University of Münster

Münster University is the most successful participating university of NRW debates with three victories in the second, sixth and eighth editions. Münster's students have taken part in the debates every year since the first edition (2015/16).

Dr. Matthias Freise

Dr. Matthias Freise has been a senior academic councillor since 2009 and a private lecturer at the Institute of Political Science at the University of Münster since 2018. His research focus is on the European integration process, in particular EU cohesion policy. In addition, Dr. Freise conducts research in the field of civil society and third sector research.

University of Duisburg-Essen

The University of Duisburg-Essen is the founder of NRW debattiert Europa and has participated in the debates every year since 2016. The Duisburg team secured victory in the first and tenth editions.

Dr. Oliver Schwarz

Dr. Oliver Schwarz has worked at the Institute of Political Science at the University of Duisburg-Essen since 2004. Questions of European integration and European policy are at the centre of his research and teaching. He is the coordinator of the mentoring programme for the Bachelor's degree programme in Political Science and co-director of the Duisburg branch of the Southeast Europe Society (SOG). Since 2025, he has been responsible for the organisational management of NRW debates Europe together with Dr. Alexander Hoppe.

University of Cologne

With the exception of the 2nd and 6th editions, the University of Cologne has participated in NRW debattiert Europa since the first edition. Cologne won the trophy twice: once in the 2017/18 German final and once in the 2024/25 English final.

Prof. Dr. Sven-Oliver Proksch

Prof. Dr. Sven-Oliver Proksch is Professor of Political Science and holds the Chair of European and Multilevel Politics at the Institute for Political Science at the University of Cologne. He is also a member of the Cluster of Excellence ECONtribute: Markets and Public Policy. His research interests include political representation, democratic political institutions, party competition, parliamentary debates, political text analysis and European politics. He is Principal Investigator of the ERC Consolidator Grant MINORITYRULE.

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University of Wuppertal

Teams from the University of Wuppertal have participated in the debates since the third edition of NRW debattiert Europa, except for the fifth edition.

Emilia Blank

Emilia Blank is a research assistant at the Institute for Political Science at the University of Wuppertal. Her research and teaching focus on deliberative democracy, citizens' assemblies, AI and democracy, and political systems in East Asia. She is involved in several externally funded and evaluation projects and teaches at bachelor's level.

Florian Volkhausen

Florian Volkhausen is a research assistant at the Institute for Political Science at the University of Wuppertal. He teaches bachelor's degree courses, including advanced political science.

University of Bielefeld

The Bielefeld team competed for the first time in the eighth edition (2022/23) of NRW debattiert Europa.

Dr. Norman Laws

Dr. Norman Laws has long been involved in sustainability policy issues at Leuphana University. He is a lecturer at the universities of Bielefeld and Lüneburg. His main job is as head of the department for European policy speeches and publications at the State Chancellery of Hesse.

Radboud Universiteit

The Dutch Radboud University is taking part in the 9th edition of NRW debates Europe for the first time, with an English-speaking team.

Dr. Gijs Jan Brandsma

Dr. Gijs Jan Brandsma researches politics and governance in the European Union as well as support in parliaments. He is particularly concerned with transparency, democratic accountability, decision-making processes and the relationship between the European institutions and the Member States.

University of Düsseldorf

Since the first edition of NRW debates Europe, teams from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf have taken part in the debates every year, with the exception of the fifth and ninth editions. A Düsseldorf team was able to achieve a unique victory in the fourth edition (2018/19).

Dr. Sabrina Proschmann

Dr. Sabrina Proschmann is a research assistant at the Chair of Modern History at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, where she conducts research and teaches on European history and international cooperation. Her areas of interest include fascist internationalism, European cooperation during the Second World War, and cross-border urban cooperation in the 19th century. In 2023, she was awarded the HHU Diversity Prize for her particularly respectful and diversity-sensitive teaching commitment.

Maastricht University

Maastricht University in the Netherlands is participating in NRW Debates Europe for the first time in its eleventh edition and will be represented by an English-speaking team.

Dr. Johan Adriaensen

Dr. Johan Adriaensen is an assistant professor of political science at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. His research and teaching focus on international political economy, European Union institutions, EU trade policy and issues of global governance. Prior to his current position, he was a postdoctoral researcher at Maastricht University and a visiting lecturer at KU Leuven and the University of Antwerp, among others.