2022: A historic year for Constructor University
New degree programs, new collaborations, new formats, a new leadership and a new name: 2022 brought numerous innovations for Constructor University. The private University in Bremen also hit record numbers with over 1,800 students, can claim significant breakthroughs in research, and signed new corporate partnerships securing millions in funding. It closes a year full of exciting developments and growth.
The year started off strong: with new leadership and the creation of a new vision for the University. On the very first day of the year, Professor Fabio Pammolli was appointed president of the young University by its Board of Governors headed by Chairman Dr. Serg Bell. Pammolli’s new energy and vast experience in the areas of higher education and finance, coupled with Bell’s vision for the university, brought new impulses that would later set the path and momentum for a record-breaking year.
This academic year was one for the books for the private University in Bremen-Grohn: 1,829 students are currently enrolled at Constructor University. Over 12 percent more than the largest number of students ever hosted in the history of the University. Young people from 119 countries have come to study in Bremen, consolidating the English-language University's position as the most international one in Germany. A good 40 percent of the students come from Europe, another 30 percent from Asia. Among the nations, students from Germany form the largest group with twelve percent, followed by India, the USA, Nepal and Pakistan. Through all the changes in 2022, the vibrant international character of the institution remains.
The year 2022 was indeed a year of “firsts” for the international university. It took first steps in modernizing its offers, and first steps in sharpening its profile: This included new digital opportunities for education. With the bachelor's degree Computer Science & Software Engineering, a completely online study program was introduced for the first time. It is complemented by the two new minor subjects Data Science and Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Management. Computer Science and Software Engineering was added as a new career-oriented master's program. Beyond the programs themselves, cutting-edge infrastructure is also in the making: hybrid lecture halls and team-based learning rooms are to be inaugurated in the coming months.
Explosive growth is impossible without new synergies: the year has also been a pivotal one in terms of corporate cooperation. Partnerships with companies such as Anisoprint, known for 3D printing systems, ChemDiv, a global leader in drug research, JetBrains, software giant in software development, or with the tech company Continental, open up new opportunities for students to gain practical experience.
At the heart of the University’s business is research - an area which had many breakthroughs in 2022. For example, the development of world's largest industrial delta 3D printer on campus. In cell research, a breakthrough was made with the discovery of a new method for transporting active substances into the cell - a method that could lead to the treatment of many diseases. Other scientists tracked down a new class of compounds in the field of noble metal oxo chemistry. And a cure for Covid-19? The University got one step closer: yet another team discovered that a chemical compound in coffee inhibits the interaction between the corona virus spike protein and the human cell ACE-2 receptor.
With a commitment to focus on entrepreneurship, start-ups on campus flourished this year among students and alumni. Student developed "Lanafrica", a central database for African languages, founded their own companies or became socially involved in the Bremen region. One team made it into the top 50 of the Google Solution Challenge with their app "Lighthouse", which helps in the search for missing people. The "V-Bionic" team even won the Microsoft Imagine Cup 2022, using the $100,000 prize money to further develop their solution for treating hand paralysis using an exoskeleton.
The strong focus on growth and transformation created no hurdles for the University in times of social commitment. When war and turmoil broke out in Ukraine, Constructor University opened its doors and campus to over 120 Ukrainian refugees and their families. Quickly, members of the University community- including over 50 students and a team of employees - organized a support system for those seeking asylum. University alumni showed solidarity with the efforts as well with an app to find housing solutions for Ukranian refugees worldwide.
The global alumni community of Constructor University also experienced many successes this year. With a host of career talks for current students, the Starducks program, and mentoring, alumni continued their dedication to their alma mater in a variety of ways. With events such as alumni meet-ups from Sofia to Berlin to Zurich, as well as student marketing events all across the globe, alumni kept the spirit of the university alive by gathering within their communities while students made lifelong connections for their career journey. Beyond this, we observed alumni success in other areas. Two graduates took part in a legendary gathering for top young researchers: the Nobel Laureate Meeting in Lindau on Lake Constance. A fellow alumnus became Group GTO of the Deutsche Telekom, while others had breakthroughs with their startup in AI and waste management, won the Hult Prize, secured millions in funding for apps that help with psychological support. The university celebrates the success of its active and vibrant community.
It was a year of “firsts” but also one of transformation. The campus in Bremen-Grohn hosted a series of science and tech events attracting renowned scientists, Nobel Prize winners and Tech-Oscar winners to the University. Names like Konstantiv Novoselov and Markus Gross appeared at events like the Graduation Ceremony and Insights in Technology Conference, where over 4000 participants joined online and in person. Not to mention the Women in Leadership Conference, where inspiring women from all over the world joined to give inspirational talks. Such initiatives contributed to a shift of the University image and positioning as a renowned institution of science and innovation.
The excellence of research and teaching at Constructor University was once again demonstrated by its outstanding performance in university rankings. In the U-Multirank evaluation, the University took second place in Germany. Worldwide, it was able to maintain its position among the top 25 percent. The most significant change in 2022 came in late November, when the private university in Bremen received its new name: Constructor University. Having said farewell to its former name “Jacobs University,” Constructor University is now moving forward with new energy.
The rebranding, based on the rapid growth of the former Schaffhausen Institute of Technology (SIT), founded by Dr. Serg Bell in 2019. As it has become a global organization with locations in more than 15 countries and a global network, this is now reflected in a new and broader brand name: Constructor Group. Constructor is a global institution, dedicated to promoting science, education, and cutting-edge technology. Related entities such as Alemira by Constructor, Rolos by Constructor, Constructor Learning and Constructor Capital aim to not only cover the entire learning lifecycle but also to break ground on next-generation research capacities, and platforms. With the University having joined this larger environment of innovation, science and technology, Dr. Bell intends to expand and further develop Constructor University – therefore, a number of new developments and innovations can be expected in the coming year.
Further information available at:
http://www.constructor.university
About Constructor University:
An international community, vibrant and diverse. Offering academic excellence, ensuring the highest standards in research and teaching. Empowering students to solve the world's pressing challenges through knowledge and science: Constructor University is a top-ranked, English-speaking, private university. Founded in 2001, it provides a wide range of 25+ academic programs and PhD. The Constructor ecosystem comprises the University, located in Bremen, Germany, and an institute in Schaffhausen, Switzerland.
Over 1.800 students from more than 110 nations on campus benefit from a unique interdisciplinary, foundational theoretical and practical education. Enriched with a buzzing entrepreneurial culture that prepares young professionals to thrive in the job market. With 6.000+ alumni worldwide, our community keeps growing – with our highest cohort ever registered in 2022.
The research-centric faculty projects are funded by the German Research Foundation and the European Union's Framework Program for Research and Innovation as well as by globally leading companies.
The Constructor ecosystem benefits from partnerships with high-ranked universities such as Carnegie Mellon, the University of Geneva or the National University of Singapore School of Computing, and technology companies such as Anisoprint, JetBrains and ChemDiv.
Constructor is a global institution dedicated to addressing the main challenges of the world through science, education, and technology. Apart from the University, the ecosystem relies on several for-profit entities that provide technology infrastructures and solutions, life-long education programs, consulting services, and funding: Alemira by Constructor, Rolos by Constructor, Constructor Learning and Constructor Capital.
Media contact:
Daisy Juknischke-Heinsen | Corporate Communications
presse@jacobs-university.de | Tel.: +49 421 200-4532