A delegation from TU Bergakademie Freiberg visited the Ivy League University Dartmouth in Hanover, New Hampshire, USA, at the beginning of March 2026. As part of the agenda, existing and new collaborations between the two universities in research and teaching - with a focus on energy, technology and business topics - were discussed and initiated. The visit also formed the basis for the intended exchange of students and researchers between the two universities. The fruitful discussions resulted in the signing of a letter of intent (LoI).
Members of the university management (Dartmouth University: Provost Prof Santiago Schnell and Vice Provost Prof Barbara Will, PhD; TU Bergakademie Freiberg: Rector Prof Dr Jutta Emes; Vice Rectors Prof Dr Swanhild Bernstein and Prof Dr Karina Sopp) as well as professors from the natural sciences, engineering, materials science, economics, computer science and mathematics attended the meetings. In addition to an intensive exchange between the various departments (including the Thayer School of Engineering and Tuck School of Business), the programme included visits to laboratories (e.g. the ice laboratory) and start-up and transfer facilities, such as the Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy & Society, the Magnuson Centre for Entrepreneurship and the Tech Transfer Office.
TUBAF and Dartmouth already have research collaborations in materials science, geosciences, microbiology, engineering, AI and energy systems, as well as in mine rescue (medicine). Researchers and students from both universities as well as society as a whole will benefit from the closer collaboration.
About a year ago, a delegation from Dartmouth visited Freiberg. The contact was initiated by former Vice-Rector Prof Dr Jörg Matschullat, who had spent an extended research period at Dartmouth. He was funded by a visiting professorship from the Harris Programme, as was former Rector Prof. Dr Klaus-Dieter Barbknecht, who is currently teaching as a visiting professor at Dartmouth.
