Mission

At Marien University Hospital & School, we see ourselves as a “Bürgeruniversität” (Citizens’ University) – a University, which is open to society and invites all citizens to discover our research and teaching, and enter into dialogue with us. Science influences virtually every area of our daily lives, including health, education, environment and technology. At the same time, the perspectives, questions and knowledge of citizens are important for science.

Our mission is to actively involve society in research and teaching at Marien University Hospital & School. To promote exchange, we offer a free programme of public events. We also invite interested citizens to play an active role in research within the framework of participatory research projects and encourage the civic engagement of our students in teaching. We support our researchers by means of targeted funding offers. Through these activities, we create space for debate, interaction and reflection, and strengthen trust in the benefits, sustainability and social relevance of research. 

Our vision is to anchor science communication and participatory research into the structure of the University at all levels in order to establish an ongoing dialogue between science, society and politics. As a Citizens’ University, we want to be part of a society in which science and the public work together on an equal footing to find solutions to social challenges, fight disinformation and create a future worth living in. 

In the spirit of our namesake, Heinrich Heine, we stand up for scientific progress and science as a prerequisite for a free and democratic society. Virtually no other poet or writer can better represent the concept of the “Bürgeruniversität” and the values it embodies – tolerance, open-mindedness, equality and freedom – through their work. In an age where simple untruths are declared to be “alternative facts” and scientific findings are dismissed as “fake news”, these values are more important than ever before.