On 26 August 2020, David McAllister, the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament and former Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, made a guest visit to Leuphana University Lüneburg.
During his visit, David McAllister learned about the special role of the European Centre for Advanced Studies (ECAS) in Lüneburg, in developing academic cooperation between universities in Scotland and Lower Saxony. Founded by the University of Glasgow and Leuphana University Lüneburg in 2019, as a joint research institution, ECAS provides opportunities for both universities to pursue common interests in research and teaching in the fields of digital culture and media, business informatics, law, management, sustainability and psychology. ECAS also aims to promote and support the wider development of networks, strategic partnerships and joint projects between Scotland and Lower Saxony.
Prof. Dr. Jörg Philipp Terhechte, Academic Director of ECAS and Vice President of Leuphana, commented: “We are particularly pleased that David McAllister has come to see our activities here and signalled his support for ECAS”.
David McAllister emphasised the important bridging function that ECAS plays in developing a strategic cooperation between Scotland and Lower Saxony: “I am sure that the ECAS will play an important role in the next few years in consolidating academic cooperation between Scotland and Lower Saxony, especially in view of the BREXIT.”
McAllister was particularly impressed by the plans to establish an ECAS Fellowship Programme, involving researchers from Scottish and Lower Saxonian universities. Such an exchange could make a decisive contribution to the further development of relations between Scotland and Lower Saxony.