Cooperation continues with new focal points

Today, the members of the exchange forum came together for another working meeting at the University of Erfurt. Professor Kai-Uwe Sattler, President of Ilmenau University of Technology, which is coordinating the project together with TK, is also pleased about the renewals of the cooperation agreement as Chairman of the Thuringian Conference of State Presidents: "The Thuringian universities in the network have a common goal: we want healthy students and employees. We regularly share our best practice examples on how best to achieve this and, with the support of external experts, we continue to educate ourselves together. We are delighted that TK will continue to provide us with expert advice and financial support in the future." Although it is becoming increasingly difficult to attract students and staff, the issue of health is not a matter of course at universities. However, with the support of the exchange forum, the Thuringian universities have managed to install a health management system at almost all locations. This is a great success and gives hope that the topic will be integrated into university processes.

"The past few years have shown us that it is precisely this cooperation and the open exchange about concrete challenges and successes in health-promoting programmes and changes that are the network's recipe for success," says Mike Römer, prevention consultant at TK. "We want to bring our expertise in health promotion to the universities as precisely and effectively as possible. We can do this particularly successfully if we exchange ideas from different perspectives. At the same time, each individual university brings valuable experience from which the other universities and we can learn. The many years of trusting collaboration is also an enrichment for TK."

The core of the exchange forum is, on the one hand, the non-competitive cooperation of health coordinators from the Thuringian universities and, on the other hand, the thematic meetings and specialist conferences in which specific measures are agreed. In addition, the members exchange ideas in an interactive forum. Representatives of the exchange forum work closely with the university management. The Thuringian State Presidents' Conference has therefore decided to also become a member of the State Health Conference – a first in Germany. The first success of this networking is the inclusion of students in the target system of the Thuringian Health Conference.

The focus of the new cooperation period is also to integrate health promotion even more deeply and naturally into the universities. "Occupational health management, i.e. how do I make work more health-promoting for my employees, and student health management are already familiar concepts at most universities and are also practised in some cases. Universities are currently undergoing enormous change processes. One aim of the health coordinators is to support these processes in a way that promotes health, to think more inclusively and comprehensively and to combine cross-cutting issues such as sustainability, diversity and internationalisation more effectively. Establishing this type of health management at Thuringian universities is an ambitious endeavour. However, with the funding of the exchange forum for the next three years, I am confident that we will be able to support and accompany the universities on their way there," says Andrea Krieg, head of the Healthy Universities in Thuringia – Exchange Forum "From University to University" project.

Jens Panse, project manager of University Health Management at the University of Erfurt, is also delighted with the success: "We are a founding member of the exchange forum and have benefited greatly from the exchange when setting up our health promotion programme. Now we are happy to pass on our experience to others."