09.05.2023

International Week: Trip Around the World at HSBI – Lectures, Culinary Delights, Lively Exchange

The International Week takes place at Hochschule Bielefeld – University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSBI) for the fifth time – with a record number of participants: around 100 guests from 30 countries enrich the programme with lectures, workshops and information sessions. From 8 to 12 May, the university welcomes international guests.

Bielefeld (hsbi). HSBI has a network of more than 150 partner universities. Many representatives from these partner universities are currently participating in the International Week at HSBI’s campuses in Bielefeld, Minden and Gütersloh. “At HSBI, we firmly believe in the power of international collaboration,” said Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schäfermeier, Vice President International Affairs and Digitalisation, during the opening ceremony on 8 May. “We are proud to have established partnerships with institutions from all over the world, and we constantly strive to expand and strengthen these connections through international teaching and research projects. The International Week 2023 is proof of the collaborative spirit and the sense of community that we have built together.”

From Albania to the USA: HSBI’s global network expands each year. The fifth International Week, which has a record number of participants again, is living proof: almost 100 guests representing research, teaching and industry travelled to HSBI’s locations from around 30 countries.

International Week

International students honoured during scholarship and awards ceremony

The International Week traditionally starts with the International Office awarding the annual DAAD Prize from the German Academic Exchange Service for outstanding achievements of international students at German universities during a scholarship ceremony. This year’s winner is Ahmad Alkhateeb. The 33-year-old Syrian came to Germany in 2015 and co-founded the Bielefeld-based association Café Welcome. In addition to his studies in Social Work at HSBI, Alkhateeb also works in drugs counselling. In her laudatory speech, Hannah Möhring from the International Office praised Alkhateeb’s extraordinary commitment: “Mr Ahmad Alkhateeb has a special ability to build trusting relationships with other people and to assist them in difficult life situations.”

Professor Schäfermeier und Ahmed Alkhateeb

The annual €1,000 DAAD Prize has been awarded by the universities directly for more than twenty years and is intended to not only financially support the winners, but to also spread awareness of the special achievements made by international students in Germany.

In addition, 15 scholarships were awarded to international students for outstanding academic achievements and social commitment. “In our daily lives, we often forget about the different biographies and backgrounds of the people who surround us and who we interact with on campus every day. As a university, we strive to live and foster internationality in teaching and research,” Schäfermeier said.

Future prospects in art, industry and the environment

Thematically, the programme of this year’s International Week looks to the future – be it in art, industry or environmental protection. Chatbots, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Virtual Realities (VR) are hot topics that research, too, is dealing with. For example, students will be able to create art using AI or re-explore the human face using VR as part of the International Week’s programme. One workshop will provide insight into air pollution calculations that were made by an AI; another will deal with the distribution of renewable energies. Other researchers give insight into the effects of climate change on the provision of health care.

Publikum bei der Internationalen Woche

The employment market’s future will be discussed, too: the Coronavirus pandemic facilitated working from home and virtual collaboration. One of the courses will focus on the cultural differences between remote work in Germany and Turkey. And another one will present how students can work together on an international level in a university course and what is needed for such a teaching collaboration to work smoothly.

The International Week fosters intercultural exchange and informs about stays abroad

In addition to input from research, networking with the international guests plays an important role during the IW. Whether inspiring discussions with like-minded people, interesting country reports or autobiographical impressions – the university’s main hall will turn into a hub for intercultural encounters and experiences. At international tables, anyone who is interested will be able to go on a trip around the world outside of the regular course programme: here, apart from the partner universities, culinary delights from all over the world will be presented. The International Office will also be there to give advice on study-related stays abroad.

A varied programme with more than 70 specialist lectures and workshops

The annual International Week, organised by Katharina Kontowski and Maximilian Köster from the International Office, offers a platform for intercultural and international exchange. In almost 80 sessions, experts provide insight into their research – including lectures on the inclusion of young people with learning disabilities or on the economic prospects of Mexico. What’s special about this is that the guests’ sessions take place as part of their HSBI colleagues’ regular courses, thus forming an integral part of the seminar and lecture plans and offering the students opportunities to benefit from the international teaching and research perspectives directly. (cwi)

More information

Selected sessions are open to many interested parties. Please find the full programme here.

International Week 2023

International Office
German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)