A new global partnership for collaboration
TORCH, Oxford University and The German Literature Archive (Deutsches Literaturarchiv – DLA) celebrate an MoU.
October 2025 A new global partnership for collaboration
TORCH, Oxford University and The German Literature Archive (Deutsches Literaturarchiv – DLA) celebrate an MoU
Oxford University’s humanities research centre, TORCH, has announced a new step in its long-term partnership with the German Literature Archive (DLA Marbach), one of Europe’s most important literary archives. Together, TORCH and DLA Marbach will develop joint research projects exploring Europe’s intellectual history and cultural heritage. The collaboration will support new exchanges between scholars, share expertise in digital preservation, and open up unique collections to wider audiences.
The Oxford-DLA Marbach Partnership will run for an initial period of 3 years and will work in two areas: The Programme shall allow DLA Marbach, and The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities, TORCH to facilitate the following activities:
Interdisciplinary research and cultural exchange across the Humanities and Social Sciences in particular, and connecting both emerging and established researchers with research counterparts in both institutions.
Collaboration on strategic interdisciplinary research themes, including but not limited to literature studies, archival studies, philosophy, and intellectual history in general, literature data, material hermeneutics, multilingualism, digitization, and digital humanities.
The MoU will also enable the exploration of opportunities for joint funding proposals to support further collaboration.
"This is the next and most important step in a long-standing cooperation. We are looking forward to expanding our mutual exchange and to promoting in-depth research in literature and intellectual history."
Sandra Richter, Director of Deutsches Literaturarchiv Marbach
"I am glad and honoured that Oxford and the DLA join forces in exploring European intellectual history and are going to create a venture full of insights and delights."
Kai Uwe Peter, President of Deutsche Schillergesellschaft e.V.
“TORCH and OU are delighted to announce a new MoU with the DLA Marbach, one of the most important and wide-ranging literary archives in Europe. Its collections house and preserve a wealth of source materials central to our understanding of literary and intellectual history from 1750 to the present day.
We celebrate this new collaboration as a ground-breaking opportunity to share ideas, knowledge and practice between our two world-renowned institutions, paving the way to new joint initiatives in the coming months and years."
Professor Christine Gerrard, TORCH Director
Background
The German Literature Archive (Deutsches Literaturarchiv – DLA) is one of the most significant literary institutions in the world. Its collections bring together and preserve an abundance of valuable sources of literary and intellectual history from 1750 to the present day.
TORCH is a world-leading interdisciplinary research centre which connects Humanities researchers with partners across and beyond the University to form local, national and global collaborations. It incubates, supports and delivers ambitious outward-facing research projects designed to bring Oxford Humanities to the wider world.
