering" and "Water and Soil Management (Environmental Engineering)" at the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
The cooperation aims to prepare students for the challenges of hydraulic engineering and water management with even closer links to practice. Students benefit from joint supervision during their internships and final theses. In addition, scholarships are awarded annually following an application process. Selected students gain valuable experience during their studies by gaining practical insights at the NLWKN. The involvement of NLWKN experts as guest lecturers in teaching is also planned.
The agreement was signed in the presence of Anne Rickmeyer (Director of the NLWKN), Sabrina Lorenz (Head of the NLWKN's Central Tasks Division), Professor Thorsten Albers (Dean of the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering), Heiko Marquardt (Head of the Lüneburg Operations Centre), Ostfalia-Professor Klaus Röttcher and Ostfalia-Professor Klaus Nelting.
Professor Thorsten Albers emphasised the importance of the cooperation: "This collaboration gives students access to practical research and at the same time opens up excellent career prospects with one of the state's leading players in the field of water management and nature conservation."