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Institutions of Higher Education: International Exchange

Higher Education Institutions

Higher education institutions are central players in science and society and drivers of innovation and progress. Their international cooperation is essential for Germany as a knowledge location.

Opportunities

  • International Exchange is both a fundamental prerequisite and a key element of excellence in research and teaching.
  • The internationalization of science and research is the key to finding evidence-based solutions for current and future challenges such as climate change or energy supply.
  • The internationalization of German higher education institutions strengthens knowledge transfer and innovation.
  • Students and researchers benefit from an international environment which gives them the opportunity to build networks, broaden their intercultural skills and learn foreign languages.

International higher education cooperation: improving framework conditions

The internationalization of higher education institutions is important to secure and enhance the attractiveness and the global competitiveness of German higher education and science. To achieve this aim, the Federal Government and the Länder adopted a Strategy of the Federal and Länder Ministers of Science for the Internationalization of the Higher Education Institutions in Germany (2024-2034) in summer 2024. Higher education institutions, student bodies, science organizations and other important stakeholders were involved in the development of the strategy. The strategy contains common objectives and proposals for measures which will be implemented under the respective responsibility of the Federal Government, the Länder governments and the higher education institutions. Important objectives include the following:

  • The attractiveness of higher education and science in Germany is to be further strengthened for international students and researchers. Possible obstacles to recruiting, integrating and retaining students and researchers from abroad are to be further reduced. In this way we can recruit greater numbers of qualified people for science and industry.
  • High-value experience in an international environment is to be facilitated for as many students, researchers and other higher education staff as possible.  To achieve this, both physical and virtual mobility are to be supported and higher education programmes are to be internationalized (internationalisation@home).
  • European and international higher education cooperation in research and teaching is to be further expanded and intensified.

International higher education cooperation: Funding

International higher education collaborations are a key element of an innovative and effective higher education and research environment. That is why the BMBF funds international projects of German higher education institutions through the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). This funding is an important element of the BMBF’s internationalization strategy which aims at strengthening the international networking of German higher education and research institutions and ensuring Germany’s competitiveness in the global education and research market.

The programme portfolio of the DAAD covers a broad range of activities from supporting structured student exchange to research-oriented cooperation. All levels are thereby addressed, from technical cooperation to strategic internationalization. Programmes such as International Study and Training Partnerships (ISAP), (international) double degree programmes and the Programme to increase the Mobility of Students from German Universities (PROMOS) serve above all to expand international structures in higher education. Such programmes support for example the exchange of students and the creation of possibilities to obtain international double degrees. Research-oriented programmes such as the Programme for Project-Related Personal Exchange (PPP) also play an important role in the internationalization of higher education institutions. The focus is particularly on universities of applied sciences which receive targeted support from programmes like HAW.International.

Regional and subject-oriented programmes

There are also programmes with a regional focus such as the German-Argentine University Centre or Ukraine digital. These programmes are aimed at intensifying cooperation with specific countries or regions and strengthening the local higher education systems. Subject-oriented programmes such as Lehramt International (for the internationalization of teacher training) or the Konrad Zuse Schools of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence provide targeted support for specific disciplines and contribute to promoting the excellence and innovativeness of German higher education institutions in these fields.

Transnational education projects, above all binational universities such as the Turkish-German University or the Vietnamese-German University present the efficiency of the German higher education system abroad and contribute to making German education standards and teaching methods known worldwide.

Editorial deadline for this text: 01.11.2024

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