The University's objectives for the visit were to discuss opportunities for collaboration with Germany across research, education and mobility, to gather information on Germany’s priorities for the higher education sector, and to identify how the University can best build and foster its relationship with the Ambassador. 

This is the Ambassador’s first official visit outside London, and came in response an invitation from the Bristol Mayor, Marvin Rees. Herr Michaelis is from Hannover, Bristol’s twin city.  

Pro Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement Erik Lithander said: “We were delighted to be able to welcome the Ambassador to the University to have the opportunity to showcase some of the terrific research being done in collaboration with German colleagues and institutions. The University of Bristol is determined to keep European collaboration at the centre of its research strategy, and opportunities such as the Ambassador’s visit are an excellent way to accentuate this.”

Bristol City Council introduced the Ambassador to some of Bristol's networks with German connections, such as Airbus and the University of Bristol, and welcomed the new Honorary German Consul for Bristol with a visit to the SS Great Britain.  

The delegation had lunch with Dean of the Faculty of Arts Professor Karla Pollmann, Professor of German and Comparative Literature Robert Vilain, Senior Lecturer in German Dr Debbie Pinfold, and Language Director in German Mandy Poetzsch.  

The delegation visited the Max Planck Bristol Centre for Minimal Biology in the School of Chemistry and the GW4 Facility for High-Resolution Electron Cryo-Microscopy housed in the Life Sciences Building. 

The Max Planck Bristol Centre for Minimal Biology was founded in 2019 by the University of Bristol and the Max Planck Society. The Centre pursues game-changing research and postgraduate training in the emerging field of minimal biology to address some of the most complex challenges in fundamental science. The GW4 Facility for High-Resolution Electron Cryo-Microscopy is closely aligned with the Wolfson Bioimaging Facility and provides world class cryo-microscopy and analysis tools, enabling researchers from diverse disciplines across the Great West region and beyond to study molecular processes using single-particle cryo-EM or cryo-tomography.