With the establishment of a German-French graduate school “Climate change impact on the sustainability of special crops and their products”, Hochschule Geisenheim University and the Université de Bordeaux, together with their Australian associated partners (University of Adelaide and Australian Wine Research Institute), are sharing their expertise on an important current issue. The participating institutes have been working together on viticultural and enological projects in the BAG Alliance (Bordeaux-Adelaide-Geisenheim) since 2010, and the establishment of this graduate school shows the success of the existing initiative while further strengthening the collaboration.
The graduate school will be funded by the German-French University (DFH-UFA) beginning on January 1, 2018. The search for suitable candidates has already begun.
„Climate change and food security are among the most urgent topics in our time that can only be addressed globally. The link between Bordeaux, Geisenheim and Adelaide is ideally suited to address these diverse questions and interactions in an interdisciplinary manner in three different climatic regions and two hemispheres. Thanks to different competences within the individual partners, we can create unique synergies”, says Prof. Dr. Hans Reiner Schultz, president of Hochschule Geisenheim University.
“It is crucial that our PhD students get a thorough education based on scientific evidence and innovation, so they can tackle problems not only in science but also in society and business settings. We are grateful to DFH for funding such an interconnected project” adds Prof. Dr. Alain Blanchard, Director of the Institut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin at the Université de Bordeaux.
The German-French graduate school will start admitting one PhD student per year and main partner beginning in 2018. These students will do a so called co-tutelle PhD thesis in Bordeaux and Geisenheim and will spend about half of their time in both places. If the subject matter calls for it, they will carry out part of their research in Adelaide. In addition, the young scientists will have the opportunity to establish networks with each other and external specialists. The PhD is awarded by the Université de Bordeaux and Hochschule Geisenheim University. Funding through the DFH includes mobility allowances for students during their time abroad, funding of guest lectures at the respective partner site and the organization of subject specific workshops.
