Scientific excellence not only depends on the outstanding performance of talented young researchers but also on the close cooperation with a worldwide network of renowned partner institutions. Consequently, the Graduate School is making strong efforts to develop a doctoral training programme within an international context. A central element of our internationalization strategy is the Spring and Fall Meetings attended by speakers of international renown. A second important element is the promotion of international cooperation in the form of exchange programmes and international PhD programmes. Since its foundation in 2006, the Graduate School has established close cooperation with the following international partner institutions:

• TissueHome: Joint PhD program Universities of Oulu (Finland), Ulm (Germany) and Lund (Sweden)
• Bart’s and Queen Mary’s College in London, UK
• Biocenter Oulu, Finland
• Harvard Medical School in Boston, USA
• Houazhong University of Science and Technology/Tongji Medical College in Wuhan, China
• University of Houston, USA
• University of Padua, Italy
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
• Università ‘Campus Bio-Medico’ di Roma, Italy
• Universitat autònoma de Barcelona, Spain