At a formal ceremony held yesterday, 23 March 2026, the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE) honoured its Germany Scholarship recipients for the 2026 funding period. A total of 46 students are receiving funding this year, including 29 Bachelor’s and 17 Master’s students. They were welcomed and congratulated by the Vice-President for Studies and Teaching, Prof. Dr Uta Steinhardt.

“The Deutschlandstipendium recognises not only outstanding academic achievement, but above all social commitment and personal integrity. This is precisely what sets our students apart,” emphasised Prof. Steinhardt in her speech.

The programme’s strong response is reflected in a total of 139 applications. In addition to 31 extended grants, 15 new scholarships were awarded. The diversity of the recipients is particularly noteworthy: 30 of the scholarship holders are female, 16 male; five students have an international background, 19 come from non-academic families, and two are studying whilst raising a child.

Many of the recipients are involved in activities far beyond their studies – in higher education policy bodies, as student vice-presidents, on departmental councils or in the AStA, as well as in initiatives for climate protection, nature conservation or social justice.

The scholarship recipients’ individual stories impressively demonstrate the diverse ways in which sustainable development is put into practice. For instance, scholarship recipient Leslie Jung is researching the potential of peatland restoration and paludiculture as part of his Master’s degree in Ecological Agriculture and Food Systems. During a field course in Greifswald, he analysed peat layers and recognised moors as ‘archives of landscape history’. His aim: to develop solutions that combine climate protection with agricultural use. He is supported by the Natur im Norden Foundation.

Silas Gronbach, a student on the Master’s programme in Sustainable Entrepreneurship & Social Innovation, combines entrepreneurial thinking with social responsibility. As a former student vice-president, lecturer and co-organiser of a nationwide conference, he is actively involved in the university’s further development.

Paula Popp, a Master’s student in the Global Change Management programme, also brings international perspectives to the table: her work with indigenous communities in Indonesia, her experiences in South Africa and her involvement in Europe demonstrate how closely issues of climate protection, social justice and global responsibility are intertwined.

The Deutschlandstipendium is made possible by the commitment of 15 sponsors, including long-standing partners such as GLG mbH, the Ostdeutscher Sparkassenverband, the Johannes-Schubert-Stiftung, the Wissenschaftsstiftung der Sparkasse Barnim and the Stiftung Zukunft Jetzt!.

An overview of all sponsors of the Germany Scholarship at HNEE:

• Eberswalder Hochschulgesellschaft e. V.
• CoCo Real GmbH
• GLG Gesellschaft für Leben und Gesundheit mbH
• IHK Ostbrandenburg
• East German Savings Banks Association
• Ralf Dieme Engineering Office
• Johannes Schubert Foundation
• Dr Steffen Richter
• "Nature in the North" Foundation / Hildrun and Ruprecht Müller Fund
• Ursula and Günther Deininger
• Barnim Savings Bank Science Foundation
• Zukunft Jetzt! Foundation
• Reinhard and Monika Kampmann Foundation
• Globus Naturkost
• Altner-Combecher-Kohler Foundation

A total of 28 subject-specific scholarships were awarded.

The selection of scholarship recipients was carried out by a committee comprising representatives from the university, including Prof. Uta Steinhardt (Vice-President for Studies and Teaching), professors and student members.

Through the Germany Scholarship, HNEE specifically supports committed students who take on responsibility and actively help shape sustainable development – both regionally and globally.