The Future of Internationalisation TU9 Conference and Evening Event in Berlin
On 22 and 23 June 2023, TU9, the alliance of leading technical universities in Germany, is hosting the conference “The Future of Internationalization – Strengthening Excellence, Shaping Strategy” in Berlin. Following the first day of the conference, there will be an evening event on “Foreign Science Policy and the Future of Internationalisation”.
The two-day event of the TU9 Alliance enables an exclusive exchange in a small circle against the background of the process for the further development of the “Strategie der Wissenschaftsminister/innen von Bund und Ländern für eine Internationalisierung der Hochschulen“ (Strategy of the Science Ministers of the Federation and the Federal States for an Internationalisation of Universities). The event will also serve to formulate joint positions and needs of research-strong universities.
Invited are university administrations of research-intensive universities, heads of their international offices, strategy and research departments, experts from the DAAD and other science organisations, politics and industry.
On the topicality of the TU9 conference, TU9 President Professor Angela Ittel says:
“For the first time, the Federal Government has developed a National Security Strategy and assigned a significant role to foreign science policy and science diplomacy. At the conference, we will discuss how we can shape the internationalisation of universities and other scientific institutions under these and other current conditions.“
TU9 President Professor Tanja Brühl on the role of universities:
“As universities, we are operating today under significantly changed, volatile geopolitical conditions worldwide. It is therefore important for us as universities to analyse our efforts in the field of internationalisation and to align ourselves strategically in an adequate manner on the basis of this analysis. In doing so, it is important to use this as a basis for defining and filling our role as scientific institutions in both German and European foreign science policy.”
Focus on geopolitical aspects and recruitment of specialists
On Day 1, the conference will focus on the geopolitical framework conditions, opportunities and limitations of internationalisation. There will be impulses on this from politicians, including Anna Panagopoulou, Head of ERA & Innovation at the European Commission, from Head of Section Peter Greisler from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and from Mattias Björnmalm, Secretary General of CESAER. Afterwards, different challenges will be discussed in five World Cafés, for example how cooperation is possible under difficult geopolitical conditions. Cooperation with countries of the global South, strengthening the European Higher Education Area, Blue Sky Research and global challenges, as well as security and risk management will also be discussed in the expert exchange. It will be rounded off with a final presentation by Dr. Ulrike Hillemann-Delaney, spokesperson for the TU9’s International Affairs Expert Group and Head of the International Affairs Department at Technische Universität Berlin.
On the following day, keynote speaker Dr. Jens Brandenburg, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, as well as representatives from universities, industry and science institutions will address the topic of attracting and retaining specialists. TU9 Managing Director Dr. Nicole Saverschek will lead a closing discussion together with Dr. Sven Werkmeister, Director of International Affairs at the DAAD, in which a conclusion and an outlook will be presented.
About TU9
TU9 is the alliance of leading technical universities in Germany: RWTH Aachen, Technische Universität Berlin, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Technical University of Darmstadt, Dresden University of Technology, Leibniz University Hannover, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Technical University of Munich and University of Stuttgart.
Tradition, excellence and innovation characterise the TU9 universities. Founded in the age of industrialisation, they still make a decisive contribution to technological progress today. They enjoy an excellent reputation worldwide as renowned research and teaching institutions that promote the transfer of knowledge and technology between university and practice. They train outstanding young talent for science, business and administration and assume social responsibility. TU9 universities maintain high-calibre international networks and diverse cooperations with the industry. This makes them an essential element of Germany as a location for science and innovation.